VACAVILLE, Calif. (March 29, 2017) – Four junior golfers in the South Bay and Peninsula Areas have advanced to the Drive, Chip and Putt Finals to be conducted at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday, April 2. Riley Yang of San Jose, Marcus Page of Los Gatos, Howard Shu of Saratoga, and Eric Yun of Menlo Park, have qualified to compete with other finalists in their age division from across the country.
Girls 10-11 division finalist Riley Yang has played golf since the age of 6, and was introduced to the sport through her family. Her father, Shane, believes her persistence and dedication to practicing is what makes her so successful, and says his daughter is excited to play Augusta National. Yang is the second of three sisters and aspires to beat her older sister, who plays high school golf, someday; but for the time being she simply enjoys spending time with her and the rest of the family on-course.
Boys 12-13 division finalist Marcus Page was born on Masters Sunday in 2004 and was introduced to the game by his father. Page is a lefty and says one of his favorite golf memories is when he got a hole-in-one with a 7-iron. This is his first time competing in Drive, Chip and Putt and credits his advancement to the Finals as being his biggest achievement in golf.
Boys 10-11 division finalist Howard Shu has played the sport since getting hooked on mini golf at the age of 4, and hopes to be a PGA Professional when he grows up, crediting PGA Director of Instruction John Snopkowski and Assistant PGA Professional Terry Sullivan of Santa Teresa Golf Club as his inspiration. “[Snopkowski] treated me like a special kid,” Shu said. “He saw something in me that he really liked and he knew that I would keep on practicing and improving.”
Finalist Eric Yun of Menlo Park advanced through regional qualifying at The Country Club in Chestnut Hill, Mass., and describes himself as “a pretty regular kid.” He began playing golf when he was 7, when his dad took him and his brother to a driving range in Hawaii. “We hit balls for hours and had so much fun” he said. “We went back the next day.” Yun shared the most difficult thing about golf is that he misses his dog Oreo when he’s away on golf tournaments.
The Drive, Chip and Putt Championship will be broadcasted live on April 2, 2017 from Augusta National via Golf Channel.
About the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship
A joint initiative founded in 2013 by the Masters Tournament, United States Golf Association and The PGA of America, the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship is a free nationwide junior golf development competition aimed at growing the game by focusing on the three fundamental skills employed in golf.
Registration for the 2018 Drive, Chip and Putt Championship is now open. Local qualifying in Northern California begins June 6 and runs through July 13. For more information about Drive, Chip and Putt, visit them on the web at www.drivechipandputt.com, find them on Facebook, or follow @DriveChipPutt on Twitter.
About the Northern California Section of the PGA of America (NCPGA)
Organized in 1920 to promote interest in the game of golf, the birth of this association was heralded as an important step to the advancement of the game in this district. The Northern California Section is one of the forty-one designated Sections of the PGA of America, the world’s largest working sports organization. With over 1,100 dedicated PGA Professionals and apprentices at over 500 golf facilities in Northern California and Northwestern Nevada, the association continues to have a positive impact on the game of golf and communities both regionally and nationally. For more information, please visit www.ncpgalinks.com, find them on Facebook, or follow @NorCalPGA on Instagram and Twitter.
Contact:
Ellen Lalande
Tel: (707) 449-4742
Email: elalande@pgahq.com
