GETTY IMAGES VIA DRIVE , CHIP AND PUTT

NOTHING QUITE BRINGS THE GOLF WORLD TOGETHER like the annual Drive , Chip and Putt National Finals , held the Sunday before the Masters Tournament begins at Augusta National in April . The event is a true collaborative effort between the USGA , the PGA of America , and the Masters , all who play a key role in giving kids free access to a transformative event .

It starts at the local level , with courses around the country holding local qualifiers , with the best of the best in the three basic golf disciplines advancing to sub-regional qualifiers . Regional qualifiers are held at iconic venues like Oak Hill , Medinah and Quail Hollow . In the end , 80 players qualify for the national finals , set this year for April 3 .

The free youth development program has yielded some pretty impressive alumni , including Akshay Bhatia , a 2014 participant who recently won his first Korn Ferry Tour event . Others you might know : elite junior Alexa Pano ( 2014 ); the University of Virginia ’ s George Duangmanee ( 2015 ), who grew up in Fairfax ; Megha Ganne ( 2015 ), who was the teenage darling of last year ’ s U . S . Women ’ s Open ; Gina Kim ( 2015 ), now a star at Duke ; Maxwell Moldovan ( 2015 ), the 2019 AJGA player of the year and now a star at Ohio State ; and Everett Whiten Jr . ( 2015 ), who grew up in Chesapeake and is a Howard University senior who as of February topped the APGA college player rankings .

In April , two Virginians will look to bolster their burgeoning careers with strong showings at Augusta . Read below to get to know them a little better . Information is courtesy drivechipandputt . com , where you can find full bios of all 80 competitors .

Emerson Roychoudhury topped the 12-13 girls division at the Oak Hill Drive , Chip and Putt qualifier .

EMERSON ROYCHOUDHURY Age division : 12-13 girls Club : The Club at Creighton Farms Handicap Index : 0.1 Qualifying site / score : Oak Hill CC / 123 Best thing about playing golf : “ You can always get better . Most of all I enjoy being able to make new friends and play with other kids and adults when we travel and really learn more about their lives .” Favorite club ? “ Wedge , because I ’ m proud of my chipping and getting the ball close with my wedge .” Favorite courses ? Ocean Course at Kiawah , Turtle Point at Kiawah , Creighton Farms Rank your skills , strongest to weakest ? Chipping , driving , putting Favorite Masters memory ? “ My bedtime stories when I was really little were of the ’ 75 and ’ 86 Masters with Jack Nicklaus . It was

always great to see his amazing putt in ’ 75 on No . 16 and his great second nine in ’ 86 .” Favorite male golfer ? “ Jack Nicklaus , because when I met him he was so kind and generous with his time , and he ’ s watched me swing and is a huge ( Ohio State ) Buckeye like me . I ’ ve always had a great time spending time with Barbara as well . Jack sent me a hat before my first trip to the U . S . Kids World Championships in 2016 that I still wear today .” Favorite female golfer ? “ Rina Tatematsu at Oklahoma State . She spent a lot of time with me when I went to camp in Stillwater last year . It was so fun , and Rina walked with me when we played the nine-hole tournament at the end of camp and I was fortunate enough to win !” Talents / interest outside of golf ? “ Basketball , watching college football , and reading .”