Eighty junior golfers earned an invite to the 2022 Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals.
The event, held at Augusta National the Sunday before the Masters, features players from 30 different states, with six former DCP contestants in the field. Among the 80 are:
-Brothers Mason and Tanner LaTorre from Nassau, N.Y. “It’s pretty cool we’re both going to Augusta National,” Tanner said. “And we’ll be walking on the greens there. That’s so special, like sacred ground.”
-Two players winning regionals on their eighth birthdays. Katelyn Burks of Paoli, Pa. and Carter Macy of Meridian, Idaho.
-Starting the game a year and a half ago, Kaylie Bae of Happy Valley, Ore. won her regional qualifier by 20 points.
At the National Finals, one champion will be named from each age and gender division. Each finalist will be scored based on a 30-point system, offering the player with the best drive 10 points, the player with the closest cumulative chips 10 points and the player with the nearest cumulative putts 10 points, in each separate skill. The highest total composite score will determine the winner.
A joint initiative founded in 2013 by the Masters Tournament, USGA and the PGA of America, the Drive, Chip and Putt is a free, nationwide junior golf development competition aimed at growing the game. The event will be broadcast on the Golf Channel.