April 7, 2013 - During the 2013 Masters Tournament, it was announced that the Drive Chip and Putt Championship was being brought back.  Some might remember that Mutual of Omaha formerly sponsored this event but in 2008, after 10 years of sponsorship, they felt that they had accomplished what they set out to do; which was to encourage more juniors to take up the game.  Now, 5 years later, the PGA - USGA and the Masters Tournament Foundation are bringing this skills challenge back and with an incredible bonus.  Formerly, the National level of this event was held in Orlando, Florida but having the Masters Tournament Foundation support means that the National competition will be held at Augusta National Golf Club - on the Sunday before the Masters Tournament in 2014!!!  The driving and chipping events would be at the Augusta practice facility but the putting would take place on the 18th green. Below is the press release:

AUGUSTA, Ga. – In an effort to promote interest and participation in the game of golf, the Masters Tournament Foundation, United States Golf Association (USGA) and The PGA of America announced Monday the creation of the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship, a free, nationwide junior skills competition that will conclude at Augusta National Golf Club in 2014.

Participants in the inaugural Drive, Chip and Putt Championship will advance through local and regional qualifiers conducted throughout the United States. Competitors will be comprised of boys and girls ages 7-15, and they will compete in separate divisions in four age categories. The regional champions in each of the boys and girls divisions from the four age categories will advance to the finals to be held at Augusta National the Sunday before the Masters Tournament, April 6, 2014. The Championship finals will be produced and broadcast by Golf Channel.

“Generations of players have been inspired by the dream of sinking a winning putt on the 18^th green at Augusta National,” said Billy Payne, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament Foundation. “Now an exciting opportunity exists to make that dream a reality. I am confident that our collective efforts with the USGA and The PGA of America will showcase the talents of kids who already play this game and motivate others to give the sport a try.”

Said Glen Nager, President of the USGA: “Among our many responsibilities as a governing body is finding creative ways to make the game more accessible to our nation’s young people. The Drive, Chip and Putt Championship is an exciting new opportunity to fulfill this role, and together with our partners at the Masters Tournament Foundation and The PGA of America we look forward to leading its long-term success.”

“The game of golf is built on several fundamental skills, which our 27,000 PGA Professionals around the country teach players of all ages every day,” said Ted Bishop, President of The PGA of America. “The ability to successfully drive, chip and putt a golf ball are some of the basics to the enjoyment of the sport, and we believe this competition will motivate young players to work hard, practice these principle skills and learn to make golf a game of a lifetime.”

Local qualifying events will take place at courses in 19 states and Washington, D.C. In total, local qualifiers will provide more than 17,000 opportunities to compete. An extensive network of PGA Professionals and USGA professional staff and volunteers will conduct these competitions around the country.

Regional qualifying will be conducted at courses in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas (2), Virginia and Washington.

There was no charge to sign up, but due to the overwhelming response - there would be a drawing of names to see if you could compete.  I couldn't get to the computer fast enough.  There were only 10 local qualifying events per region and a maximum of 20 entrants per age group per site.  I had no idea of what the dates were, or the location of any of the local sites when I signed Kyle up and I hoped if he got in that it didn't conflict with any of the tournaments he was already signed up for. We didn't find out until May 3rd that Kyle had been selected and it was "first come-first served" to get a qualifying site close to home.

I immediately hit reply and an hour and a half later learned that Kyle's local qualifier was at the Golden Bear Golf Center on June 8.  It just kept getting better.  Kyle would be competing at the very place he first learned to play golf!  Not only that: the Regional event would also be at Golden Bear - just 15 minutes from our house.  It literally seemed too good to be true.  The timing was perfect - the location was perfect...

Five years ago, when Kyle participated in the last Mutual of Omaha DCP (DriveChipPutt) - he won the local qualifier in Irving and we had to travel to Austin for the Regional, where he got 2nd. It was the first year we'd heard of the event and had no idea it would be their last.  And now the event was back and looked to be better than ever.