Augusta kid stuffff provides fun start

Drive, Chip and Putt winners share stage with champions.

AUGUSTA, GA. — T h e 4 0 girls and 40 boys moved in orderly fashion from the driving range to the chipping area to the putting green in their age groups.

At Augusta National, it was precision unlike any other.

The latest tradition at the Masters is the Drive, Chip and Putt national fifinals, with winners from eight age groups posing with Danny Willett, Bubba Watson, Nick Faldo, Mark O’Meara and other Masters champions.

Alexa Pano, already the f i r s t t h r e e - t i me f i n a l i s t , became the first two- winner when the 12-year- old from Lake Worth won the girls 12-13 division.

It was another reminder why Sunday at the Masters is unlike any other majors.

Kids ages 7-15 were putting on the 18th green. Jordan Spieth headed out to play with his father. Matt Kuchar took a break to watch Andy Scholz hole out his chip, which led to the fifirst roar of the week.

Stress was at a minimum. Except for Watson, the twotime Masters champion who had a serious game against former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, among the first female members at Augusta National.

“She’s not talking very much to me, so I think she was getting focused on this match, because two years in a row losing, she’s not happy about that,” he said.

Willett arrived Saturday and was seen at the club wearing his green jacket for the fifirst time since his surprise victory last year, when he rallied with a under 67 and took advantage of Spieth shooting 41 on the back nine.

The green jacket has been plenty of other places, such as snooker competitions in Britain and even a few weeks ago when he hosted the “Wee Willetts,” his own program near Yorkshire where nearly 100 kids play nine holes over three courses during their summer holidays.

“As soon as you walk in the room, you see smiles from ear to ear,” Willett said.

The Masters will turn serious at some point. It is the most anticipated major of the year, mainly because of traditions, the exclusivity of the fifield (94 players) and perks that include an invitation for life and a seat at dinner with the Masters Club on Tuesday night.

Willett, as defending champion, is the host this year.

“There’s going to be some true legends there, and to be in that room is going to be pretty special,” Willett said. “That’s when you start to realize you get to do that the rest of your life.”