Maxwell Moldovan advances to Drive, Chip & Putt finals at Augusta

 

Getting to attend the Masters Tournament and walk around the famed Augusta National Golf Club is at or near the top of many golf fans' bucket lists. Getting the chance to play on Augusta and putt on the 18th green, with the classic Sunday pin location no less? That's such a lofty experience, it might not even enter a lot of golfers' best dreams.

 

But that's what Maxwell Moldovan will get to do this year. And he's only 13 years old.

 

Moldovan has qualified for the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship – a 9-shot format using those three skills – by winning three qualifying stages, the first two in Ohio and the last in Michigan, and being named the Great Lakes region champion in September. A total of 15,000 kids signed up for the program and tried to qualify. Moldovan is one of 80 kids still standing, and one of 10 in his 12-13 age group.

 

The championship will take place April 5, the Sunday before the Masters Tournament, at Augusta, arguably the most well-known and prestigious course in the country and one of the top courses in the world.

 

"I'm very excited. It's going to be an awesome experience," said Moldovan, a seventh-grader at Green.

 

Moldovan has already won numerous tournaments in his age group, including last year's Goodpark Junior. According to Junior Golf Scoreboard, Moldovan is the top 13-year-old golfer in the state of Ohio and 28th in the country.

 

But getting to step on the 18th green at Augusta trumps everything that's come before it.

 

"It's definitely at the top of this list," Moldovan said. "Because it's probably the best course in the United States, the most famous. It's definitely at the top."

 

For all three qualifiers, each contestant had three drives, three chips and three putts, and accumulated points. For the championship, each contestant will only have two drives (take the best one), two chips (total distance from the hole) and three putts (total distance from the hole).

 

"Being that I only get 7 shots, they are probably some of the most important shots I've ever hit, so I have to concentrate on them," Moldovan said.

 

Golf has been in Moldovan's family for generations. Moldovan's grandfather, Ramus, rode his bike several miles so he could caddie at Tam O'Shanter Golf Course in the 1930s, making 65 cents a bag. His father, John, is a golf professional at Ohio Prestwick Country Club in Green.

 

"We are extremely proud. It's a dream come true," John Moldovan said. "It's kind of surreal, kind of awesome. I've been there [Augusta] once but Maxwell has never been there and my wife [Leigh] has never been there. For him to be in a competition there is amazing."

 

Moldovan will take some wisdom gained from the best current golfer in the world, Rory McIlroy. A couple years ago, Moldovan and his family were at the Green T.G.I. Fridays after one of the rounds of the Bridgestone Invitational. Suddenly, in walked McIlroy.

 

"I was just sitting there and he came up and started talking to me. It was pretty cool," Moldovan said. "He said to keep playing hard and keep practicing and strive for greatness."

 

Moldovan will get to stroll across the 18th green at Augusta soon. The goal, one day, is to perhaps do it alongside McIlroy on the PGA Tour.

 

He's well on his way.

 

This article was written by Ryan Lewis from The Akron Beacon Journal and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.