Eight Champions Crowned at 2025 Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals

Eight junior golfers – four boys and four girls – were crowned champions at the 11th Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals held, Sunday, April 6, at Augusta National Golf Club and broadcast live on Golf Channel across North and South America.

Conducted in partnership with the Masters Tournament, USGA and the PGA of America, Drive, Chip and Putt is a free youth golf development initiative for junior golfers of all skill and ability levels, aimed at sparking a lifelong interest in the game. The three-pronged competition welcomes boys and girls, ages 7-15, in four age categories, and tests the skills essential to golf: accuracy in driving, chipping and putting.

Tens of thousands of participants seized the opportunity to qualify for the event, which began with hundreds of local qualifiers at courses across the country in the summer of 2024. From there, the top finishers advanced through subregional qualifying events to one of 10 regional qualifiers at some of the nation’s most acclaimed venues and championship sites.

Finally, the 80 regional winners across the four age divisions (40 boys and 40 girls) earned a trip to Augusta National Golf Club to participate in the 11th Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals.

The four girl champions were: Ellie Kim of Danville, Calif. (7-9); Bella Simoes of Lake Worth, Fla. (10-11); Alexandra Phung of Forest Hills, N.Y. (12-13); and Abigail Henriksen of DeForest, Wis. (14-15).

The four boy champions were: Joshua Hooper of Wildwood, Mo. (7-9); Dawson Dial of Cedar Park, Texas (10-11); Hudson Justus of Gainesville, Ga. (12-13); and Anthony Wu of Mission Viejo, Calif. (14-15).

Click here for all final competition results.

Points were awarded in three individual skill categories (driving, chipping and putting), with the winner in each skill receiving 10 points, second place receiving 9 points, and so on, all the way down to 1 point. The player with the most points following all three competitions was declared the overall winner of the age group.

For the drive portion, the better of two distances was used for the score. Each golfer then took two chips; the closest cumulative distance to the hole determined the winner. Players then moved to Augusta National’s No. 18 green where they attempted two putts – from 15 and 30 feet – and used the cumulative distance from the hole to determine the score.

Below are the individual age group summaries:

In her debut appearance at the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals, Ellie Kim of Danville, Calif., clinched first place overall in a thrilling playoff against competitor Brielle Downer of Lockport, Ill. On the storied 18th green at Augusta National, Kim won by just one inch. Inspired after watching last year’s National Finals on TV, Kim set her sights on making it there herself. “I’ve worked so hard for this,” she said. “We practiced every day. Hard work truly pays off.”

Bella Simoes of Lake Worth, Fla., opened the day with a 217-yard drive – placing second in the driving category. She continued her momentum and sealed the overall victory with a second putt that rolled in the hole. Reflecting on the winning moment, Simoes said, “I was trying my best to just breathe and stay calm.”

Alexandra Phung of Forest Hills, N.Y., took first place overall in her fourth appearance at the National Finals. It marks her second Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals title, having previously won in 2023 in the Girls 10-11 division. “It's such an accomplishment for me,” she said. “I'm looking forward to maybe coming back in the future for maybe the next two years for DCP and potentially for the (Augusta National Women’s Amateur).”

With a total score of 25 points and the top score in chipping, Abigail Henriksen of DeForest, Wis., earned first place overall. “Getting here has been a goal of mine for the past three years,” she said of competing at Augusta National for the first time. “It’s amazing to pull off a win.”

Joshua Hooper of Wildwood, Mo., won the Boys 7-9 division with strong performances across all disciplines: third in driving, fourth in chipping and second in putting. After rolling his second putt within a foot of the hole, Hooper had tallied a total of 24 total points to take the top spot overall. When asked about how it feels to win at Augusta National, he said, “I’m super excited.”

Dawson Dial of Cedar Park, Texas, topped the overall leaderboard in the Boys 10-11 division after starting out strong with a first-place finish in driving. He went on to take second in both chipping and putting. His five-point victory marked a record-setting winning margin for the age group. Dial said his favorite memory that he’ll take from the day was “getting the last putt close to win.”

After holing both putts on the 18th green, Hudson Justus of Gainesville, Ga., claimed first place overall in the Boys 12-13 division. It was his second appearance at Augusta National, having also competed in the 2023 Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals. “It was a long road to get here,” he said. “After making it two years ago, I knew I wanted to come back and win – and now I have.”

Ever since his younger sister, Kaylee, competed in the 2022 Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals, Anthony Wu of Mission Viejo, Calif., has aspired to follow in her footsteps. That dream became a reality as he sank a 15-foot putt to secure the win in the Boys 14-15 division. “It’s truly surreal and a dream come true,” he said.