Three Ewing Automotive NTPGA Junior Tour Members Earn Invites to Augusta as Drive, Chip and Putt National Finalists

The Ewing Automotive NTPGA Junior Tour will have three participants at the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club on April 7, 2024.The National Finals have been held the Sunday before The Masters since 2013 and has ingrained itself into the legendary traditions of the tournament and course.

Dixie Mae Crain has competed on the NTPGA Junior Tour since 2019 and has shown steady improvement over the past five years. Although her experience on the Junior Tour has undoubtedly improved her game, there is another aspect of the tour that has aided her on her journey to Augusta. “Just getting the pressure from other people being there, like competitors and all that, just having that pressure,” said Crain. 

She hasn’t let the rush of being a National Finalist change her preparation however, “It’s really all about if you really get consistent. You just need to get consistent with your chipping and putting.” After seven years of participating in Drive, Chip and Putt Dixie will be competing in the age 12-13 division at Augusta and looks forward to the trip to Georgia with her dad, brother, and two former coaches.

Only five years after picking up a golf club, Ani Cooper is a Drive, Chip and Putt National Finalist as well as an accomplished golfer on the NTPGA Junior Tour. Her preparation for the National Finals included “[Practicing] chipping a lot,” and “[Spending] four times as much time on short game practice.” Although Cooper is excited and overwhelmed at the prospect of playing at Augusta, her confidence going into the Finals has not wavered.

Ani believes she can win and already has her eyes on next year’s Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals, “My goal is to get there next year,” adding “you have to absorb what happened during your time at Augusta because you’re probably not going to get a similar experience unless you come here next year.” After three years of trying to punch her ticket to Augusta, Ani has accomplished her first goal and now shifts her focus to winning the age 10-11 division Final.

The youngest of the three National Finalists is eight year old Adelyn Owen who started playing golf at just three years old. Her love of the game comes from the fact that “even if you hit a bad shot, you’ve always got the next hole to make it good. You can always improve each hole.” This is just Owen’s second time competing in Drive, Chip and Putt after not qualifying for regionals in 2022. 

Her jump from not qualifying in 2022 to being a National Finalist in 2024 aligns with her golf goal of “[Trying] to improve each time I golf,” adding “hit the best I can, and in the end be happy with what I did.”

Although each of their journeys to the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals were different, Dixie Mae Crain, Ani Cooper, and Adelyn Owen’s love for golf and determination in getting to Augusta is exceptional. 

This is the tenth year that an NTPGA Junior Tour member has competed in the National Finals. Make sure to catch all the action on Golf Channel Sunday morning!