MORGANTOWN – Easter Sunday will look a bit different this year for 13-year-old Morgantown golfer Andrew Grigsby and his family.
That’s because they’ll spend the holiday weekend this season at one of the most iconic venues in the world of golf as Andrew competes in the National Drive, Chip, and Putt Championship at Augusta National Golf Club, the home of the annual Masters Tournament.
“Playing there is a dream come true,” Grigsby said. “Last year, I made it to the regional round but came up short of going to Augusta. I practiced more consistently as I entered my second year of competing and really focused on training all three skills equally.”
Grigsby qualified for the national finals by winning first place in a regional qualifying round at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pa., in September 2025. Prior to the final qualifying round that advanced him to the finals, Andrew competed in two other sub-regional (Farmington, Pa.) and local (Charleston) qualifying events, where he placed first and second, respectively.
A typical Drive, Chip, and Putt competition has golfers compete in three skills, accumulating points in each round that go toward their final score.
The driving skill asks players to hit the ball as far as possible while accurately placing their shot within a grid.
At the regional qualifying round, Andrew entered the day as the second-to-last golfer in the driving portion of the competition. He finished in second in the regional round with all three of his attempts landing in bounds.
For the chipping round, players hit two shots at the pin and add the remaining distance of both shots together to determine their placement.
“I hit my first chip past the hole,” Grigsby said. “But the next two were both close and earned me 20 points each.”
After making his 6-foot putt, Grigsby left his 15-foot attempt short of his target, making his 30-foot attempt the putt that would either seal his ticket to the finals or stop him short of his goal for the second straight year.
“I didn’t know it at the time, but I had to put the 30-foot putt to within a foot for me to win,” he said. “It was going a bit right to left and was traveling downhill on some decently fast greens. I just hit it, and it felt like it was rolling forever before it stopped.”
Putting is similar to the chipping skill for scoring, but with a slight twist at the National Finals at ANGC.
The putting competition takes place on the green of Augusta National’s 18th hole, where the champion of the annual tournament celebrates by wearing the prestigious green jacket.
“I think the pin location we will putt toward is the same as the Sunday pin location for the final round,” Grigsby said.
Andrew will compete on Sunday morning against nine other competitors in the 12-13-year-old age group. The event will be nationally televised on the Golf Channel beginning at 8:00 a.m.
