Orlando teen Johnny Wright
is headed to Augusta for the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship.
Orlando 14-year-old Johnny Wright hopes one day to don the green jacket.
But even if he never wins the Masters, Wright will have a chance to sink a winning putt on the 18th green at storied Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.
On Sunday, Wright will be among 10 14- to 15-year-old boys competing in the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship, at the home of the Masters.
Boys and girls as young as 7 are split into four age groups and will hit two drives, followed by two chips and two putts on the famed green on the par-4 18th hole. There, champions like Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods have drained winning putts.
“That’s where every great player has been and won,” Wright said. “It’s really exciting for me to go and play on the 18th green where all the great players have played.”
Wright hopes the experience is a harbinger.
Inspired by Woods when Wright took up the game as a 6-year-old, the eighth-grader from Lake Highland Preparatory School is now a big fan of Jordan Spieth, who won the 2015 Masters at age 21 and will defend his title next week.
“He’s just had a lot of success at a young age, that inspires me,” Wright said. “When I’m 21, 22 years old I want to win the Masters.”
Wright has come a long way in golf during a short time.
Growing up on the Lake Nona Golf Course, Wright has been around the game a long time. But he did not begin to play competitively until he was 11.
He carded a 102 during his first tournament, which also is the first time he walked 18 holes.
“It was very painful,” Wright recalled with a laugh. “And it took 102, which made it worse.”
Wright is now a 7-handicap who regularly shoots in the 70s, with 73 his low tournament score.
Even at 5-foot-2, 107 pounds, Wright drives the ball 250 yards. But the strength of his game is putting.
Wright, who turned 14 last week, hopes his work around the greens evens the playing field on Sunday. He will be competing against older, larger boys who are sure to out-drive him by 25 yards or longer.
“I’m at a little bit of disadvantage,” Wright said.
One advantage for Wright is the moment should not be too big for him.
At Lake Nona, Wright routinely encounters some of golf’s biggest names.
A few weeks ago, he passed Annika Sorenstam on the practice range and last weekend saw Graeme McDowell. Ian Poulter, whose son, Luke, is friends with Wright, even gave him some tips for handling the severe speed and undulations of the 18th green at Augusta.
Wright’s exposure to celebrity is not limited to golfers. His father, Johnny, is the manager for Justin Timberlake, an avid golfer who recently spent time with Wright at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Timberlake offered Wright a few tips on handling pressure.
“He’s a really good golfer,” Wright said of Timberlake. “He’s also a really good person to hang with; he’s really nice to people. He’s just a positive person.”
Wright hopes to maintain his composure on one of golf’s biggest stages Sunday, with Golf Channel televising the action.
Wright survived three qualifying rounds and recalled being nervous only during the second stage, on the King and the Bear course at the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine.
Win or lose Sunday, Wright is about to embark on the experience of a lifetime. “I’m going to have fun,” Wright said. “I’m at the Masters.”