Path To Augusta Starts With Drive, Chip, Putt At Cranberry Valley

HARWICH – The first steps of a potential journey to Augusta National hit the grass at Cranberry Valley Golf Course on Monday with the annual Drive, Chip and Putt event, the Cape’s only qualifier for the nationwide junior golf competition founded in part by the Masters Tournament.

The PGA of America, United States Golf Association and the Masters started Drive, Chip and Putt in 2013 as a way to grow and develop the game in young players by focusing on those three essential actions of the sport. At the competitions, boys and girls from 7 to 15 years old, split into groups by age, earn points by attempting drives down fairways and chips and putts at holes surrounded by scoring ring targets.

The competition begins with local qualifiers — more than 350 of them across the country — and culminates with a national finals held the Sunday before the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.

Monday morning at Cranberry Valley was one such local qualifier. The public Harwich course has been hosting the event, run by New England PGA with help from local volunteers, for the past several seasons.

“It’s one of the best days of the year out here,” said Roman Greer, Cranberry Valley’s director of golf.

About 100 kids entered the competition. They vied for a chance to advance to a subregional qualifier (at TPC Boston in August), which feeds into a regional (at Scarsdale, New York’s Quaker Ridge Golf Club in October). 

From those regionals, 80 finalists head to Augusta in 2027. Some of the previous national finals participants have indeed come from Massachusetts, like this past season’s runner-up in the boys 12-13 group, Callen Cronin of Bradford. 

“We are so blessed that New England has such incredible talent,” said Brianna Moesch, New England PGA’s director of junior golf and player development.

The top three finishers in each age group at the local qualifier advanced to the subregional. They were: Leighton Mazzeo, Madelyn Doble, Julia Salvucci (girls 7-9); Neilson Niu, Matthew McShane, Thomas Winters (boys 7-9); Reagan Gold, Sophia Farrell, Abigail Gould (girls 10-11); AJ Molina, Carter Hurst, Luca Mazzeo (boys 10-11); Elena Alfond-Nido, Mackenzie Sullivan, Willa Rouda Palanza Gaudin (girls 12-13); Mark Gendreau, Jake ONeil, Alexander Bualoeng (boys 12-13); Valencia Ferretti, Chloe Soares, Madeline Sullivan (girls 14-15); Hudson Cypes, Henry Knowlton, Logan Anderson (boys 14-15).

After the competition, Moesch said it’s a “dream” for New England PGA to come to Cranberry Valley.

“It’s just one of the most fun qualifiers we run,” she said.