Photo by Seth Staskey Olivia Baker watchers her shot during Friday’s Drive, Chip & Putt contest.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — No matter their age, every golfer’s dream is to play or even attend the Masters in April.

Several area junior golfers took the first step toward making their dream a reality Friday morning at Belmont Hills Country Club.

The annual Drive, Chip & Putt, which crowns its national champions on the Sunday before the Masters begins at Augusta National Golf Club held local qualifying with the top three in four male and female age groups advancing to the Sub-Regional Qualifier at TPC River’s Bend in Mainsville, OH, which is located near Cincinnati.

“Obviously, for anyone getting a chance to compete and be at Augusta National would be a dream come true,” said Belmont Hills PGA Professional Ron Baker. “This is a good thing and a win, win, win for everyone.”

A lot of driving, chipping and putting remain for the local competitors if they’re to realize their dream. If they are to advance from the TPC at River’s Bend, which will be held on Aug. 6, they’ll compete at the Scioto Country Club in Columbus with those top finishers advancing to Augusta.

“There are three qualifying rounds and then Augusta,” Baker said. “Everything ran very smoothly and the kids are excited.

“This was a free event and that makes it even better.”

Upwards of 40 kids — males and females ranging in age from eight to 15 — took part in the event. Baker plans to make this an annual event and would love to see the numbers continue to increase.

“We have a pretty good balance between boys and girls,” Baker said. “Girls golf is becoming more and more popular every day. It’s a really good mix of kids.”

Each competitor received three attempts and an official from the Southern Ohio PGA Tour charted distances on the drive as well as how close the putts and chips ended up. Each distance is given a value and the final three values are added together for the total score, which determined the top three.

“Getting the drive on the grid is the key there,” Baker said. “As these kids advance, and the competition gets harder, getting the ball on the grid is the key. On the putting, if you can make one, it really helps to boost the score tremendously and that’s the same with the chipping.”

The competitors did the drive portion of the competition on hole No. 5, while the other two disciplines were contested on the practice green. The events are contested one right after another.

The boys advancing to TPC River’s Green are:

14-15 — Andrew Abel, 102; Chase Bacchus, 98; Nolan Zambori, 81.

12-13 — Evan Baker, 81; Drew Marling, 70; George Dormas, 61.

10-11 — Caden Collins, 90; Keenan Covich, 66; Mitchell Smith, 30.

7-9 — Henry Ralston, 78; Wyatt Vaughn, 43; Nathan Hammerquist, 42.

The girls advancing are:

14-15 — Alaina Schumacher, 96; Kennedy Little, 89; Olivia Baker, 85.

12-13 — Brynn Harstine, 83.

10-11 — Taylor Harstone, 71

The Drive, Chip and Putt began in 2013 with a partnership through the Masters, PGA of America and the USGA. The annual event is broadcast live on Golf Channel.