Five things we loved at the 2023 Drive, Chip and Putt finals at Augusta National

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The 2023 Drive, Chip and Putt finals brought with it a mix of veterans and newcomers.

The annual event brings youth golfers from across the country to compete against one another in boys’ and girls’ divisions broken down into several age groups. It serves as an opportunity to play at Augusta National Golf Club, while being able to meet a host of iconic figures in the game of golf and former Masters Tournament champions.

For many of these players, it’s a years-long process to qualify for the finals at Augusta. When they do get here, it all comes down to six shots: Two drives, two chips and two putts. The competition is stout but the experience of competing the Sunday before the Masters is second to none.

With the wide range of competitors comes a wide range of interesting stories.

Here are five that stood out at this year’s competition:

A delayed flight

Even a brief battle with Mother Nature didn’t stop Martha Kuwahara from taking the title in the Girls’ 14-15 division. The Northbrook, Illinois, native dealt with a pair of delayed flights out of O’Hare International Airport in Chicago and didn’t make it to Augusta until the 11th hour.

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“Yesterday when we were flying in, we had a flight at 4 a.m., I woke up at 2 a.m., got ready. A thunderstorm came down and delayed until 11 a.m. and then it thunderstormed and delayed until 2 p.m.,” she said. “We got to Atlanta at 7 p.m. and then we had to drive down here. It was midnight when we came. I just missed parties, I missed registration, I missed everything. We were all like, ‘Oh yeah we got all the bad luck out yesterday so all the good luck is today and it just all worked out.’”

Having competed in the Drive, Chip and Putt finals a year ago, this time around Kuwahara was able to calm the nerves and focus solely on making shots.

“It helped me a lot. It helped me with my nervousness,” she said. “I worked with my mental coach to just plan this whole thing out. My putting and chipping I knew the breaks, distance and everything. It was really nice to have like a practice round thing.”

The ANWA effect

An aspiring college golfer, Kuwahara said she was tuned in to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur this week, closely following champion Rose Zhang, in particular. She wasn’t alone. A theme quickly became apparent Sunday as many competitors mentioned Zhang’s performance.

“I actually follow a lot of college coaches and a lot of their players were playing in it and they posted some [Instagram] reels. It was amazing to watch. I watched all three days,” she said. “I mean because she’s won so many tournaments and she goes to Stanford, that’s one of my dream schools. She just plays there and she’s pretty smart too. I just look up to her.”

Zhang and golf legend Nancy Lopez were on the grounds Sunday, along with several Masters champions to congratulate the winners for each age division. Girls’ 10-11 winner Alexandra Phung said she’s following both world No. 1s in the amateur and pro ranks.

“Definitely Rose Zhang. I’m really proud of her and definitely wanted to congratulate her. I don’t know if she’ll be coming but an inspiration is Lydia Ko. She’s a great player and I hope to be like her in the future.”

Worth the wait

For Girls’ 12-13 champion Maya Palanza Gaudin, Sunday was years in the making. She tried to qualify for the Drive, Chip and Putt finals six times before making it to Augusta.

“It was (worth the wait). 100 percent,” she said. “I’ve been watching the Masters, I’ve been watching the Drive, Chip and Putt and I’ve always wanted to come to Augusta. It’s one of the best golf courses in the world and that drove me to practice to try to play better.”

It’s her first visit to Augusta and it was everything she expected.

“It was driving down Magnolia Lane but where it really hit me was when we were walking up to the putting green,” she said. “I didn’t even know but it was kind of like a parade we were walking down, and everyone was clapping. It was awesome and I loved it so much.”

Gaudin lives with her adoptive parents in Abu Dhabi, and she’s been able to play in some incredible international venues up to this point, including St. Andrews. She’s also developed a relationship with PGA Tour star Rory McIlroy.

“He’s so nice to me. He’s very kind,” she said. “I get to see him almost every when he comes to Abu Dhabi tournaments. It’s just so nice what he does for me, and he gave me great advice and I love it so much.”

Big showing for Hawaii

Hawaii produced a pair of boys’ champions in Neal Manutai (10-11) and Leo Saito (12-13). Both players are looking forward to taking their trophies home and sharing their experiences and success.

“Yes, my other friend is from O‘ahu. He’s from Hawaii, too,” Saito said when asked about Manutai. “I am very excited to meet him and share this first-place trophy.

While former Masters champions were on-hand Sunday, there was also another tournament connection present. Coming into the event, Manutai received some valuable advice from his uncle, PGA Tour star Tony Finau.

“Yeah, he gave me lots of tips. I don’t know,” he said. “He gave me so much that I forget. He’s really pushing me to keep going and to keep working hard.”

Bringing home the hardware

Part of the joy of winning an event of this caliber is bringing the trophy back home and celebrating with friends and family. From the competitive side, however, it can be a bit of an, “I told you so.”

For Cerritos, California, native Ashley Kim, winning the girls’ 7-9 division will be a badge of honor as she heads back across the country.

“I would tell my friends that I won. I’m just really happy because I proved them all wrong,” she said. “They think golf is really stupid and stuff and they’re like you brag about it and you talk about it too much. So when I go back to school, I don’t really care what they say I’m just going to say I win.”