The Masters Drive, Chip And Putt: How It Works, Format And Notable Past Players

Along with The Masters, there's also the matter of the Augusta National Women's Amateur and the Drive, Chip And Putt, which both take place the week before the main event.

Bringing together hundreds of junior golfers, the Drive, Chip and Putt event is divided into several age categories among boys and girls, with the focus being around three of the main aspects in golf - driving, chipping and putting.

The finale is held at Augusta National, but the Drive, Chip and Putt is also a nationwide junior golf competition that has 100s of events around America every summer.

Open to any upcoming junior golfer, with any player able to qualify, the initiative was created in 2013 by the PGA of America, The United States Golf Association, and Augusta National Golf Club.

Many past Masters winners have been seen attending the Drive, Chip and Putt competition, with previous players including Scottie Scheffler, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo, Jordan Spieth, Bernhard Langer, Larry Mize and Bubba Watson.

Along with the past champions, Augusta National Chairman, Fred Ridley, is present while notable members, such as Annika Sorenstam and Condoleezza Rice, have also been spotted on-site in previous years

Below, we take you through all the details and information you need for the Drive, Chip and Putt, with the National Championship getting underway at Augusta National on Sunday 6th April.

How Does The Drive, Chip And Putt Work And How Do You Qualify?

To begin with, the boys and girls competitions are split into four different age categories. These are: 7-9 years old, 10-11 years old, 12-13 years old and 14-15 years old, with the participant’s age group determined by the age that they will be on the date of that qualifying season’s finale.

In terms of qualification, there are local, sub-regional and regional stages, with all three following the same criteria.

Essentially, the top three overall points earners in each of the boys and girls divisions from the four age groups will advance to sub-regional qualifying. From there, the top two at the sub-regional stage from each age group will advance to regional qualifying.

The overall champion from each age group of the regional stage will qualify for the main event at Augusta National.

What Is The Format?

As you can imagine, the Drive, Chip and Putt is based on these three aspects and, overall, competitors hit three drives, three chips and three putts in the competition.

Scoring-wise, the maximum points awarded are 25 per shot, equating to 75-points per skill and a maximum of 225-points overall.

• Driving: The driving works via participants hitting their golf ball towards a 40-yard-wide grid. Longer drives earn higher scores, but the ball must come to rest in the grid to count and earn points
• Chipping: A specific distance is allocated for the chipping and, in terms of scoring, players will earn points depending on how far their ball is from the center of the hole. Points are handed out according to the two-foot rings on the green
• Putting: The three putts are from six-feet, 15-feet and 30-feet and scoring is similar to chipping, whereby points are awarded depending on how close the ball finishes from the hole. Once again, scoring rings can be found on the green.

The player who has the most points in the individual skill will be announced as the winner of said skill and, overall, the individual with the most points from all three skills will be declared the overall winner of their age category.

Along with the overall trophies for first, second and third, trophies are also handed out to those who finish first in each individual skill.

Drive, Chip And Putt Notable Past Players

Since its first final in 2014, there have been a number of current professionals who have competed in the finale at Augusta National.

As of writing, two-time PGA Tour winner, Akshay Bhatia, is arguably the most recognized star to have competed, with the American finishing sixth in the 12-13-year-old category back in 2014. In 2024, he also became the first player from the Drive, Chip and Putt to play in The Masters

In the boys category, PGA Tour player Michael Thorbjornsen won the age 14-15 category in 2016, while Miles Russell, who in 2024 became the youngest player to ever make a Korn Ferry Tour cut, played the Drive, Chip and Putt a few times throughout his junior years.

It's not just the boys, but the girls have also seen a number of players forge strong careers. Lucy Li came first in the 10-11 category in 2014. What's more, she still holds the record for being the youngest qualifier for the US Women's Amateur and the US Women's Open at just 11-years-old.

Along with Li, LPGA Tour player Gina Kim came fourth in the 14-15 category in 2015, while current amateur, Asterisk Talley, has featured numerous times at Augusta National, along with multiple Curtis Cup appearances.

How To Watch The Drive, Chip And Putt

US/ET

• Sunday 6th April: 8.00am .- 1.00pm (Golf Channel)