Regional Champions Earn Invitations to National Finals at Augusta

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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 (T-3rd, 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.

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REGIONAL QUALIFYING RESULTS

Qualifying results

Girls 7-9   
Finalist NamePointsHometownQualifying Region
Summer Lee127Plano, TexasSouth Central
Jessica Guiser124Hartland, Wis.Upper Midwest
Jayla Kucy108Camrose, Alberta, CanadaRocky Mountain
Molly Smith106Tyngsboro, Mass.Northeast
Vanessa Borovilos104Toronto, Ontario, CanadaGreat Lakes
Meghan Paracuelles102Folsom, Calif.West
Victoria Matthews101Great Falls, Va.Middle Atlantic
Charlie Whorton93Springdale, Ark.Midwest
Efthemia (Effie) Perakis89Glenview, Ill.Central
Gloria Nip85Conshohocken, Pa.Southeast

 

Girls 10-11   
Finalist NamePointsHometownQualifying Region
Mackenzie Lee150North Little Rock, Ark.South Central
Katherine Schuster140Kill Devil Hills, N.C.Middle Atlantic
Neysa Dechachutinan133Birmingham, Ala.Southeast
Kelly Xu128Santa Monica, Calif.West
Lydia Swan120North East, Pa.Great Lakes
Berlin Long118Lehi, UtahRocky Mountain
Julia Misemer118Overland Park, Kan.Midwest
Kynadie Adams106Gallatin, Tenn.Central
Megha Ganne101Jersey City, N.J.Northeast
Camille Kuznik95Brooklyn Park, Minn.Upper Midwest

 

Girls 12-13   
Finalist NamePointsHometownQualifying Region
Christine Shao147Green Brook, N.J.Northeast
Megan Chou141Los Altos, Calif.West
Morgan Goldstein140Las Vegas, Nev.Rocky Mountain
Ashley Gilliam136Manchester, Tenn.Southeast
Aayushi Sarkar134Woodbury, Minn.Upper Midwest
Parker Stalvey131Elgin, S.C.Middle Atlantic
Brooke Boardman128Waukee, IowaMidwest
Christine Wang126Houston, TexasSouth Central
Caroline Smith120Inverness, Ill.Central
Anika Dy116Traverse City, Mich.Great Lakes

 

Girls 14-15   
Finalist NamePointsHometownQualifying Region
Jennifer Rosenberg156Laurel Hollow, N.Y.Northeast
Jessica Ponce153Portland, Ore.Rocky Mountain
Gina Kim150Chapel Hill, N.C.Middle Atlantic
Leila Dizon149Los Angeles, Calif.West
Alexandra Swayne139Maineville, OhioCentral
Abbey Daniel136Covington, La.Southeast
Emily Lauterbach136Hartland, Wis.Upper Midwest
Nia Station128Omaha, Neb.Midwest
Ariana Saenz119Porter, TexasSouth Central
Olivia Zambruno117Mount Pleasant, Pa.Great Lakes

 

Boys 7-9   
Finalist NamePointsHometownQualifying Region
Jay Leng, Jr.144Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.West
Grayson Wood135Fredericksburg, Va.Middle Atlantic
Chance Rinkol119Leawood, Kan.Midwest
John Hiller115New York, N.Y.Northeast
Daniel Zou115Humble, TexasSouth Central
Logan Medcalf111Lynden, Wash.Rocky Mountain
Peyton Blackard110Fort Branch, Ind.Central
Maxwell Tjoa106Cedar Falls, IowaUpper Midwest
PJ Maybank103Cheboygan, Mich.Great Lakes
Tristan Wieland102Jupiter, Fla.Southeast

 

Boys 10-11   
Finalist NamePointsHometownQualifying Region
Isaiah Swan156North East, Pa.Great Lakes
Marcus Holling142Grand Island , Neb.Midwest
Abhay Gupta136Concord, N.C.Middle Atlantic
Jonas Appel134Encinitas, Calif.West
Satchel Pierce133Union, Mich.Central
Benjamin Stoller133Owasso, Okla.South Central
Avery Lazarski132Las Vegas, Nev.Rocky Mountain
Joseph Lenane130Boston, Mass.Northeast
Jake Peacock127Alpharetta, Ga.Southeast
Ryan Blair121Oakbank, Manitoba, CanadaUpper Midwest

 

Boys 12-13   
Finalist NamePointsHometownQualifying Region
George Duangmanee166Fairfax, Va.Middle Atlantic
Conner Willett151Wellesley, Mass.Northeast
Ben Stone142Spokane, Wash.Rocky Mountain
Shane Ffrench142San Diego, Calif.West
Connery Meyer140Marietta, Ga.Southeast
Maxwell Moldovan139Uniontown, OhioGreat Lakes
Dongsoo Lee136Fayetteville, Ark.South Central
Jordan Jurmu134Marquette, Mich.Upper Midwest
Drew Dunham133Angola, Ind.Central
Jason Cruise Jr.119Bellevue, Neb.Midwest

 

Boys 14-15   
Finalist NamePointsHometownQualifying Region
Matthew Camel169Greenwich, Conn.Northeast
Toby Wilson164Bartlett, Tenn.Southeast
T.K. Schultz160Bulverde, TexasSouth Central
Grant Herrenbruck154Salina, Kan.Midwest
Samuel Pyon151Happy Valley, Ore.Rocky Mountain
Connor Glynn149Waconia, Minn.Upper Midwest
Colin Ffrench146San Diego, Calif.West
Everett Whiten Jr.144Chesapeake, Va.Middle Atlantic
Coalter Smith134Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.Great Lakes
Jimmy Morton114Sugar Grove, Ill.Central

 

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