White Lake Golf Club hosted a PGA Drive, Chip & Putt local qualifier for the second straight year Saturday, with 48 children participating.
“There were individuals from all over,” WLGC club pro Bill Borgman said. “We had some from our local area, some from Grand Haven, some from Grand Rapids. I think there were some that came from the Traverse City area. It’s quite a draw.”
There was a slight difference in format from last year’s qualifier, in which players participated in groups at each segment of the event. Organizers found players who went later in a group, particularly in the chipping and putting portions, could have an advantage by seeing what the other players did first, so this year each individual was given specific tee times to do each of the three skills in succession.
“We wanted to take out that element of it,” Borgman said of the group format.
Borgman added that the event went off very smoothly, with ideal weather conditions contributing to the day’s success.
The top two competitors in both the boys and girls fields at four different age groups - 7-9, 10-11, 12-13 and 14-15 - earned spots in a subregional qualifier, which will take place Aug. 17 at Boulder Creek Golf Club in Belmont. From there, a September regional qualifier in Louisville will determine who advances to the national finals, which will take place at Augusta National during Masters week next spring.
Of the 16 golfers to advance, four were local natives. Margaret Dobry of North Muskegon earned the top spot in the girls 7-9 division with a cumulative score of 64, highlighted by 41 points in the putting portion of the competition. She was followed by Muskegon’s Ellie Jados, who scored 41 total points. Emma Huss of Muskegon finished second in the girls 10-11 division with 46 points, and Whitehall’s Riley Shafer was the top girls 14-15 finisher with 108 points, the highest score for a girl of any age group.
