PINEHURST, N.C. – On the eve of Drive, Chip and Putt regional qualifying at Pinehurst Resort and Country Club, Eloise Fetzer went out on The Cradle, the nine-hole short course on property, and made her first hole-in-one along with five birdies for a nifty little round of 6-under-par 21.
“That was so much fun,” Fetzer said a day later. “I just kept hitting it close. I guess it carried over to today.”
On Sunday, Fetzer faced her final putt in the regional qualifier: a 30-foot, uphill putt with a slight left-to-right break.
“Eloise is really good at math and she loves it,” her dad, Kevin, said. “She knew where she stood. She knew she had to make it.”
For Eloise, it’s all about getting in the right state of mind.
“When I take deep breaths and get in the right mindset, I can do anything,” she said. “I took a deep breath, and it gave me confidence.”
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and now it’s a twice-in-a-lifetime opportunity,
Eloise’s ball rolled into the hole to give her a one-point edge in the Girls 12-13 division and, ultimately, a spot in the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals to be played at Augusta National Golf Club next April. It will be Eloise’s third trip to the culminating event. She finished eighth in the Girls 7-9 age group at the 2022 National Finals and was second in the Girls 10-11 age group in 2025.
“It’s an amazing and incredible experience to get to be on the Augusta National property,” said Eloise, who lives in Daniel Island, S.C., and plays at Daniel Island Club. “I’ve realized you have accomplished so much just getting there, after that it’s have fun and whatever happens, happens.”
The Fetzer family’s day at Pinehurst Resort was one of joy. The Crosby family experienced that too, along with some “what-ifs.”
Earlier in the day, Zoe Crosby of Simpsonville, S.C., had won the Girls 10-11 division to qualify for her second consecutive trip to the National Finals.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and now it’s a twice-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” her father, Ernest, said after Zoe’s win. He then joined his wife, Iris, in following another daughter, Chloe, who finished second in the Girls 12-13 division.
Even though one Crosby sister will compete in the National Finals next spring and one will not, there were positives to take away from a hot, sunny day at Pinehurst.
“The experience is what it’s all about,” Ernest said. “Winning is fun, but really, it’s all about the moment. I’ll take the memory forever of the girls walking together to go practice. They are striving for their dreams and having fun along the way. Golf is not just about playing the game. It’s having that time together in un-stressful situations.”
He smiled.
“Well, it can be stressful out there in competition,” he said. “But still, it’s about the moment.”
And what better place to experience those moments than at Pinehurst, which has hosted four U.S. Opens, one U.S. Women’s Open, a Ryder Cup, a PGA Championship, three U.S. Amateurs and a U.S. Women’s Amateur? It’s the home of courses by great architects from Donald Ross to Tom Fazio to Gil Hanse. And it’s all set in a peaceful, New England style village with green roofs and white picket fences.
The Womble family from Elizabeth City, N.C., arrived in Pinehurst three days before Abigail Womble was set to compete in the Girls 7-9 division of the Drive, Chip and Putt regional qualifier. They played golf, visited the World Golf Hall of Fame and soaked in the history and golf-intensive atmosphere of Pinehurst.
“We’ve seen all the pictures hanging on the walls, looked at all the statues and trophies. This is a special place in the world of golf,” Abigail’s dad, Anderson, said, noting that it was made more special because a trip to Augusta National was on the line.
Four members of the Womble family were outfitted in custom-made T-shirts for the regional qualifier. The back of the white shirts featured a graphic with a golf setting and the names of the three qualifying venues at which Abigail would have competed on the road to Augusta National: Moyock, Durham and Pinehurst.
“It seems like every event, we roll out as a group with matching shirts,” Anderson said. “We don’t care if she wins or how she performs, we just want to enjoy the experience and the competition. This is a memory for a lifetime.”
Abigail didn’t quite find the promised land. Instead, 7-year-old Scarlett Smith of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., holed two of three putts and one of her three chips on her way to winning the Girls 7-9 division.
Still, as one Carolinas PGA official said in awarding medals and accolades, “Keep playing, keep practicing. There’s always next year.”
About the Finalists
Nothing feels quite like making a long putt to win a golf competition. Scarlett Smith of Mt. Pleasant, S.C., won the Girls 7-9 division by sinking a putt from 30 feet – her final shot of the day. She won the putt skill as well as her age group.
“She’s just played golf for one year and has come such a long way,” her dad, Drew, said. “She has worked so hard. She’s very self-disciplined and has an amazing attention span. She can stay focused and concentrate for a long time.”
***
The Drive, Chip and Putt regional qualifier was a home game for Pinehurst local Evan Pak, winner of the Boys 7-9 age group.
The Pak family moved to Pinehurst, N.C., from Okinawa, Japan, in 2020. Evan’s dad, Tim, is in the Army and was stationed at Fort Bragg in nearby Fayetteville, N.C.
“It’s amazing, it’s surreal,” Tim said. “We were hoping he would do well. You dream about going to Augusta, but I never thought it would actually happen. Now, it’s a reality. I am still trying to figure it all out. I cannot describe how I feel, and I can’t imagine how Evan feels.”
***
Zoe Crosby of Simpsonville, S.C., is just 10 years old, but she is already learning how the mental game complements physical skills on the golf course. Crosby qualified for the 2026 National Finals and finished 10th in the Girls 7-9 division. Moving up an age category, she qualified for another trip to Augusta National by winning the Girls 10-11 division at Pinehurst.
"I'm feeling awesome to be going back," she said. "I had nerves really bad at the start and had to tell myself to be calm. I have to be calm and do my best, no matter what."
***
Three years ago, Jake McGuire did not advance past the Drive, Chip and Putt regional qualifier at Sea Island Golf Club. Jake’s father, Sean, found him distraught in the locker room – his head resting on the locker of pro golf luminary Davis Love III.
“I’ll never swing a stick again,” Jake said.
A short hiatus from the game didn’t last long and Jake, of Lilburn, Ga., has gone on to play in some 350 junior tournaments. Now he’ll get his shot at Augusta National after winning the Boys 10-11 division at Pinehurst. When he competes at the National Finals, he will keep an eye out for his favorite golfer, Scottie Scheffler.
“He has a great mindset and is a follower of God,” Jake said. “He’s had his low points, and he comes back from them.”
***
Seven of the eight National Finalists at the Pinehurst regional said their goal when they grow up is to play professional golf. The one exception was Eloise Fetzer, winner of the Girls 12-13 age group, who said she wanted to become a golf broadcaster.
Fetzer, of Daniel Island, S.C., is inspired by the work of former Wake Forest golfer Emilia Migliaccio Doran, who covers golf for the Golf Channel, NBC Sports and SiriusXM.
***
At 5 feet, 10 inches tall, Hudson Knapp of Marietta, Ga., is definitely a tall youngster. Hudson, winner of the Boys 12-13 age group, averages about 280 yards off the tee, so he certainly has an advantage in the driving portion of Drive, Chip and Putt. He was delighted to have also finished first in the putting competition at Pinehurst, which helped carry him to the top of his division.
“Putting is definitely not the best part of my game,” he said. “It was nice to make two of my putts and have a strong showing with the putter.”
Knapp will be competing in the National Finals for a third time next spring. He became a National Champion in the Boys 7-9 division in 2022 and finished second in the Boys 10-11 division in 2024.
***
Rabab Kahlon and her dad, Sunny, traveled more than 7,500 miles from their home in Mohali, India, to reach Pinehurst for the Drive, Chip and Putt regional qualifier. Rabab won the Girls 14-15 age group and will be making her first competitive trip to Augusta National next spring. Sunny, however, accompanied a second daughter, Gairat, to the National Finals in 2025.
Gairat made history as the first golfer from India to qualify for and compete in the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals, finishing fifth in the Girls 7-9 division.
“Rebab has more skills at this stage, but her younger sister is better at managing pressure and knowing how to stay calm,” Sunny says. “That will be important at Augusta for Rebab — managing mental pressure.”
***
Carter Martin of Concord, N.C., won the Boys 14-15 division on the strength of his driver (second place) and his putter (first place). He credits golf instructor David Ross in nearby Huntersville, N.C., with developing his full swing and has been working on his putting with veteran Pinehurst instructor Kelly Mitchum.
“Kelly’s been helping him read the greens and find the line more with his feet and reading the ground,” said Carter’s father, Jason. “It’s not AimPoint exactly, but it’s learning to feel how the ground is moving with his feet. He made two of his three putts today so he’s getting much better.”
