Field Set for 2019 National Finals at Augusta National

Eighty junior golfers representing 27 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces have earned an invitation to Augusta National Golf Club to compete in the sixth annual Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals, to be played on Sunday, April 7, 2019, prior to the start of the Masters Tournament.

Conducted in partnership between the Masters Tournament, the PGA of America and the USGA, Drive, Chip and Putt is a free, nationwide youth golf development program open to boys and girls, ages 7-15, in four age categories. 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 2019 National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club – yielded 15 returning competitors, including impressive four-time finalists Megha Ganne, Treed Huang and Vanessa Borovilos. Returning finalists are

• Vanessa Borovilos (2018 Girls 10-11 National Champion and 2016, 2015 National Finalist), of Toronto, Ontario
  
• Caitlyn Chin (2016 National Finalist), of Greenwood Village, Colo.
  
• Megha Ganne (2018, 2017 and 2015 National Finalist), of Holmdel, N.J.
  
• Nolan Haynes (2016, 2014 National Finalist), of Barberton, Ohio
  
• Maye Huang (2017 Girls 7-9 National Champion), of Katy, Texas
  
• Treed Huang (2018, 2017 National Finalist and 2014 Boys 7-9 National Champion), of Katy, Texas
  
• Sara Im (2018 Girls 12-13 National Champion), of Duluth, Ga.
  
• Jay Leng, Jr. (2015 Boys 7-9 National Champion), of La Jolla, Calif.
  
• Patmon Malcom, Jr. (2018 National Finalist), of Alpharetta, Ga.
  
• Kasey Maralack (2018 National Finalist), of Snoqualmie, Wash.
  
• PJ Maybank (2018 Boys 12-13 National Champion), of Cheboygan, Mich.
  
• Julia Misemer (2015 National Finalist), of Overland Park, Kan.
  
• Madilyn Newman (2017 National Finalist), of Knoxville, Tenn.
  
• Sahish Reddy (2018 National Finalist), of Duluth, Ga.
  
• Kathryn VanArragon (2016 National Finalist), of Blaine, Minn.

MAMARONECK, NY - SEPTEMBER 23: Girls 12-13 Vanessa Borovilos celebrates winning first place at Winged Foot Golf Club on September 23, 2018 in Mamaroneck, New York. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images for the DC&P Championship)

MAMARONECK, NY - SEPTEMBER 23: Girls 12-13 Vanessa Borovilos celebrates winning first place at Winged Foot Golf Club on September 23, 2018 in Mamaroneck, New York. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images for the DC&P Championship)

Mike Stobe/Getty Images for the DC&P Championship

BETHESDA, MD - SEPTEMBER 09: Boys 12-13 winner Matthew Vital of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, celebrates his win his father Matt Vital at the the Drive, Chip and Putt regional qualifier at Congressional Country Club on September 9, 2018, in Bethesda, Maryland. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for the DC&P Championship)

BETHESDA, MD - SEPTEMBER 09: Boys 12-13 winner Matthew Vital of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, celebrates his win his father Matt Vital at the the Drive, Chip and Putt regional qualifier at Congressional Country Club on September 9, 2018, in Bethesda, Maryland. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for the DC&P Championship)

Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for the DC&P Championship

LA JOLLA, CA - SEPTEMBER 22: Drive, Chip and Putt regional champion for Boys 12-13 Jay Leng points to his scores at Torrey Pines Golf Course on September 22, 2018 in La Jolla, California. (Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images for the DC&P Championship)

LA JOLLA, CA - SEPTEMBER 22: Drive, Chip and Putt regional champion for Boys 12-13 Jay Leng points to his scores at Torrey Pines Golf Course on September 22, 2018 in La Jolla, California. (Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images for the DC&P Championship)

Kent Horner/Getty Images for the DC&P Championship

THE WOODLANDS, TX - SEPTEMBER 16: Boys 14-15 division winner Treed Huang (L) rests his arm on sister and Girls 10-11 division winner Maye Huang's head during the Drive, Chip and Putt regional qualifier at the The Club at Carlton Woods on September 16, 2018 in The Woodlands, Texas. (Photo by Eric Christian Smith/Getty Images for DC&P Championship)

THE WOODLANDS, TX - SEPTEMBER 16: Boys 14-15 division winner Treed Huang (L) rests his arm on sister and Girls 10-11 division winner Maye Huang's head during the Drive, Chip and Putt regional qualifier at the The Club at Carlton Woods on September 16, 2018 in The Woodlands, Texas. (Photo by Eric Christian Smith/Getty Images for DC&P Championship)

Eric Christian Smith/Getty Images

UNIVERSITY PLACE, WA - SEPTEMBER 09: Ian Bruchhauser competes during the Drive, Chip and Putt regional qualifier at Chambers Bay on September 9, 2018 in University Place, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images for the DC&P Championship)

UNIVERSITY PLACE, WA - SEPTEMBER 09: Ian Bruchhauser competes during the Drive, Chip and Putt regional qualifier at Chambers Bay on September 9, 2018 in University Place, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images for the DC&P Championship)

Abbie Parr/Getty Images for the DC&P Championship

1 of 5

Local qualifying for the sixth season began in May and was held at 290 sites throughout all 50 states this summer. The top-three scorers per venue, in each of the four age categories in separate boys and girls divisions, advanced to 57 subregional qualifiers in July and August. Two juniors in each age and gender division then competed at the regional level in September, held at some of the top courses in the country, including several U.S. Open and PGA Championship venues.
The top finisher from each regional site’s age/gender divisions – a total of 80 finalists – earned a place in the National Finals, which will be broadcast live on the Golf Channel. All local, subregional 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:

• After posting identical scores of 141 at the end of the regional qualifier at Whistling Straits Golf Course (2004, 2010, 2015 PGA Championship and 2020 Ryder Cup host), Sarah Balding edged friend Shannyn Vogler to win the Girls 14-15 division in a playoff. Balding, whose sister is a collegiate golfer at DePauw University said, “It was nerve-wracking but there are little things I tell myself that my sister taught me to help me calm down.” In the Boys 10-11 division, Ryder Carlson punched his ticket to the National Finals with a score of 109, edging out the rest of his division by three points. According to his father, Ryan Carlson, Ryder was named after the Ryder Cup.
  
• Paige Radebach first picked up a golf club less than a year ago, but that didn’t stop her from winning the Girls 7-9 division by 10 points at Muirfield Village Golf Club (site of the Memorial Tournament). “My full name is Paige Alexandria Radebach, so my initials are PAR,” she said. “I was born to play golf.” PJ Maybank returns to Augusta National after winning last year’s Boys 12-13 national title. A dominating performance in the putting competition resulted in 70 points in the skill and a place atop the Boys 12-13 regional division. He credits the good play to his superstition of wearing two different colored shoes for good luck.
  
• Angela Zhang won the Girls 7-9 division at Chambers Bay Golf Course (2015 U.S. Open Championship host), hitting a 215-yard drive en route to posting a final score of 120. Earlier this year, she received an ‘A’ in school for her drawing of Augusta National’s 12^th hole, Golden Bell. Now, she’ll have a chance to see the hole in person for the first time this April. After rolling his 30-foot putt next to the cup, Ian Bruchhauser won the Boys 14-15 division with 140 points, making him Alaska’s first National Finalist. Due to cold, wintry conditions in Alaska, Bruchhauser only has two-and-a-half months of outdoor practice time at his home course.
  
• After a 142-point performance in the regional qualifier at Congressional Country Club (2011 U.S. Open Championship host), Megha Ganne won the Girls 14-15 division to become a four-time National Finalist. “It never gets old,” she said. “I wish there was no age limit. This is my last year, and I’m really excited to be going back.” In the Boys 12-13 division, Matthew Vital advanced to the National Finals in his first trip to regional qualifying and his fourth overall attempt in Drive, Chip and Putt. “I’m looking forward to being there,” he said. “It looks like such a cool place on TV.”
  
• After stellar performances in the regional qualifier at The Club at Carlton Woods (site of the 2014 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship), both Maye and Treed Huang will make return trips to Augusta not only as National Finalists and Drive, Chip and Putt champions, but also as sister and brother. Maye Huang, the 2017 Girls 7-9 National Champion, won the Girls 10-11 division to secure her second appearance in the National Finals. Older brother Treed Huang, the 2014 Boys 7-9 National Champion and 2017 and 2018 National Finalist, will make his record-tying fourth trip to the National Finals after winning the Boys 14-15 division by three points. The Huang siblings have advanced to Augusta National together once before, previously in 2017. “[Maye] is a big factor in my game, to have someone to practice with every day,” Treed said. “We compete a lot and that brings each of our games to a higher level.”
  
• On Victoria Kuranga’s fourth attempt to reach the National Finals, the 13-year-old’s dream became reality at The Honors Course (site of the 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship) with an 11-point win in the Girls 12-13 division. She’s hoping to bring back a Tiger Woods autograph from Augusta. Matthew Troutman, winner of the Boys 14-15 division, scored 179 total points to qualify for his first National Finals. He is coached by PGA professional Mike Thomas, father of 2017 PGA Championship winner and PGA Tour Player of the Year Justin Thomas.
  
• Milan Norton edged the competition by four points to win the Girls 7-9 division at Torrey Pines Golf Course (2008 and 2021 U.S. Open Championship host). She claims her “Best Day Ever” socks helped provide the luck needed to reach Augusta National. “I knew it was going to be the best day ever when I put on the socks,” said Norton. Jay Leng, Jr., winner of the Boys 12-13 division, will make a return appearance to the National Finals. Needing to make a 30-foot putt to advance, Leng drained the putt to win by a point, finishing with the day’s top score (157 points). The putt was reminiscent of the one he made in a playoff at the 2015 National Finals to win the Boys 7-9 division.
  
• Vanessa Borovilos claimed a 20-point victory in the Girls 12-13 division at Winged Foot Golf Club (2006 and 2020 U.S. Open Championship host) to qualify for the National Finals for the fourth time. She will attempt to win back-to-back championships after winning the 2018 Girls 10-11 national title a year ago. Carter Lavigne, winner of the regional Boys 7-9 division, traveled nearly 700 miles from New Brunswick, Canada, to compete in the regional qualifier. He started playing mini-golf at age 2, regular golf at age 4 and, by age 6, beat his dad for the first time. “People don’t ask [who beat who] anymore,” said dad Darsey Lavigne.
  
• At last year’s National Finals, Kate Barber attended as a patron. After winning the Girls 12-13 division at TPC Sawgrass (site of The Players), she’ll be bringing her golf clubs to Augusta National this year. “The first thing I’m going to do when I get to Augusta National is eat an egg salad sandwich,” she said. Ryan Nana Tanke gave up a ticket to the Ryder Cup in Paris to compete in the Boys 7-9 division, but the gamble paid off with a win and an invitation to the National Finals. Nana Tanke lives mostly in Paris, but spends two months annually in Florida, where he is coached by PGA Master Professional Warren Bottke, who first taught the game to two-time U.S. Open champion, PGA Championship winner and Ryder Cup participant Brooks Koepka.
  
• Julia Misemer, four years removed from an appearance in the 2015 National Finals, will return to Augusta National after winning the Girls 14-15 division at Bellerive Country Club (2018 PGA Championship host). She won her division by 43 points, hitting two drives more than 260 yards and making putts of six and 30 feet. Isaac Rumler needed a 30-foot putt to win the Boys 10-11 division and advance to his first-ever National Finals. With the pressure on, he calmly made the putt to claim the victory by two points. “I want to see the pros first,” he said. “Hopefully I will meet some.”
  All championship 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 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 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.

REGIONAL QUALIFYING RESULTS

Qualifying sites:

Date Host Site City, State

Sept. 8 Whistling Straits Golf Course Sheboygan, Wis.

Sept. 8 Muirfield Village Golf Club Dublin, Ohio

Sept. 9 Chambers Bay Golf Course University Place, Wash.

Sept. 9 Congressional Country Club Bethesda, Md.

Sept. 16 The Club at Carlton Woods The Woodlands, Texas

Sept. 16 The Honors Course Ooltewah, Tenn.

Sept. 22 Torrey Pines Golf Course San Diego, Calif.

Sept. 23 Winged Foot Golf Club Mamaroneck, N.Y.

Sept. 29 TPC Sawgrass Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Sept. 29 Bellerive Country Club St. Louis, Mo.

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