St. Petersburg, Florida — The chance to play at Augusta National is a dream for every golfer. That dream came true for 11-year-old Tia Walker this spring when she made the finals of the inaugural Drive, Chip and Putt Championship.
“Of course, you’ve always got the little butterflies,” she said.
Tia competed on the same greens the pros played a week later in golf’s first major tournament of the year. Her parents and younger brother, Adam, all watched her complete the journey that began in Oldsmar the year before.
Saturday, on the same grounds where her road to Augusta began, Tia and Adam took the first step towards getting back to the home of the Masters.
The Drive, Chip and Putt Championship is a nationwide event aimed at building kid’s interest in the sport of golf. Oldsmar is one of 256 local qualifying sites around the country. Organizers estimated nearly 25,000 golfers ages 7-15 will participate in 2014.
“The national finals next year will be 80 kids,” said executive director and CEO of the North Florida PGA Section, Rich Smith. “So, if you think about thousands upon thousands of kids across 50 states, whittling that all down to 80 kids you have to play some decent golf to do that.”
Both Walker kids did that at the Tampa Bay Downs golf practice facility this morning. Tia placed third in her age group and Adam placed second in his. The top-3 finishers in each group advance to the subregional finals in mid-August in Orlando. The regional finals are a month later in Duluth, Ga.
So, can they make it back to golf’s hallowed grounds?
“I hope so,” Adam said with a smile.
Results from the Oldsmar qualifying site have been posted at NFPGA.com.