South’s McGinn places 4th at Drive, Chip, Putt nationals
Trending
AUGUSTA, Ga. — South Williamsport’s Logan McGinn, age 10, finished tied for fourth at the 2023 Drive, Chip and Putt national finals at Augusta National on Sunday afternoon.
McGinn, who won the Middle Atlantic Regional to qualify for the national tournament, had an overall score of 19. He scored six in the drive portion, four in the chip portion, and nine in the putt portion for his 19 score.
He trailed only William Comiskey (Upper Midwest region, 20), Brady Shaw (Midwest region, 21) and champion Neal Manutai (Southwest region, 23) in the age 10-11 division.
McGinn’s first drive attempt was 185.20 yards and his second surpassed 200 as he hit 201.80 yards. His first chip attempt went 16 feet, 9 inches and his second was 3 feet, 3 inches.
In the putt competition, his first put was 2 feet, 9 inches and his second was a hole-in-one.
Eight junior golfers - four boys and four girls - were crowned champions.
Conducted in partnership with the Masters Tournament, USGA and the PGA of America, Drive, Chip and Putt is a free youth golf development initiative for junior golfers of all skill and ability levels, aimed at sparking a lifelong interest in the game. The three-pronged competition welcomes boys and girls, ages 7-15, in four age categories, and tests the skills essential to golf: accuracy in driving, chipping and putting.
Tens of thousands of participants seized the opportunity to qualify for the event, which began with 342 local qualifiers at courses across the country in the summer of 2022. From there, the top finishers advanced through 60 subregionals to one of 10 regional qualifiers at some of the nation's most acclaimed venues and championship sites.
The 80 regional winners across the four age divisions (40 boys and 40 girls) earned a trip to Augusta National Golf Club to participate in the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals.
The four girl champions were: Ashley Kim of Cerritos, Calif. (ages 7-9); Alexandra Phung of Forest Hills, N.Y. (ages 10-11); Maya Palanza Gaudin of East Falmouth, Mass. (ages 12-13); and Martha Kuwahara of Northbrook, Ill. (ages 14-15).
The four boy champions were: Knox Mason of Portland, Tenn. (ages 7-9); Manutai of Laie, Hawaii (ages 10-11); Leo Saito of Hilo, Hawaii (ages 12-13); and Jake Sheffield of Knoxville, Tenn. (ages 14-15).