Last month on Sunday, just ahead of the Masters, the National Finals of the Drive, Chip & Putt (DCP) were held at Augusta National Golf Club. Four Ohio junior golfers made it through local, sub-regional and regional qualifiers to compete at the home of the Masters.
Preston Tolnar
Preston Tolnar’s father, Brian is the Director of Golf at Mill Creek Golf Course in Boardman and introduced Preston to golf when he was just six years old.
He plays a full schedule of junior tournaments in Northeast Ohio and has a goal to be on the PGA Tour someday.
His favorite part of the game is chipping and spends over two hours daily practicing at the Mill Creek facility.
Preston said of this opportunity to compete at Augusta National,
“I practice a lot and you have to work hard to get to Augusta. I practice for two and half hours a day.”
Preston’s father Brian said of the experience,
“Only 10 kids have the opportunity to go there and no matter how it plays out, just having the opportunity to walk off the 18th green, where the champions walk off , I think is very, very, special. It’s like going to Disneyland. Just to have Preston compete at the highest level, to play the world’s best juniors and to say you stepped foot on Augusta at age 9 is unbelievable.”
Preston totaled 17 points at the DCP Finals, good for fifth place and garnered a lifetime of memories for his time at Augusta National.
Nikitha Suresh
Nikitha Suresh from Plain City made it to the DCP sub-Regional in 2019, but was able to win a playoff at the Scioto Country Club Regionals last September to qualify for the 2024 DCP Finals.
She loves watching Victor Hovland on television and enjoyed watching Jon Rahm win the 2020 Memorial at Muirfield Village.
Her golf career began by hitting a few golf balls on the range, when she was eight years old and is now a member at Kinsale Golf Club in Dublin.
She scored a total of 15 points in the DCP Finals to finish seventh.
Calista Hahn
Competing in the Girls 10-11 division, Calista Hahn from Lewis Center garnered a total of 15 points and was T-6 at the Drive, Chip & Putt (DCP) National Finals.
She attends Alum Creek Elementary school and North Star Golf Club is her home course.
Calista began playing golf at the age of five and putting is the favorite part of her game. She qualified via the Golf Club of Dublin’s Local Qualifier, made it through the sub- Regional at Kinsale Golf Club and the Oakland Hills Golf Club Regional.
It wasn’t easy though. Calista who was trying to make her second appearance at the DCP National Finals was tied with Kylie Miller, who had been a participant in the 2023 DCP National Finals. The playoff wasn’t decided until Hahn managed to get her putt closer to the hole to edge out Miller.
Calista said of returning to Augusta,
“I’m really happy about going back,” she said of the 2024 National Finals. I liked the putting and how fast the green was there. Saw Tiger Woods, which was pretty awesome.”
Rose Zhang and Tiger Woods are her favorite players and she loved watching Jennifer Kupcho win the 2021 Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
