ELMSFORD, N.Y. (April 5, 2026) — Ava Chen of Brooklyn, N.Y., captured the title in the Girls 10-11 division of the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals on Sunday, leading the way among the four Met Area juniors in the field at Augusta National Golf Club.
Related: Drive, Chip and Putt Results | DCP Qualifiers
Chen, 11, tallied more points in each discipline as the competition went on. A 195.5 yard opening drive helped her begin with eight points. Next, a chip that settled 10 inches from the hole earned her nine points. Then, in putting, Chen drained her long uphill 30-footer before leaving her second putt attempt at a distance of 3 feet 9 inches as she earned 10 points in the discipline. That left her tied atop the leaderboard with 27 points, but the junior came through victorious in a putting playoff to earn the title.
Mario Vilardi of Hopewell Junction, N.Y., finished second in the Boys 10-11 group. After collecting eight points in the Drive discipline (210.7 yards, 198.6 yd), Vilardi took the top spot with two outstanding chips. His first finished at 3 feet 11 inches, before his second finished at just 10 inches. He had another strong performance in putting, with his attempts finishing at 5 feet 4 inches and 10 inches to collect nine points. His 28 total points left him just one point from forcing a putting playoff.
Sohan Madane (Boys 14-15) of Long Valley, N.J., and Kylee Miao (Girls 7-9) of Edgewater, N.J., rounded out Met Area competitors in the field, both finishing ninth in their respective age groups. Madane’s highlights in the competition included a 265-yard drive, plus a putt that finished 1 foot 4 inches from the hole. Miao excelled in the Drive discipline, using distances of 161.1 and 158.7 to earn eight points.
Local qualifying for the 13th season of Drive, Chip and Putt begins May 2 at 353 sites nationwide and continues throughout the summer. Top performers at the local level advance through subregional and regional qualifiers in July/August and September/October, respectively. Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, N.Y., is among the 10 regional hosts. In the end, 80 finalists – 40 boys and 40 girls – will earn an invitation to compete in the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday, April 4.
