On Sunday, April 7, 11-year-old Simon Myers will become the second McConnell Golf member to compete in the Drive, Chip and Putt national finals at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., annual site of the Masters Tournament.
The 10th annual Drive, Chip and Putt finals will be broadcast live, prior to next week’s start of the 88th Masters. Conducted in partnership with the USGA, the Masters and the PGA of America, Drive, Chip and Putt is a free, nationwide youth golf development program open to boys and girls, ages 7-15, in four age divisions. The three-pronged competition tests the skills essential to playing the game – accuracy in driving, chipping and putting.
Local qualifying began this past May and was held at hundreds of sites across the country this past summer. The top three scorers per venue, in each of the four age categories in separate boys and girls divisions, advanced to subregional qualifiers in July and August. The top two juniors in each age/gender division then competed at the regional level in September and October. Regional qualifying was held at 10 courses around the country, including multiple U.S. Open and PGA Championship venues.
Simon, the son of Linda and Tim Myers, who are members at Treyburn Country Club in Durham, N.C., won North Carolina pre-qualifier events at Mill Creek Golf Course and Duke University Golf Course, before traveling to Nashville, Tenn., for the regional qualifier.
At The Golf Club of Tennessee outside Nashville, Simon ran away with the Boys 10-11 title – his 152 points giving him a 23-point victory over the next-closest competitor. Simon sported an Augusta National polo shirt during his regional win, a gift from his friend and fellow golfer, Simon Hall. At this year’s subregional qualifier, Hall placed third and gifted the shirt to four-time regional qualifier Myers as a good luck charm.
Simon is one of 80 junior golfers representing 31 U.S. states, one Canadian province and Australia to have earned an invitation to compete at Augusta National this year. One champion will be named from each age/gender division. Each national 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.
“I’m excited about the competition,” said Simon, who is a fun follow on Instagram (@simonmyers2012_golf). “The whole experience has been incredible.”
In 2016, another McConnell Golf member, Alyssa Montgomery from Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville, Tenn., was 15 years old when she won her Drive, Chip and Putt division at Augusta National. She went on to earn All-ACC Academic Team honors during her four-year career at Virginia Tech, before joining the team at the University of South Florida as a fifth-year senior.
Simon — whose father played golf at Mississippi State and later tried his hand in professional developmental tour events — is the middle of three boys, and has played golf since he could walk. He regularly competes in Tar Heel Tour events, along with PGA Junior League, the US Kids North Carolina State Championship, and has participated in the US Kids World Championships since he was 6 years old.
This was Simon’s fourth Drive, Chip and Putt qualifying attempt, having made it as far as Duke during his three previous efforts.
Simon was able to meet his favorite golfer, Max Homa, during the 2022 Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow. Homa reached out to congratulate Simon on social media after he qualified for the finals at Augusta National, and Simon hopes to see his idol again this weekend, along with some of the other Masters competitors who will be on hand.
Augusta National provides each competitor with clothing to wear during the event, and Simon requested Masters green. He also received a custom Ping bag embroidered with his name.
“I’m really excited about seeing the course and meeting the pros,” said Simon, who added that he has reviewed TV footage from previous finals at Augusta National as part of his preparation.
Tune in to Golf Channel or NBC Sports digital platforms from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. ET for live coverage of the National Finals. Check out the live leaderboard on DriveChipandPutt.com.
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Photo Courtesy of McConnell Golf