A beautiful Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club made for the perfect backdrop for the 2024 Drive, Chip and Putt Nationals Finals to kick off Masters Week.
And for the first time in the event’s 10-year history, an Augusta-area local has won one of the divisions.
“The hometown hero having a moment like that of Larry Mize—the Augustan who won the 1987 Masters in a playoff over Greg Norman—was 13-year-old Kipp Madison, who used strong performances in driving and chipping to triumph in the Boys 12-13 division,” a release from the tournament said.
Kipp is the fifth golfer from the area to have ever qualified for the finals, including his brother Zane, who competed in the Boys 7-9 finals in 2022.
“I just can’t believe I won,” Kipp said. “I thought getting here was winning, but to actually win, it is a dream come true. There are so many people here. My mom’s friends, some of my little brother’s friends. There’s three or four of them here. The fact that I get to share it with a dozen people or so is just incredible.”
Drive, Chip and Putt is a huge program that brings together kids from the ages of 7 to 15, and 80 of the top participants in four age groups make the finals in Augusta.
“It’s just such a cool experience for them to come to Augusta National,” said Scottie Scheffler, former Masters champion. “It’s a really special day. You can see how excited they are to be here.”
This year’s 2024 Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals champions were:
Girls
- 7-9: Madison Pyatt – Eureka, Missouri
- 10-11: Lily Wachter – Saint Augustine, Florida
- 12-13: Karis Reid – Carmel, Indiana
- 14-15: McKenna Nelson – Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
Boys
- 7-9: Parker Tang – Buckeye, Arizona
- 10-11: Texas Terry – Manor, Texas
- 12-13: Kipp Madison – Evans, Georgia
- 14-15: Connor Holden – Canby, Oregon
The 2024 Drive, Chip and Putt was a wild success, and the event has served as a nice lead-in to the men’s Masters for 10 years now in Augusta. The Masters Tournament starts this week at Augusta National Golf Club, with the first round set for play on Thursday.
