2019 Drive, Chip and Putt National Finalists Announced

2019 Drive, Chip and Putt National finalists include three Minnesotans:  Ryder Carlson, of Minnetonka, Bella Leonhart, of Marine on St. Croix, and Kathryn VanArragon, of Blaine. 
 
AUGUSTA, Ga. (Oct. 2, 2018) – Eighty junior golfers representing 27 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces have earned an invitation to Augusta National Golf Club to compete in the sixth annual Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals, to be played on Sunday, April 7, 2019, prior to the start of the Masters Tournament.

Conducted in partnership between the Masters Tournament, the PGA of America and the USGA, Drive, Chip and Putt is a free, nationwide youth golf development program open to boys and girls, ages 7-15, in four age categories. The three-pronged competition tests the skills essential to playing the game – accuracy in driving, chipping and putting.

Results of the 10 regional qualifiers – the third and final stage leading to the 2019 National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club – yielded 15 returning competitors, including impressive four-time finalists Megha Ganne, Treed Huang and Vanessa Borovilos. Returning finalists are:

• Vanessa Borovilos (2018 Girls 10-11 National Champion and 2016, 2015 National Finalist), of Toronto, Ontario
• Caitlyn Chin (2016 National Finalist), of Greenwood Village, Colo.
• Megha Ganne (2018, 2017 and 2015 National Finalist), of Holmdel, N.J.
• Nolan Haynes (2016, 2014 National Finalist), of Barberton, Ohio
• Maye Huang (2017 Girls 7-9 National Champion), of Katy, Texas
• Treed Huang (2018, 2017 National Finalist and 2014 Boys 7-9 National Champion), of Katy, Texas
• Sara Im (2018 Girls 12-13 National Champion), of Duluth, Ga.
• Jay Leng, Jr. (2015 Boys 7-9 National Champion), of La Jolla, Calif.
• Patmon Malcom, Jr. (2018 National Finalist), of Alpharetta, Ga.
• Kasey Maralack (2018 National Finalist), of Snoqualmie, Wash.
• PJ Maybank (2018 Boys 12-13 National Champion), of Cheboygan, Mich.
• Julia Misemer (2015 National Finalist), of Overland Park, Kan.
• Madilyn Newman (2017 National Finalist), of Knoxville, Tenn.
• Sahish Reddy (2018 National Finalist), of Duluth, Ga.
• Kathryn VanArragon (2016 National Finalist), of Blaine, Minn.

 
Local qualifying for the sixth season began in May and was held at 290 sites throughout all 50 states this summer. The top-three scorers per venue, in each of the four age categories in separate boys and girls divisions, advanced to 57 subregional qualifiers in July and August. Two juniors in each age and gender division then competed at the regional level in September, held at some of the top courses in the country, including several U.S. Open and PGA Championship venues.

The top finisher from each regional site’s age/gender divisions – a total of 80 finalists – earned a place in the National Finals, which will be broadcast live on the Golf Channel. All local, subregional and regional qualifiers were conducted by the 41 Sections of the PGA of America, with PGA Professionals providing support at each facility hosting a qualifier.
Notes from Regional Qualifying:

• After posting identical scores of 141 at the end of the regional qualifier at Whistling Straits Golf Course (2004, 2010, 2015 PGA Championship and 2020 Ryder Cup host), Sarah Balding edged friend Shannyn Vogler to win the Girls 14-15 division in a playoff. Balding, whose sister is a collegiate golfer at DePauw University said, “It was nerve-wracking but there are little things I tell myself that my sister taught me to help me calm down.” In the Boys 10-11 division, Ryder Carlson punched his ticket to the National Finals with a score of 109, edging out the rest of his division by three points. According to his father, Ryan Carlson, Ryder was named after the Ryder Cup.
• Paige Radebach first picked up a golf club less than a year ago, but that didn’t stop her from winning the Girls 7-9 division by 10 points at Muirfield Village Golf Club (site of the Memorial Tournament). “My full name is Paige Alexandria Radebach, so my initials are PAR,” she said. “I was born to play golf.” PJ Maybank returns to Augusta National after winning last year’s Boys 12-13 national title. A dominating performance in the putting competition resulted in 70 points in the skill and a place atop the Boys 12-13 regional division. He credits the good play to his superstition of wearing two different colored shoes for good luck.
• Angela Zhang won the Girls 7-9 division at Chambers Bay Golf Course (2015 U.S. Open Championship host), hitting a 215-yard drive en route to posting a final score of 120. Earlier this year, she received an ‘A’ in school for her drawing of Augusta National’s 12^th hole, Golden Bell. Now, she’ll have a chance to see the hole in person for the first time this April. After rolling his 30-foot putt next to the cup, Ian Bruchhauser won the Boys 14-15 division with 140 points, making him Alaska’s first National Finalist. Due to cold, wintry conditions in Alaska, Bruchhauser only has two-and-a-half months of outdoor practice time at his home course.
• After a 142-point performance in the regional qualifier at Congressional Country Club (2011 U.S. Open Championship host), Megha Ganne won the Girls 14-15 division to become a four-time National Finalist. “It never gets old,” she said. “I wish there was no age limit. This is my last year, and I’m really excited to be going back.” In the Boys 12-13 division, Matthew Vital advanced to the National Finals in his first trip to regional qualifying and his fourth overall attempt in Drive, Chip and Putt. “I’m looking forward to being there,” he said. “It looks like such a cool place on TV.”
• After stellar performances in the regional qualifier at The Club at Carlton Woods (site of the 2014 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship), both Maye and Treed Huang will make return trips to Augusta not only as National Finalists and Drive, Chip and Putt champions, but also as sister and brother. Maye Huang, the 2017 Girls 7-9 National Champion, won the Girls 10-11 division to secure her second appearance in the National Finals. Older brother Treed Huang, the 2014 Boys 7-9 National Champion and 2017 and 2018 National Finalist, will make his record-tying fourth trip to the National Finals after winning the Boys 14-15 division by three points. The Huang siblings have advanced to Augusta National together once before, previously in 2017. “[Maye] is a big factor in my game, to have someone to practice with every day,” Treed said. “We compete a lot and that brings each of our games to a higher level.”
• On Victoria Kuranga’s fourth attempt to reach the National Finals, the 13-year-old’s dream became reality at The Honors Course (site of the 2016 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship) with an 11-point win in the Girls 12-13 division. She’s hoping to bring back a Tiger Woods autograph from Augusta. Matthew Troutman, winner of the Boys 14-15 division, scored 179 total points to qualify for his first National Finals. He is coached by PGA professional Mike Thomas, father of 2017 PGA Championship winner and PGA Tour Player of the Year Justin Thomas.

• Milan Norton edged the competition by four points to win the Girls 7-9 division at Torrey Pines Golf Course (2008 and 2021 U.S. Open Championship host). She claims her “Best Day Ever” socks helped provide the luck needed to reach Augusta National. “I knew it was going to be the best day ever when I put on the socks,” said Norton. Jay Leng, Jr., winner of the Boys 12-13 division, will make a return appearance to the National Finals. Needing to make a 30-foot putt to advance, Leng drained the putt to win by a point, finishing with the day’s top score (157 points). The putt was reminiscent of the one he made in a playoff at the 2015 National Finals to win the Boys 7-9 division.
• Vanessa Borovilos claimed a 20-point victory in the Girls 12-13 division at Winged Foot Golf Club (2006 and 2020 U.S. Open Championship host) to qualify for the National Finals for the fourth time. She will attempt to win back-to-back championships after winning the 2018 Girls 10-11 national title a year ago. Carter Lavigne, winner of the regional Boys 7-9 division, traveled nearly 700 miles from New Brunswick, Canada, to compete in the regional qualifier. He started playing mini-golf at age 2, regular golf at age 4 and, by age 6, beat his dad for the first time. “People don’t ask [who beat who] anymore,” said dad Darsey Lavigne.

• At last year’s National Finals, Kate Barber attended as a patron. After winning the Girls 12-13 division at TPC Sawgrass (site of The Players), she’ll be bringing her golf clubs to Augusta National this year. “The first thing I’m going to do when I get to Augusta National is eat an egg salad sandwich,” she said. Ryan Nana Tanke gave up a ticket to the Ryder Cup in Paris to compete in the Boys 7-9 division, but the gamble paid off with a win and an invitation to the National Finals.  Nana Tanke lives mostly in Paris, but spends two months annually in Florida, where he is coached by PGA Master Professional Warren Bottke, who first taught the game to two-time U.S. Open champion, PGA Championship winner and Ryder Cup participant Brooks Koepka.
• Julia Misemer, four years removed from an appearance in the 2015 National Finals, will return to Augusta National after winning the Girls 14-15 division at Bellerive Country Club (2018 PGA Championship host). She won her division by 43 points, hitting two drives more than 260 yards and making putts of six and 30 feet. Isaac Rumler needed a 30-foot putt to win the Boys 10-11 division and advance to his first-ever National Finals. With the pressure on, he calmly made the putt to claim the victory by two points. “I want to see the pros first,” he said. “Hopefully I will meet some.”

All championship scoring at the local, subregional and regional qualifiers is based on a 25-point-per-shot basis, with each participant taking three shots per skill. Each participant accumulated points per shot in all three skills (maximum of 75 points per skill = 25 points per shot x 3). The overall winner in each age category was determined by the participant with the most points accumulated between all three skills (maximum of 225 points = 75 points per skill x 3).

For each skill, the point system is based in incremental distance measurements, rewarding accuracy and distance in the drive skill, and proximity for chipping and putting skills. Difficulty increases with age.

At the National Finals, one champion will be named from each age/gender division. Each finalist will be scored based on a 30-point system, offering the player with the best drive 10 points, the player with the closest cumulative chips 10 points and the player with the nearest cumulative putts 10 points, in each separate skill. The highest total composite score will determine the winner.

For more information about Drive, Chip and Putt, please visit www.DriveChipandPutt.com.
  
REGIONAL QUALIFYING RESULTS
Qualifying sites:
 
Date                      Host Site                                                            City, State
Sept. 8                  Whistling Straits Golf Course                    Sheboygan, Wis.            Sept. 8                  Muirfield Village Golf Club                           Dublin, Ohio
Sept. 9                   Chambers Bay Golf Course                            University Place, Wash.
Sept. 9                   Congressional Country Club                         Bethesda, Md.
Sept. 16                 The Club at Carlton Woods                           The Woodlands, Texas
Sept. 16                 The Honors Course                                          Ooltewah, Tenn.
Sept. 22                Torrey Pines Golf Course                               San Diego, Calif.
Sept. 23                Winged Foot Golf Club                                   Mamaroneck, N.Y.
Sept. 29                TPC Sawgrass                                               Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Sept. 29                Bellerive Country Club                                   St. Louis, Mo.
 
 
Qualifying results:
 
Girls 7-9

Name	Points	City	State/Province	Regional
Lilian She	82	Buffalo Grove	Illinois	Whistling Straits
Paige Radebach	81	Webberville	Michigan	Muirfield Village
Angela Zhang	120	Bellevue	Washington	Chambers Bay
Mckenzie Mueller	87	Wake Forest	North Carolina	Congressional CC
Sophia Giga	104	Frisco	Texas	The Club at Carlton Woods
Gabriella Moorehead	74	Burlington	North Carolina	The Honors Course
Milan Norton	102	Las Vegas	Nevada	Torrey Pines
Alexandra Phung	87	Forest Hills	New York	Winged Foot Golf Club
Briel Royce	105	Lake Nona	Florida	TPC Sawgrass
Taya Belloma	86	Centerville	Iowa	Bellerive Country Club

 
Girls 10-11

Name	Points	City	State/Province	Regional
Bella Leonhart	137	Marine on St. Croix	Minnesota	Whistling Straits
Beka Yang	96	Sylvania	Ohio	Muirfield Village
Anna Jiaxin Huang	138	Vancouver	British Columbia	Chambers Bay
Ellen Yu	106	High Point	North Carolina	Congressional CC
Maye Huang	128	Katy	Texas	The Club at Carlton Woods
Elle Marie Reisner	109	Atlanta	Georgia	The Honors Course
Alexis Vakasiuola	130	San Tan Valley	Arizona	Torrey Pines
Sophia Li	123	Fresh Meadows	New York	Winged Foot Golf Club
Ariana Silva	115	Sunrise	Florida	TPC Sawgrass
Caitlyn Chin	115	Greenwood Village	Colorado	Bellerive Country Club

 
Girls 12-13

Name	Points	City	State/Province	Regional
Kathryn VanArragon	139	Blaine	Minnesota	Whistling Straits
Sophie Stevens	120	Novi	Michigan	Muirfield Village
Yana Wilson	134	Henderson	Nevada	Chambers Bay
Sydney Yermish	132	Wynnewood	Pennsylvania	Congressional CC
Ava McGoey	140	Metairie	Louisiana	The Club at Carlton Woods
Victoria Kuranga	138	Decatur	Georgia	The Honors Course
Mia Cepeda	145	Kaaawa	Hawaii	Torrey Pines
Vanessa Borovilos	125	Toronto	Ontario	Winged Foot Golf Club
Kate Barber	120	Savannah	Georgia	TPC Sawgrass
Chunya Boonta	131	Centennial	Colorado	Bellerive Country Club

 
Girls 14-15

Name	Points	City	State/Province	Regional
Sarah Balding	141	Brookfield	Wisconsin	Whistling Straits
Madilyn Newman	114	Knoxville	Tennessee	Muirfield Village
Kasey Maralack	150	Snoqualmie	Washington	Chambers Bay
Megha Ganne	142	Holmdel	New Jersey	Congressional CC
Ryan Ko	120	Plano	Texas	The Club at Carlton Woods
Sara Im	139	Duluth	Georgia	The Honors Course
Emiko Sverduk	151	Long Beach	California	Torrey Pines
Nicole Gal	146	Oakville	Ontario	Winged Foot Golf Club
Talia Rodino	148	Fort Myers	Florida	TPC Sawgrass
Julia Misemer	142	Overland Park	Kansas	Bellerive Country Club

 
Boys 7-9

Name	Points	City	State/Province	Regional
Luciano Giangrossi	126	Evanston	Illinois	Whistling Straits
Michael Quallich	83	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	Muirfield Village
Maverick Stocker	114	Everett	Washington	Chambers Bay
Rayhao Feng	129	Short Hills	New Jersey	Congressional CC
Chase Hughes	106	Oklahoma City	Oklahoma	The Club at Carlton Woods
Conner Ford	124	Mount Vernon	Kentucky	The Honors Course
Benny Nelson	123	Los Angeles	California	Torrey Pines
Carter Lavigne	108	Moncton	New Brunswick	Winged Foot Golf Club
Ryan Nana Tanke	116	Palm Beach Gardens	Florida	TPC Sawgrass
Grady Ortiz	104	Colorado Springs	Colorado	Bellerive Country Club

 
Boys 10-11

Name	Points	City	State/Province	Regional
Ryder Carlson	109	Minnetonka	Minnesota	Whistling Straits
Sahish Reddy	112	Duluth	Georgia	Muirfield Village
Aiden Tiet	121	Milpitas	California	Chambers Bay
Mihir Roperia	131	Cranbury	New Jersey	Congressional CC
Aadi Parmar	131	Selma	Texas	The Club at Carlton Woods
Patmon Malcom, Jr.	131	Alpharetta	Georgia	The Honors Course
Ryder Rasmussen	151	San Juan Capistrano	California	Torrey Pines
Andy Mac	141	Candiac	Quebec	Winged Foot Golf Club
Bryson Hughes	160	St. Johns	Florida	TPC Sawgrass
Isaac Rumler	126	Silvis	Illinois	Bellerive Country Club

 
Boys 12-13

Name	Points	City	State/Province	Regional
Joseph Luchtenburg	139	West Chicago	Illinois	Whistling Straits
PJ Maybank	119	Cheboygan	Michigan	Muirfield Village
Jonathan Miller	147	Roseville	California	Chambers Bay
Matthew Vital	141	Bethlehem	Pennsylvania	Congressional CC
Ryder Cowan	133	Edmond	Oklahoma	The Club at Carlton Woods
Hudson Wilt	153	Nashville	Tennessee	The Honors Course
Jay Leng, Jr.	157	La Jolla	California	Torrey Pines
James Bradley	139	East Hampton	New York	Winged Foot Golf Club
Garret Ebbert	155	Longwood	Florida	TPC Sawgrass
John Guerra	132	St. Louis	Missouri	Bellerive Country Club

 
Boys 14-15

Name	Points	City	State/Province	Regional
Joshua Pehl	155	Sugar Grove	Illinois	Whistling Straits
Nolan Haynes	133	Barberton	Ohio	Muirfield Village
Ian Bruchhauser	140	Anchorage	Alaska	Chambers Bay
Nathan Drogin	137	Essex Fells	New Jersey	Congressional CC
Treed Huang	150	Katy	Texas	The Club at Carlton Woods
Matthew Troutman	179	Louisville	Kentucky	The Honors Course
Tyler Kowack	153	San Diego	California	Torrey Pines
Owen Walsh	147	Katonah	New York	Winged Foot Golf Club
Andrew McLauchlan	145	Neptune Beach	Florida	TPC Sawgrass
Alec Cesare	168	Westfield	Indiana	Bellerive Country Club