Even after participating in the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals three times before Sunday, Treed Huang still feels pressure when he’s at Augusta National Golf Club.
Having already won in 2014, Treed was looking to become only the second player to win multiple titles in the event – 2019 Augusta National Women’s Amateur competitor Alexa Pano was the only one to win the finals twice before Treed joined her Sunday.
See more photos from Sunday Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals
Treed won the chip category with a cumulative average of 2-feet, 3-inches from the hole and claimed the 14-15 age group title for his second win in four tries. He finished with a final score of 26 out of 30.
“I definitely felt great going out there, playing for my fourth time,” Treed said. “I try and keep the pressure down. On the putting, I knew I couldn’t run it by, I just focused on every shot and did pretty good there.”
Throughout the morning, 10 players competed in four different age groups (7-9, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15). Along with Treed taking the oldest boys age group, Connor Ford took the 7-9 age title, scoring a 25. Sahish Reddy won the next age group with a 23 and Matthew Vital took the 12-13 championship, scoring a 26.
Angela Zhang won the youngest girls age group with a score of 29, one shy of a perfect score. Sophia Li won the 10-11 age bracket with a score of 23, Yana Wilson won the 12-13 with a 28 and Nicole Gal won the oldest group with a 23.
Treed said this year, having played the course before, he was really keying in on staying focused. He’s used to how the green plays so that gave him a little comfort and slight advantage.
“It’s a lot less shots than you get in 18 holes so each shot is a lot more valuable than a regular golf tournament,” he said.
And aside from winning, one thing Treed said was looking forward to was getting to watch his younger sister, Maye, compete in her second DCP National Finals. In 2017, Maye won the girls 7-9 age group.
“It’s definitely unbelievable getting to cheer each other on at an amazing golf course,” Treed said. “I think we helped build momentum, hopefully she can go out there and win too.”
Maye didn’t win, but she enjoyed her time on the course and was glad her brother was there to support her. This year's DCP meant a little more as it followed the first annual Augusta National Women's Amateur. With that addition, Maye said she has something to look forward to in the future.
“I think it felt amazing because I was here on this amazing course,” Maye said. “I was a little nervous competing in this tournament. … (Treed) told me to be confident, don’t be nervous and you’ll do great.”