Young Aiken golfer finishes second in chipping portion of Drive, Chip and Putt finals at Augusta National

AUGUSTA, Ga. — With hundreds of kids vying for a coveted spot in the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club, it’s not often a local golfer earns a start time at the iconic golf course.

And on April 6, Shane Strickland had the support of every Aikenite outside of the ropes in his debut appearance in the kids’ tournament. He said the support meant a lot to him but he knew he had to stay locked in on each section as cheers came from the crowd.

“I felt good,” he said. “I also wanted to smile but I knew I had to stay focused.”

Shane finished tied for seventh place with a second-place finish in the chipping skill thanks to a shot that put the ball just two feet and nine inches from the hole. His success in chipping came just in time after a shaky start in the driving portion.

The 9-year-old was fifth in line with two chances to drive the ball as far as possible within bounds at the Augusta National tournament range. While Strickland kept it in bounds for a 151.01-yard on his first attempt, he missed the lines to stay in bounds on the second one, giving him one point for the skill.

For the second and third skills, chipping and putting, each participant is given two tries to get the ball as close to the hole as they can. The distances away from the hole are added together for their final score on that section.

Shane’s father, Chase, supported him through the day as his caddie. He said his biggest focus between driving and putting was to keep Shane’s confidence up.

“I told them that it looked like he got nervous and he told me ‘I got nervous,’” Chase said. “He told me how he felt and I said, ‘Well, your short game and your putting is where you thrive, so just take it calm, stay calm, take it slowly, and enjoy it the best you can.”

After refocusing, he started out with the 2’9” chip shot and followed it up with a shot 5 feet, three inches from the hole to give him the lead with a combined score of eight feet. As the other children came up to do their chips, Shane’s name continued to top the leaderboard.