1 week Ago
AUGUSTA, Ga. — With hundreds of kids vying for a coveted spot in the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club, it's not often a local golfer earns a start time at the iconic golf course. And on April 6, Shane Strickland had the support of every Aikenite outside of the ropes in his debut appearance in the kids’ tournament.
He said the support meant a lot to him but he knew he had to stay locked in on each section as cheers came from the crowd. "I felt good," he said. "I also wanted to smile but I knew I had to stay focused.
" Shane finished tied for seventh place with a second-place finish in the chipping skill thanks to a shot that put the ball just two feet and nine inches from the hole. His success in chipping came just in time after a shaky start in the driving portion. The 9-year-old was fifth in line with two chances to drive the ball as far as possible within bounds at the Augusta National tournament range.
While Strickland kept it in bounds for a 151.01-yard on his first attempt, he missed the lines to stay in bounds on the second one, giving him one point for the skill. For the second and third skills, chipping and putting, each participant is given two tries to get the ball as close to the hole as they can.
The distances away from the hole are added together for their final score on that section. Shane’s father, Chase, supported him through the day as his caddie. He said his biggest focus between driving and putting was to keep Shane’s confidence up.
“I told them that it looked like he got nervous and he told me ‘I got nervous,’” Chase said. “He told me how he felt and I said, ‘Well, your short game and your putting is where you thrive, so just take it calm, stay calm, take it slowly, and enjoy it the best you can.” After refocusing, he started out with the 2’9” chip shot and followed it up with a shot 5 feet, three inches from the hole to give him the lead with a combined score of eight feet.
As the other children came up to do their chips, Shane’s name continued to top the leaderboard. It wasn’t until the final golfer in the 7-9 boys group, Lucas Dunaway, put up a total score of 6’10” that he moved to second place, earning him another nine points. His 8’3” total putting score gave him another four points for 13 points total.
After his final putt, he shook hands with several Augusta National members, including former Swedish professional golfer Annika Sorenstam, who is regarded as one of the best female golfers of all time. While he didn’t take home the first-place trophy, it has still been a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the young golfer. He not only had the support of his community but also the support of his entire family pushing him forward.
"The best part of it was that I enjoyed it, and I had fun," Shane said. Leading up to the tournament, the kids all got a chance to spend time together and he made two new friends throughout the entire weekend. Chase said it's been a lot of fun getting to meet all the other families in this process.
"It reminds you that they're still kids," he said. "And all they want to do is have fun and enjoy each other's company. And they have a banquet room and the kids are running around playing games and just getting to know each other and coming out here.
They're just trying to do their best at every moment. So they're still kids and they still want to have fun and they still want to enjoy everything they do." After finishing up the hardest part of the day, Shane got to spend time with his family exploring the course with a chance to enjoy the concessions and bring home souvenirs from the golf shop.
Then afterward, he said he was looking forward to celebrating at home. Chase said he couldn't be more proud of his son and how far he's come since they started his golf journey years ago. "I think there's a lot of emotion just with the amount of people that are supporting us here and I'm just proud of the opportunity to have been here with him and him enjoy it with me.
" Shane wasn't the only South Carolinian participating in the Drive, Chip and Putt. After traveling just under three hours from Charleston Eloise Fetzer earned a co-second place finish with her consistent scoring in each discipline. She started the day with a 192.
7-foot drive to earn six points, followed by an 11'8" total in chipping and 8'2" in putting for another 13 points. It's her second appearance in the tournament after making the finals back in 2022..
