Registration open for 2016 Drive, Chip and Putt

The inaugural Drive, Chip and Putt Championship at Augusta National Golf Club was a bona fide success.

And while the finalists have earned their spots for this spring, it’s not too early to start planning for the 2016 event.

Registration for the 2016 Drive, Chip and Putt Championship began Jan. 22 at the Web site, DriveChipandPutt.com.

The competition is open to boys and girls ages 7-15 who will compete in separate divisions in four age categories. Qualifying opportunities are available in all 50 states during the months of May, June, July and August.

Top performers at the local level will advance through sub-regional and regional qualifiers in July/August and September, respectively. The top 80 performers – 40 boys and 40 girls – will earn an invitation to the national finals at Augusta National Golf Club on April 3, the eve of the 2016 Masters Tournament.

The schedule for the 2016 Drive, Chip and Putt Championship qualifying is as follows:

• Local (May/June/July/August): 255 host sites spread throughout all 50 states. Three juniors advance in each age/gender category from every venue.

• Sub-Regional (July/August): 50 host sites spread throughout 45 states. Two juniors advance in each age/gender category from every venue.

• Regional (September): 10 host sites in 10 defined regions. One junior advances in each age/gender category from every venue.

• National Finals (April 3, 2016): 80 participants at Augusta National.

The venues that will host the 10 regional qualifying events include several USGA championship and PGA Championship sites: Chambers Bay Golf Course (University Place, Wash., site of the 2015 U.S. Open conducted by the USGA), Congressional Country Club (Bethesda, Md.), Golf Club of Houston (Humble, Texas), Hazeltine National Golf Club (Chaska, Minn., site of the 2016 Ryder Cup), Medinah Country Club (Medinah, Ill.), Oakmont Country Club (Oakmont, Pa., site of the 2016 U.S. Open), The Country Club (Brookline, Mass.), Torrey Pines Golf Course (La Jolla, Calif., site of the 2021 U.S. Open), TPC Sawgrass (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) and Valhalla Golf Club (Louisville, Ky., site of the 2014 PGA Championship).

For a full list of qualifying venues at the local and sub-regional level, or for more information about the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship, including official rules, visitDriveChipandPutt.com.