There has been no lack of familiar faces in the six years of the Drive, Chip and Putt, competitors who have shown an uncanny knack for advancing through three stages to make it to Augusta National Golf Club in the spring.
Fifteen young people are returning to the National Finals at the home of the Masters this year, but within that group is a much smaller cadre of golfers: three four-time finalists.
Vanessa Borovilos (Girls 12-13), Treed Huang (Boys 14-15) and Megha Ganne (Girls 14-15) somehow have figured out how to solve a difficult equation to regularly get back into the coveted field of 80.
“This competition, you never know what you’re going to do,” said Megha, a 15-year-old from Holmdel, N.J. “I’ve been blessed to have done really well with those nine shots at the regional qualifier. I don’t know how I’ve made it here four times, but I’m really grateful that I have.”
In fact, Megha does have an inkling for her strong performances.
“The secret is that I truly don’t hit nine perfect shots,” she said of her attitude in local, sub-regional and regional competition, where golfers execute three shots in each skill compared to two at the National Finals. “I probably hit one that is perfect. But you just have to recognize that a shot is good enough. And when it’s good enough, you just have to stay positive.”
Staying positive shouldn’t be an issue for Vanessa, 12, from Toronto, Ontario. She won the Girls 10-11 in 2018 after top-fives in Girls 7-9 in 2015 and 2016. “You have to practice a lot, and you have to want to make it back here,” she said Saturday prior to a practice session at The River Club in North Augusta, S.C. “I didn’t used to know if I could win, but because I won last year, it gave me more confidence.”
Treed, a 14-year-old from Katy, Texas, is buoyed by a previous Drive, Chip and Putt victory as well, having won the Boys 7-9 division in the inaugural competition in 2014. He followed that with a tie for fourth in the Boys 12-13 group in 2017 and a runner-up finish last year in Boys 12-13. He and his sister, Maye (Girls 10-11), are the only siblings in the 2019 National Finals. Maye is also a past national champion, having won the Girls 7-9 division in 2017.
“It’s definitely amazing being here,” Treed said. “It’s awesome to come back each year. I know what the experience is all about, but I’ll still be a little nervous. I think I’ll cope with it though.”
Vanessa Borovilos agrees that having experienced the National Finals multiple times doesn’t make one immune from pressure. “I’m still very nervous,” she said. “The fairway for the drive is 40 yards wide, but when I get up there it looks a lot smaller – and only one drive counts. In regular golf, you hit a drive into the rough, you can still make birdie. But you hit it out-of-bounds here, it doesn’t count. This is a different mindset, but I think it’s cool.”
It was also extremely close as Vanessa completed the event last year. Having led through driving and chipping, she came to her second putt needing to hit the 15-footer within 2 feet, 2 inches to win. She rolled her ball 25 inches from the cup to come out on top by the narrowest of margins.
For Megha Ganne, the skills divisions seem like a formal iteration of casual competition. “I always loved playing games with my friends, closest to the pin and all that kind of stuff,” she said. “Drive, Chip and Putt just reminded me of why I started golf: just to have fun. I went back to my instincts, which made it easier for me.”
Megha is looking for her first Drive, Chip and Putt title. “That would be icing on the cake, but the gift is just being here,” said Megha, who uses her presence in the finals for a larger goal.
“It’s really about inspiring other people to pick up the game,” she said. “That’s why this tournament was created. I really feel that.”
The purpose became personal after she returned to New Jersey following her first trip to Augusta National in 2015, when she finished sixth in the Girls 10-11 division.
“So many people started bringing their kids to my home course saying, ‘We saw you; we want to try to do that,’ ” Megha said. “That never happened when I came back from a regular tournament. It’s amazing to think me and 79 other kids can influence someone to pick up a new sport. That’s really incredible.”
“It’s definitely amazing being here,” Treed said. “It’s awesome to come back each year. I know what the experience is all about, but I’ll still be a little nervous. I think I’ll cope with it though.”
Vanessa Borovilos agrees that having experienced the National Finals multiple times doesn’t make one immune from pressure. “I’m still very nervous,” she said. “The fairway for the drive is 40 yards wide, but when I get up there it looks a lot smaller – and only one drive counts. In regular golf, you hit a drive into the rough, you can still make birdie. But you hit it out-of-bounds here, it doesn’t count. This is a different mindset, but I think it’s cool.”
It was also extremely close as Vanessa completed the event last year. Having led through driving and chipping, she came to her second putt needing to hit the 15-footer within 2 feet, 2 inches to win. She rolled her ball 25 inches from the cup to come out on top by the narrowest of margins.
For Megha Ganne, the skills divisions seem like a formal iteration of casual competition. “I always loved playing games with my friends, closest to the pin and all that kind of stuff,” she said. “Drive, Chip and Putt just reminded me of why I started golf: just to have fun. I went back to my instincts, which made it easier for me.”
Megha is looking for her first Drive, Chip and Putt title. “That would be icing on the cake, but the gift is just being here,” said Megha, who uses her presence in the finals for a larger goal.
“It’s really about inspiring other people to pick up the game,” she said. “That’s why this tournament was created. I really feel that.”
The purpose became personal after she returned to New Jersey following her first trip to Augusta National in 2015, when she finished sixth in the Girls 10-11 division.
“So many people started bringing their kids to my home course saying, ‘We saw you; we want to try to do that,’ ” Megha said. “That never happened when I came back from a regular tournament. It’s amazing to think me and 79 other kids can influence someone to pick up a new sport. That’s really incredible.
