DRIVE , CHIP AND PUTT

FOUR VIRGINIANS ARE AMONG THE 80 JUNIOR GOLFERS who have earned a spot in the Drive , Chip and Putt National Finals on Sunday , April 6 , at Augusta National Golf Club .

Lucas Dunaway ( boys 7-9 division ) of Troy , Sajen Hodge ( boys 10-11 ) of Glen Allen , Mason Palmer ( boys 14-15 ) of Roanoke and Kaylee Bell ( girls 14-15 ) of Virginia Beach won their age groups at regionals , qualifying to advance to their first national final .

The 80 players represent 28 U . S . states , two Canadian provinces and India . This is the 11th year the Masters , USGA and PGA of America have partnered to conduct the national youth golf development program , open to boys and girls in four age groups , ages 7-15 . They compete in three skills : accuracy in driving , chipping and putting .

Local qualifying began last May and progressed through subregional and regional levels leading up to the finals . Dunaway , Palmer and Bell qualified through Birdwood GC in Charlottesville , Salisbury CC in Midlothian and Aronimink GC in Newtown Square , Pa . Hodge ’ s path took him through Belle Haven CC in Alexandria , River Bend Club in Great Falls and Aronimink .

They are seeking to join George Duangmanee of Fairfax as a DCP national champion . Duangmanee , who played out of International CC , was 13 when he captured the 12-13 age division title in 2015 . His victory came in a sudden-death putt-off from 15 feet . The feat was listed in his University of Virginia golf team bio . A four-year standout at UVA , Duangmanee is currently playing professional golf .

Let ’ s take a closer look at the finalists :

KAYLEE BELL ( Girls 14-15 ) Affiliation / Home course : VSGA Junior Golf Circuit .

Kaylee Bell

Age ( on date of DCP Finals )/ hometown : 15 / Virginia Beach . School / grade / favorite subject : Ocean Lakes High School / 9th grade / Science . Favorite skill : Putting . Winning total : 148 points . Who started you in golf ? At what age : I started swinging at the age of 2 , and my dad introduced me to the game . What attracted you to golf ? Being outside and enjoying time with my dad . How often do you practice your skills ? At least 4-5 times a week . What was your mindset for each skill ? My mindset for everything was to stay calm and collected because I knew if I got too worked up , I could mess it up for myself . Specifically for driving , I made sure to swing easy and take deep breaths to keep myself calm . For chipping and putting , I made sure to keep my tempo smooth and stick to what I know . What golf ball do you use , and do you mark it a special way for the chipping and putting competition ? I use a Titleist AVX , and I mark my ball with a single line .

Do you practice for the driving competition using the ball provided by the site ? Yes . Who is your favorite golfer ? Arnold Palmer . Do you have a coach ? Who is it ? My dad What does making the national finals mean to you ? Making the national finals means a lot , because I ’ ve been competing in the Drive , Chip and Putt competition for six years , and I finally made it . Kenny Perry ( 14-time winner on PGA Tour and ninetime winner , including four majors , on the PGA Tour Champions ) once told me that it is “ Drive , Chip and Luck ,” because it really is . You only have nine shots to make it to the national finals , and I was lucky enough for the stars to align for me this year . It really does mean a lot for my hard work to finally pay off . What has been your most exciting highlight so far ? The most exciting highlight for me was making it to the national finals in general , but a major part of me qualifying was draining all three of my putts at Aronimink .