Young golfers already dreaming big for 2015 Drive, Chip and Putt

Julian Ford knows his chipping and putting need improvement, but he’s eager to play Augusta National Golf Club.

“Speechless. I’m speechless,” an otherwise talkative Julian said about the possibility of competing at the home of the Masters.

The 10-year-old from Johns Island, S.C., will be one of tens of thousands of junior golfers planning to play in local and regional qualifying competitions for the 2015 Drive, Chip and Putt Cham­pionship. The national finals will be held April 5 at Au­gus­ta National’s Tour­na­ment Practice Range and 18th green.

The competition provides a greater incentive for Julian to work on his skills. He plays every Friday with his grandmother and occasionally after school at the First Tee of Greater Charleston.

“If you do very well, you might get to the Masters. That’s why I started playing golf,” he said Saturday as he collected autographs near the practice facility where he might play someday.

His family’s interest in golf inspired Julian to pick up a club. His great-grandfather, Frank Ford, was an amateur golfer and was inducted into the South Carolina Golf Hall of Fame.

Eighty-eight boys and girls, ages 7-15, competed in the inaugural Drive, Chip and Putt finals last Sunday. The event will expand in 2015 to include 256 local qualifying sites and up to 50,000 participants.

Kaitlyn McGann, 14, of Au­gusta, also wants to register for the competition. She plays every Saturday at the First Tee of Augusta and is on the Davidson Fine Arts Middle School golf team.

“I’ve increased in my skills and I might be ready to take on more challenges,” Kaitlyn said. “If I do this, I can really kick off getting serious (about golf). I really want to go to the LPGA and take golf to my career.”

Kaitlyn, who attended the third round of the Masters, plans to focus on her chipping as she aims for the finals at Augusta National, where she has dreamed of playing.

“That would be amazing,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to take at least one shot from anywhere on this course.”

To register, visit www.DriveChipandPutt.com.