USPA Student, Maya Gaudin is Augusta Bound!
USPA Student,Maya Gaudin is Augusta Bound!
Congratulations to our Student Athlete, Maya Gaudin won first place (Girls 12-13 years old division) in the Northeast Regional Finals of the Drive Chip & Putt Tournament! Maya now advances and will represent the Northeast Region at the DCP National Finals, which is played at the infamous Augusta Golf Club, during the week of the Masters (April 2023)! The DCP National Finals will be broadcast live on the Golf Channel. Maya’s family and the USPA Community could not be more proud! This is the first time she’s made it all the way to the National Finals. Out of thousands of junior golfers who began this tournament series across all of North America, only 40 girls make it to the National Finals at Augusta.
“Mom (Cass) was like Eddie Lowery (aka the best caddy ever) on the bag for Maya, keeping her calm, cool and collected throughout the competition. Contrasted to me, who buckled under the pressure, mostly crying behind a tree and making the sign of the cross on each and every one of Maya’s shots. ” – Stephen Gaudin (Maya’s Dad)
Background on the Drive, Chip and Putt National Tournament: A joint initiative founded in 2013 by the Masters Tournament, the United States Golf Association and The PGA of America, Drive, Chip and Putt is a nationwide junior golf competition aimed at growing the game by focusing on the three key fundamental skills in golf. (driving, chipping and putting). By tapping the creative and competitive spirit of girls and boys ages 7-15, Drive, Chip and Putt provides aspiring junior golfers an opportunity to play with their peers in qualifiers across the entire US and Canada. The tournament bracket is made up 342 Local competitions across all 50 States; followed by 60 sub-regional competitions; and the narrowing down to 10 regional finals. From there, only one junior golfer in each age/gender section will advance to the National Finals, which is conducted at Augusta National Golf Club on the Sunday before the Masters Tournament and is broadcast live by Golf Channel.
In short, thousands of junior golfers golfers compete throughout the spring, summer and fall, with only 40 boys and 40 girls qualify to compete in the national finals at Augusta! How it works: Participants compete in all three skills (Drive, Chip and Putt) and hit three shots per skill for a total of nine shots. Points are accumulated per shot at each skill. The overall champion in each division is determined by the participant with the most points accumulated between all three skills. Drive Each participant will attempt 3 Drives down a 40-yard wide fairway. Drives must finish in the fairway to score points. Chip Each participant will attempt three 10-15 yard chips at the scoring hole. Chips will be measured from the center of the hole with scoring rings Putt Each participant will attempt one putt from 6′, 15′ and 30′. Putts will be measured from the center of the hole with scoring rings.
