Eighty qualify for 2015 Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Eighty junior golfers representing 30 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces have earned an invitation to Augusta National Golf Club to compete in the second annual Drive, Chip and Putt Championship National Finals, to be played on Sunday, April 5, 2015, prior to the start of the Masters Tournament.

A joint initiative by the Masters Tournament, the United States Golf Association and the PGA of America, the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship is a free nationwide junior competition focusing on the three fundamental skills employed in golf, tapping the creative and competitive spirit of girls and boys, ages 7- 15.

Results of the 10 regional qualifiers – the third and final stage leading to the 2015 National Finals – yielded five returning competitors from last year’s event. Kelly Xu of Santa Monica, Calif., is the lone returning champion, who will compete in the Girls 10-11 Division after winning the Girls 7-9 Division in Augusta last April.

The road to Augusta began with local qualifying in May, June and July, held at more than 250 sites throughout the United States. The top three scorers per venue, in each of four age categories in separate boys and girls divisions, advanced to 49 sub-regional qualifiers in August. Two juniors in each age and gender division then competed at the regional level through September.

The top finisher from each regional site’s age/gender divisions earned a place in the National Finals, which will be broadcast live on Golf Channel. All local, sub-regional and regional qualifiers were conducted by the 41 Sections of the PGA of America, with PGA Professionals providing support at each facility hosting a qualifier.

Notes from Regional Qualifying:

• There are five returning competitors from last year’s National Finals – Conner Willett (6th, Boys 10- 11, of Wellesley, Mass.), Logan Medcalf (Runner-up, Boys 7-9, of Lynden, Wash.), Ashley Gilliam (4th, Girls 12-13, of Manchester, Tenn.), Kelly Xu (Champion, Girls 7-9; of Santa Monica, Calif.) and Christine Wang (Runner-up, Girls 12-13, of Houston, Texas).
• T.K. Schultz of Bulverde, Texas, had the largest margin of victory (45) in regional qualifying, outscoring the second-place competitor, 160-115.
• Matthew Camel of Greenwich, Conn., scored the most points in regional qualifying with 169 – 69 in the Drive, 40 in the Chip and 60 in the Putt.
• Two sets of siblings qualified. Isaiah and Lydia Swan of North East, Pa., qualified for the Boys’ and Girls’ 10-11 age groups, respectively. San Diego brothers Shane and Colin Ffrench qualified at Torrey Pines. Shane qualified for the Boys 12-13 Division while Colin qualified for the Boys 14-15 Division.
• First-time finalist Ariana Saenz of Porter, Texas captured the Girls 14-15 Division at the South Central regional qualifier with 119 points. Saenz started playing golf at age three, shortly after having open- heart surgery.
• Omaha native Nia Station advanced to the finals of the Girls’ 14-15 division with a final score of 128. The daughter of former University of Iowa All-America football player Larry Station, Nia is a participant in The First Tee of Omaha/Hogan’s Junior Golf Heroes programs.
• While Anna Earl of Vienna, W.Va., failed to advance in the Girls 10-11 Division at Prestwick Village Golf Club in Highland, Mich., she displayed a tenacious spirit even in defeat. Earl, who has cerebral palsy, posted a remarkable 24 in her regional qualifier, after posting a second-place finish in sub- regionals in August.
• Iowa PGA Junior Tour participant Brooke Boardman (128) took medalist honors in the Girls 12-13 Division at Tiffany Greens Golf Club in Kansas City, Mo. Boardman, of Waukee, Iowa, won the Iowa PGA Golf Skills Challenge in the same age division earlier this year and has several junior golf titles to her credit.

All championship scoring at the local, sub-regional and regional qualifiers is based on a 25-point-per-shot basis, with each participant taking three shots per skill. Each participant accumulated points per shot in all three skills (maximum of 75 points per skill = 25 points per shot x 3). The overall champion in each age category was determined by the participant with the most points accumulated between all three skills (maximum of 225 points = 75 points per skill x 3).

For each skill, the point system is based in incremental distance measurements, rewarding accuracy and distance in the drive skill, and proximity for chipping and putting skills. Difficulty increases with age.

At the National Finals, one champion will be named from each age/gender division. Each final will be scored based on a 30-point system, offering the player with the longest 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.

For more information about the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship, please visit www.DriveChipandPutt.com.

REGIONAL QUALIFYING
Qualifying sites:

Northeast, Bethpage Green, Farmingdale, N.Y.
Central, Crooked Stick Golf Club, Carmel, Ind.
Great Lakes, Prestwick Village Golf Club, Highland, Mich.
Rocky Mountain, Promontory Nicklaus Course Park City, Park City, Utah
Middle Atlantic, River Bend Golf & Country Club, Great Falls, Va.
South Central, The Courses at Watters Creek, Plano, Texas
Midwest, Tiffany Greens Golf Club, Kansas City, Mo.
West, Torrey Pines Golf Course, San Diego, Calif.
Southeast, TPC Sugarloaf, Duluth, Ga.
Upper Midwest, TPC Twin Cities, Blaine, Minn.

Finalists by division:

Girls 7-9 
Summer Lee, Plano, Texas; Jessica Guiser, Hartland, Wis.; Jayla Kucy, Camrose, Alberta, Canada; Molly Smith, Tyngsboro, Mass.; Vanessa Borovilos, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Meghan Paracuelles, Folsom, Calif.; Victoria Matthews, Great Falls, Va.; Charlie Whorton, Springdale, Ark.; Efthemia (Effie) Perakis, Glenview, Ill.; Gloria Nip, Conshohocken, Pa.

Girls 10-11 

Mackenzie Lee, North Little Rock, Ark.; Katherine Schuster, Kill Devil Hills, N.C.; Neysa Dechachutinan, Birmingham, Ala.; Kelly Xu, Santa Monica, Calif.; Lydia Swan, North East, Pa.; Berlin Long, Lehi, Utah; Julia Misemer, Overland Park, Kan.; Kynadie Adams, Gallatin, Tenn.; Megha Ganne, Jersey City, N.J.; Camille Kuznik, Brooklyn Park, Minn.

Girls 12-13

Christine Shao, Green Brook, N.J.; Megan Chou, Los Altos, Calif.; Morgan Goldstein, Las Vegas, Nev.; Ashley Gilliam, Manchester, Tenn.; Aayushi Sarkar, Woodbury, Minn.; Parker Stalvey, Elgin, S.C.; Brooke Boardman, Waukee, Iowa; Christine Wang, Houston, Texas; Caroline Smith, Inverness, Ill.; Anika Dy, Traverse City, Mich.

Girls 14-15

Jennifer Rosenberg, Laurel Hollow, N.Y.; Jessica Ponce, Portland, Ore.; Gina Kim, Chapel Hill, N.C.; Leila Dizon, Los Angeles, Calif.; Alexandra Swayne, Maineville, Ohio; Abbey Daniel, Covington, La.; Emily Lauterbach, Hartland, Wis.; Nia Station, Omaha, Neb.; Ariana Saenz, Porter, Texas; Olivia Zambruno, Mount Pleasant, Pa.

Boys 7-9

Jay Leng, Jr., Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.; Grayson Wood, Fredericksburg, Va.; Chance Rinkol, Leawood, Kan.; John Hiller, New York, N.Y.; Daniel Zou, Humble, Texas; Logan Medcalf, Lynden, Wash.; Peyton Blackard, Fort Branch, Ind.; Maxwell Tjoa, Cedar Falls, Iowa; PJ Maybank, Cheboygan, Mich.; Tristan Wieland, Jupiter, Fla.

Boys 10-11

Isaiah Swan, North East, Pa.; Marcus Holling, Grand Island, Neb.; Abhay Gupta, Concord, N.C.; Jonas Appel, Encitas, Calif; Satchel Pierce, Union, Mich.; Benjamin Stoller, Owasso, Okla.; Avery Lazarski, Las Vegas, Nev.; Joseph Lenane, Boston, Mass.; Jake Peacock, Alpharetta, Ga.; Ryan Blair, Oakbank, Manitoba, Canada.

Boys 12-13

George Duangmanee, Fairfax, Va.; Conner Willett, Wellesley, Mass.; Ben Stone, Spokane, Wash.; Shane Ffrench, San Diego, Calif.; Connery Meyer, Marietta, Ga.; Maxwell Moldovan, Uniontown, Ohio; Dongsoo Lee, Fayetteville, Ark.; Jordan Jurmu, Marquette, Mich.; Drew Dunham, Angola, Ind.; Jason Cruise Jr., Bellevue, Neb.

Boys 14-15