Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals
Free to enter nationwide. The only youth event held on Augusta National's grounds.
The story
Drive, Chip and Putt began in 2013 as a joint initiative of the Masters Tournament Foundation, the USGA, and the PGA of America, built to give kids a skills-based entry point into competitive golf that does not require an 18-hole score to be competitive. The first National Finals were held in 2014, and the event has run every year since except 2020. 2026 marks the 12th National Finals. The format strips golf down to its three most teachable skills: hitting a fairway, controlling distance on a short shot, and rolling a putt at three lengths. Eight divisions split boys and girls across four age brackets, from 7-9 up through 14-15, and every finalist earns their spot through a genuinely open qualifying ladder that starts with free local qualifying in all 50 states and climbs through sub-regional, regional, and finally national rounds. What makes the National Finals distinct from every other junior event in the country is where it happens: the grounds of Augusta National Golf Club, the Sunday before the Masters, broadcast live on Golf Channel. For most competitors, ages 7 through 15, it is the only time in their life they will compete on that property. For the sport, it is a rare instance of a completely free, completely open national championship that has already produced players who went on to notable professional and elite amateur careers.
The venue
The National Finals are held on the grounds of Augusta National the Sunday before the Masters, the only junior golf competition played at the home of the Masters Tournament all year.
Course setup: The drive station uses a fairway roughly 40 yards wide, with only shots landing in the fairway scoring. The chip station is set at 10-15 yards with concentric proximity rings around the hole. Putts are attempted from 6, 15, and 30 feet. All three stations are purpose-built for the competition rather than played as a normal golf hole, so success depends on precision at fixed distances rather than adapting to changing lies or wind, closer to a skills-contest format than tournament golf.
Format
Each finalist gets three drive attempts down a 40-yard-wide fairway (only shots that land in the fairway score), three chip attempts from 10-15 yards scored by proximity rings, and three putt attempts from 6, 15, and 30 feet. Points from all nine attempts combine for a 30-point maximum; the highest total in each of the 8 age/gender divisions wins.
Cut: No
Field
80 finalists (10 per division across 8 divisions) players · Free entry. Local, sub-regional, regional, and national qualifying rounds narrow the field to the National Finals.
Local qualifying held in all 50 states; the 2026 field advanced from 34 states plus Ontario, Canada
Coach verdict
This is not a recruiting event, and coaches generally do not attend it as a scouting stop given the youngest divisions start at age 7. Its value is national visibility and an early competitive credential, not a line on a college recruiting resume.
Best for: Built specifically for ages 7-15, split into four age brackets (7-9, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15) for boys and girls. It is the rare national event genuinely accessible to a 7-year-old, since it requires none of the 18-hole scoring stamina or experience a stroke-play event demands.
College scouting: Minimal
Competitive insight
Because the format isolates three specific skills instead of an 18-hole round, Drive, Chip and Putt rewards a different kind of preparation than a normal junior tournament. A golfer who is a mediocre 18-hole scorer but has a genuinely repeatable short putting stroke or a tight dispersion pattern off the tee can win a division here. It is one of the only national events where a narrow, focused skill can outweigh overall course-management ability, which makes it a legitimately useful diagnostic for where a young golfer's fundamentals actually stand.
Scoring context: Scoring is a simple sum out of a 30-point maximum (10 points available at each of the drive, chip, and putt stations). Because scoring is skills-based rather than stroke play, there is no par-relative benchmark to compare against; the winning total in each division is whichever finalist scores highest across all nine attempts that day.
Application tip
Entry is free, and qualifying starts locally, typically announced in the spring for a given competitive year, then climbs through sub-regional, regional, and national rounds. Check drivechipandputt.com directly each year for the current qualifying calendar and local site list, since dates and sites are set annually and are not fixed year to year.
What makes it different
Notable alumni
Is it worth the travel?
high valueMaking the National Finals means qualifying nationally, so the trip itself is earned, not purchased, entry through the National Finals is free at every stage. For a family whose junior golfer qualifies, playing on Augusta National's grounds the week of the Masters is a once-in-a-childhood experience regardless of the outcome.
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