Growing up, so many golfers dream of rolling in a winning putt at Augusta National. Thanks to the Drive, Chip, and Putt National Finals golfers don’t even have to wait until they’re all grown up to make that feeling a reality.

Launched in 2013, the joint initiative by the Masters Tournament, the USGA, and the PGA of America is a thriving grow-the-game effort. It’s a free, nationwide junior golf development competition and, over the last few years, a handful of young Canadians have walked away as champions.

Alexis Card was the latest young Canadian lady to lift a first-place prize at the National Finals – and yes, all the Canadian winners have been female.

Card, of Cambridge, Ont., won the Girls 7-9 division last year. It was a two-point victory over fellow Canadian Anna Wu. Wu, of B.C., chipped in and gave a shocked reaction that went viral on social media.

Savannah Grewal of Mississaugua, Ont. won in 2017. She’ll be the lone Canadian representative at this year’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur.

Vanessa Borovilos of Toronto won in 2018, while Nicole Gal, of Oakville, Ont. won in 2019.

Points are awarded in each individual competition category – Drive, Chip, and Putt. The winner receives 10 points, second 9 points, third 8 points, etc. The player with the most points following all three categories is declared the winner of each age group.

For the drive, the better of two scores is used. Each golfer then has to make two chips (the cumulative distance from the hole determines the score) and then players move to Augusta National’s iconic 18th green where they have two putts – from 15 and 30 feet – with the cumulative distance from the hole determining the score.

In 2018, for example, Borovilos needed to roll her second putt inside 2.1 inches in order to win and she ended up just two inches from the hole.

The victories – no matter how big or small the margin – are just as sweet for the parents as they are for the kids.

“It was an emotional roller coaster all day,” Borovilos’ father, Dino, told The Canadian Press in 2018. “But it was literally the happiest win I’ve seen her have.”

There will be no Canadians in the National Finals for 2022 but if your child is looking to try to qualify for 2023, you can head to: https://www.drivechipandputt.com to register. Golfers go through Local Qualifiers, Sub-Regional Qualifiers, and Regional Qualifiers before getting to the National Finals at Augusta National.