In the swing: 11-year-old from Appleton tees it up during pro-am.
11-year-old boy plays in pro-am
HOBART – At 4-foot-11 and 81 pounds, Aiden Cudney isn’t an imposing figure on the golf course. Not yet, anyway. But the 11-year-old from Appleton has a big game and even bigger dreams, and he showed off his impressive skills during Wednesday’s pro-am, a day ahead of the inaugural Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic.
Aiden earned the opportunity to play in the pro-am by winning First Tee of Northeast Wisconsin’s Drive, Chip and Putt skills competition Monday at Thornberry.
“Definitely a proud moment,” his mom, Jaime, said after the pro-am. “When we did the Drive, Chip and Putt, everyone heard my gasp when we realized we were coming here. You know, I definitely had a little tear up and welling in the eyes for me. I’m just so proud of him. Every single time we come to any event, I just can’t believe that we’re this lucky.”
Aiden’s affinity for golf started before his second birthday, and around that time his father, Sheldon, got him his first golf club.
“Since then that’s really been his passion,” Sheldon said.
Aiden, who will be a sixthgrader this fall at Woodland Intermediate School in the Kimberly Area School District, played with professionals Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Pernilla Lindberg on Wednesday, along with a few other amateurs.
Their team finished at 14under-par 58 and was tied for sixth place when they walked off the final green. Aiden capped the memorable round by rolling in a 12-foot putt on the final hole for birdie.
Decked out in gray pants with a Nike swoosh above the back pocket, a blue First Tee shirt, a white hat and black FootJoy golf shoes, Aiden impressed his playing partners with his game and his maturity.
“For his age, yeah, he kills the ball,” said 29-year-old Ewart Shadoff, who has been on the LPGA Tour since 2011. “He’s just an all-around great player. He has every part of the game. He’s dropping bombs out there, too, on the putting green, so it was very impressive to watch.”
Ewart Shadoff played the first nine holes, then 30-yearold Lindberg took over for the final nine.
“It’s not very often I get to play with an 11-year-old nowadays, but I was very impressed,” said Lindberg, a Tour player since 2010. “You can tell he’s got some good game in him. He has very good golf knowledge. He’s a good little golfer.”
Golf has taken Aiden and his family all around the country, but Wednesday was the first time he played in a proam.
“It was cool,” he said. “The greens were nice and fast. It was cool because we got to play with the pros.”
Aiden said he likes golf because it’s “relaxing and fun,” and his favorite part is making new friends on the course.