WHITEHALL — A total of 85 young players turned out to compete on an immaculate weather morning Saturday at the White Lake Golf Club's local qualifier in the PGA Drive, Chip & Putt event.
Golf's answer to football's Punt, Pass & Kick and baseball's Pitch, Hit & Run, Drive, Chip & Putt was launched in 2013 to promote golf among young players.
The WLGC qualifier was the first step in a set of qualifiers that eventually lead the top performers to the 2027 national finals, which will take place at Augusta National Golf Club during the Masters tournament.
Players attempted three shots in each of the three skills (driving, chipping and putting), accruing up to 25 points per attempt. The top two finishers in each age group (7-9, 10-11, 12-13 and 14-15) advanced to a sub-regional qualifier.
Boys age 14-15 qualifiers were Charles Alt of Spring Lake, who scored 116 total points, and Brennan Andres of Spring Lake, who scored 113. Age 12-13 qualifiers were Greyson Diesing of Chelsea (110 points) and Rhyenn Woods of Muskegon (95). Age 10-11 qualifiers were Hudson Swan of Grand Rapids (95 points) and Eddie Janson of North Muskegon (93), and age 7-9 qualifiers were Justin Xu of Novi (83 points) and Charles Sikkenga of Muskegon (66).
In the girls division, Abigail Offer of Ada was the only competitor among ages 14-15 players, so she advanced by default with 87 points. The 12-13 girls qualifiers were Addyson Bentley of Greenville (112 points) and Audree Horstman of Grandville (85). The 10-11 qualifiers were Madeline Lee of Grand Rapids (72 points) and Augusta Schwander of Ada (57), and for ages 7-9, Charlotte McGuire of Ferndale (49 points) and Emma Eller of Norton Shores (39) qualified.
Those players will compete in Kalamazoo Friday, Aug. 21, and the top players at that sub-regional will advance to a regional qualifier at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind. on Sunday, Sept. 20.
