AUGUSTA, Ga. – Eighty junior golfers 30 U.S. states and one Canadian province have earned an invitation to Augusta National Golf Club to compete in the fourth annual Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals, to be played on Sunday, April 2, 2017, prior to the start of the Masters Tournament.

A joint initiative by the Masters Tournament, the United States Golf Association (USGA) and the PGA of America, the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship is a free, nationwide youth golf development initiative open to girls and boys ages 7-15 – competing in separate divisions in four age categories – focusing on the three fundamental skills employed in golf and tapping the creative and competitive spirit of young golfers.

Included in the 80 competitors are two Illinois Junior Golf Association members: Lisa Copeland of Naperville, Ill., and Chelsea She of Buffalo Grove, Ill.

Copeland qualified in the Girls 7-9 Division after scoring 84 points and taking the top spot on the leaderboard in her division. She qualified in the Girls 10-11 Division after finishing the event with 95 points.

Several IJGA members were named as alternates in their respective divisions: Emily Duan (Girls 12-13 Division), Kait Natividad (Girls 14-15 Division), Kieran Low (Boys 7-9 Division), Grant Roscich (Boys 10-11 Division), and Jason Gordon (Boys 12-13 Division).

All championship scoring at the local, subregional and regional qualifiers is based on a 25-point-per-shot basis, with each participant taking three shots per skill. Each participant accumulated points per shot in all three skills (maximum of 75 points per skill = 25 points per shot x 3). The overall champion in each age category was determined by the participant with the most points accumulated between all three skills (maximum of 225 points = 75 points per skill x 3).

For each skill, the point system is based in incremental distance measurements, rewarding accuracy and distance in the drive skill, and proximity for chipping and putting skills. Difficulty increases with age.

At the National Finals, one champion will be named from each age/gender division. Each finalist will be scored based on a 30-point system, offering the player with the longest drive 10 points, the player with the closest cumulative chips 10 points and the player with the nearest cumulative putts 10 points, in each separate skill. The highest total composite score will determine the winner.

For more information about the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship, please visit www.DriveChipandPutt.com.