Eighty Finalists Earn Invitations to Compete at 12th Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Eighty junior golfers representing 34 U.S. states and one Canadian province, have earned an invitation to compete at Augusta National Golf Club for the 12th annual Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals – which will be played on Sunday, April 5, 2026, prior to the start of the 90th Masters Tournament.

Conducted in partnership with the USGA, the Masters Tournament and the PGA of America, Drive, Chip and Putt is a free, nationwide youth golf development program open to boys and girls, ages 7-15, in four age divisions. The three-pronged competition tests the skills essential to playing the game: accuracy in driving, chipping and putting.

Results of the 10 regional qualifiers – the third and final stage leading to the 2026 National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club – yielded 12 returning competitors:

• Callen Cronin (2024 National Finalist), of Haverhill, Mass.
• Caroline Cui (2023 National Finalist), of Redwood City, Calif.
• Dawson Dial (2025 Boys 10-11 National Champion), of Cedar Park, Texas
• Perri Harris (2025 National Finalist), of Bowling Green, Ky.
• Adalyn Lupton (2023 National Finalist), of Tega Cay, S.C.
• Emery Johnson (2024 National Finalist), of Sandy, Utah
• Amber Lee (2022 National Finalist), of San Diego, Calif.
• Kipp Madison (2024 Boys 12-13 National Champion), of Evans, Ga.
• Karis Reid (2024 Girls 12-13 National Champion), of Carmel, Ind.
• Texas Terry (2024 Boys 10-11 National Champion), of Manor, Texas
• Arno Wehle (2024 National Finalist), of San Jose, Calif.
• Lucy Wiertel (2024 National Finalist), of Oswego, Ill.

Local qualifying for the 12th season of Drive, Chip and Putt began in May and took place at hundreds of sites across the country this past summer. The top three scorers per venue, in each of the four age categories in separate boys and girls divisions, advanced to subregional qualifiers in July and August. The top two juniors in each age/gender division then competed at the regional level in September and October. Regional qualifying was held at 10 courses around the country, including multiple U.S. Open and PGA Championship venues. All local, subregional and regional qualifiers were conducted by the 41 Sections of the PGA of America, with PGA of America Golf Professionals providing support at each facility hosting a qualifier.

The top finishers from each regional site’s age/gender divisions – a total of 80 finalists – earned a place in the 2026 National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club, which will be broadcast live on Golf Channel.

Notes from Regional Qualifying:
Click here for the full list of 2026 National Finalists

1. At TPC Sawgrass, Kipp Madison of Evans, Ga., tallied 150 total points to return to Augusta National for the second time, having captured the Boys 12-13 National Champion title in 2024 – the first Augusta native to do so. “I’m just excited to go down Magnolia Lane again,” he said after his victory. In the Girls 7-9 division, Cheetah Baez of Tampa, Fla., not only won first place with 112 total points, but also the chance to win a puppy: Baez struck an agreement with her dad in which she can get a dog if she wins the National Finals in April.
   
2. A strong short game – second in chipping and first in putting – carried Ace Pizzuti to the top of the Boys 7-9 leaderboard at Pinehurst Resort. To celebrate his win, he wanted to “stay (in Pinehurst) one more day so I can practice more.” Adalyn Lupton of Tega Cay, S.C., sank two of her putts to win the Girls 12-13 division and become a two-time National Finalist. “Putting is always fun,” she said, “Because a lot of times that's how you win.”
   
3. Two winners at Whistling Straits, Lucy Wiertel of Oswego, Ill., and Texas Terry of Manor, Texas, punched their tickets to return to the National Finals, carding totals of 115 points and 143 points, respectively. They’ll bring their experience back to Augusta National, as Terry said, “I know what the chip and the putts are like, so in preparing again for it, I’ll try to do as well as I did last time. I can prepare differently this time.” Looking ahead to his first time on the storied 18th green at Augusta National, the Boys 7–9 winner, St. Louisan Andrew Brown, offered his advice for the competition: “Try your best and have fun.”
   
4. Brooke Kline of Sewickley, Pa., started the day off strong at Laurel Valley Golf Club, taking first in driving with 56 points, before placing third in chipping (40 points) and first in putting (40 points). With a total of 156, she secured her place as the Girls 12-13 winner by 38 points. “I think it was just being patient knowing I had fun and enjoyed this competition,” she reflected on her performance. “I approached it confidently and was excited.” In the Boys 7-9, Boys 10-11 and Girls 10-11 age groups, it was a Canadian sweep: Yien Li of Aurora, Ontario (118 total points), Nathan Khera of Oakville, Ontario (131 total points) and Evelyn He of Toronto, Ontario (127 total points), all earned their spots in the National Finals.
   
5. At Valhalla Golf Club, Colton Gress of Coshocton, Ohio, topped the Boys 14-15 division by a total margin of 23 points. He took first in both driving (61) and chipping (55) and tied for the lead in putting (60) – totaling 176 points overall. Two past National Finalists are again advancing to Augusta National: Perri Harris of Bowling Green, Ky., in the Girls 10-11 division (140 total points), and Karis Reid of Carmel, Ind., in the Girls 14-15 division (147 total points). Looking ahead to her second appearance in the National Finals, Reid said, "I put a lot of focus on myself last time, so I feel like my main focus is going to be just having fun."
   
6. After sinking two of his three putts at The Ridgewood Country Club, Mario Vilardi of Hopewell Junction, N.Y. became the Boys 10-11 champion with 110 total points. “Me and my grandpa talked about really wanting to go to Augusta National,” he said. “Now we get to do it together, which makes it great.” In the Girls 10-11 division, Ava Chen’s consistency led her to victory. Though she did not win any of the individual disciplines, the sixth grader from Brooklyn, N.Y., accumulated 135 total points to take first place overall.
   
7. In the Girls 14-15 group at Pebble Beach Golf Links, Ziqing Wang of San Jose, Calif., achieved her long-standing goal of qualifying to compete at Augusta National. A Drive, Chip and Putt participant since the age of 9, Wang secured her overall win with top three finishes in each discipline, totaling 165 points. Ava Lee of University Place, Wash., dominated the Girls 10-11 division with a 21-point margin of victory and earned her spot in the National Finals. “I feel proud and excited going to Augusta,” Lee said. She added that her dad is her favorite golfer, and he’ll be caddying for her at Augusta National.
   
8. With 156 total points in the Boys 12-13 age group at Fields Ranch at PGA Frisco, Dawson Dial of Cedar Park, Texas, is headed back to Augusta National Golf Club for the second consecutive year. Dial, the 2025 National Champion for Boys 10-11, reflected, “It’s great just to know that I’m going to have that experience again and have a great time no matter what happens.” In the Girls 14-15 division, Rachel Turk of Austin, Texas, took first place overall by a 15-point margin (125 total points). Looking back on her win and looking ahead to April, she said, “I’m so thankful and grateful that I have this opportunity and that my parents are here to support me.”
   
9. At Hazeltine National Golf Club, Sophia Eagan followed in the footsteps of her brother, Jacob, a 2023 National Finalist, by punching her ticket to Augusta National. She tallied 119 total points to win first overall in the Girls 7-9 age division. Looking beyond April 2026, Eagan said another goal of hers is to play in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur someday. The winner of the Girls 14-15 age group, Peyton Landon, traveled to Hazeltine National from Fort Collins, Colo. – and she’ll continue her journey to Augusta National in the spring. “I don’t know how, I just knew… I’m going to Augusta. I just knew,” she said of her first-place finish and 140 total points. “Sometimes I just have a feeling this is going to be a good day.”
   
10. In the Girls 7-9 division at Four Seasons Hualalai Golf Course, Audrey Zhang of Diamond Bar, Calif., and Queenie Gao of Lake Forest, Calif., were tied for the lead at the end of the putting discipline. They faced each other in a playoff to break the tie – and Zhang sank her second putt attempt to take first place overall (125 total points) and become a first-time National Finalist. Amber Lee of San Diego, Calif., will be making her second trip to compete at Augusta National, having played in the 2022 National Finals. “I’m still really excited to go back,” Lee said after winning the Girls 14-15 division with 133 total points. “After learning (from 2022), I feel like I’ll be more prepared for it.”

All scoring at the local, subregional 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 winner in each age category was determined by the participant with the most points accumulated across all three skills (maximum of 225 points = 75 points per skill x 3).
For each skill, the point system is based on incremental distance measurements, rewarding accuracy and distance in the drive skill, and proximity for chipping and putting skills.

At the 12^th annual National Finals, one champion will be named from each age/gender division. Each National 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. The highest total composite score will determine the winner.

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

REGIONAL QUALIFYING RESULTS

• Sept. 6 - TPC Sawgrass - Ponte Vedra Beach, Fl.
• Sept. 7 - Pinehurst Resort and CC - Pinehurst, Nc.
• Sept. 7 - Whistling Straits - Sheboygan, Wis.
• Sept. 13 - Laurel Valley Golf Club - Ligonier, Pa.
• Sept. 14 - Valhalla Golf Club - Louisville, Ky.
• Sept. 20 - The Ridgewood Country Club - Paramus, N.J.
• Sept. 21 - Pebble Beach Golf Links - Pebble Beach, Calif.
• Oct. 5 - Fields Ranch at PGA Frisco - Frisco, Texas
• Oct. 5 - Hazeltine National Golf Club - Chaska, Minn.
• Oct. 5 - Hualalai Golf Course - Kailua-Kona, Hi.

Qualifying results:

 
Girls 7-9

Girls 10-11

Girls 12-13

Girls 14-15

Boys 7-9

Boys 10-11

Boys 12-13

Boys 14-15

About Drive, Chip and Putt 
A joint initiative founded in 2013 by the Masters Tournament, USGA and the PGA of America, Drive, Chip and Putt is a free, nationwide junior golf development competition aimed at growing the game by focusing on the three fundamental skills employed in golf. By tapping the creative and competitive spirit of girls and boys ages 7-15, Drive, Chip and Putt provides aspiring junior golfers an opportunity to play with their peers in qualifiers around the country. Participants who advance through local, subregional and regional qualifying in each age/gender category earn a place in the National Finals, which is conducted at Augusta National Golf Club the Sunday before the Masters Tournament and broadcast live by Golf Channel. For more information, please visit:  www.DriveChipandPutt.com.

About the Masters Tournament
The Masters Tournament Foundation, inspired by the enduring philosophies of Masters Tournament founders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, is committed to promoting golf’s domestic and international development through financial investment and active participation in initiatives aimed at preserving the traditions of the game and sharing its many virtues.

The Masters Tournament – since its very beginning – strives to provide added exposure to the game of golf and inspire interest in the sport worldwide. For more information about the Masters, visit  masters.com.

About the USGA
The USGA is a mission-based golf organization whose purpose is to unify the golf community through handicapping and grassroots programs; to showcase the game’s best talent through the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open Presented by Ally and 13 other national championships and our museum; to provide unbiased global governance with The R&A through the playing, equipment and Amateur Status rules; and to advance issues important to golf’s future, with a focus on driving sustainability, accessibility and inclusion. The USGA also manages day-to-day operations for the U.S. National Development Program, the country's first unified pathway for American talent, and the World Golf Hall of Fame, preserving and celebrating the legacies of the game’s greatest figures. As a nonprofit association, our work and our team are driven to act for the good of the game. For more, visit usga.org.

About the PGA of America
The PGA of America is one of the world’s largest sports organizations, composed of more than 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals who love the game, are expert coaches, operators and business leaders, and work daily to drive interest, inclusion and participation in the sport. The PGA of America owns and operates numerous championships and events, including major championships for men, women, seniors and the Ryder Cup, one of the world’s foremost sporting events. For more information, visit  PGA.com and follow us on  X,  Instagram and  Facebook.

Media Contacts
Masters Tournament
Pat Kravitz, Director of Communications
(706) 729-3628; pakravitz@augustanational.com

United States Golf Association (USGA)
Julia Pine, Communications Director
(510) 701-1491; jpine@usga.org

PGA of America
Jesse Dodson, PGA, Public Relations Lead – Association & Membership
(801) 995-0684; jdodson@pgahq.com