Three Georgia youngsters have qualified for the annual Drive, Chip and Putt Championship, which will be played Sunday morning at Augusta National and broadcast on Golf Channel.
Claire Bradford of Watkinsville is the lone Georgian to qualify for the girls finals and will be competing in the 7-to-9 age group. The boy’s finalists from Georgia are Craig Kontur of Lawrenceville in the 10-11 division and Peter Sposato of Bishop in the 7-9 age group.
Bradford plays out of the Georgia Club and made it through local qualifying at Lane Creek in Bishop. Sposato plays out of Lane Creek and also made it through local qualifying there. Kontor plays out of Berkeley Hills and advanced from a local qualifier at Reynolds Landing on Lake Oconee.
All three advanced from a sub-regional qualifier at Augusta Country before moving on to regionals at Pinehurst in North Carolina.
The Drive, Chip and Putt Championship was created by the Masters, USGA and PGA in 2013, and has held the finals at Augusta National each year since to kick off Masters Week. The broadcast begins at 8 a.m. Sunday.
There are four age groups (7-9, 10-11, 12-13 and 14-15), with boys and girls competing in each division. Qualifying for the 2018 Drive, Chip and Putt Championship begins in June, and registration is currently open.