Augusta National chief Fred Ridley hinted that this year’s Drive, Chip and Putt tournament could have a shot clock, and it has now been confirmed ahead of the Augusta showpiece finale on the eve of The Masters.
The skills challenge for junior golfers aged 7-15 features regional qualifiers across the US before the finals at Augusta National, and this year’s addition of a shot clock will have a big impact on the scoring system.
Watching the Drive, Chip, and Putt this morning and I am shocked at how many of the juniors use AimPoint to read their putts.April 6, 2025
“I, too, noticed exactly what you noticed,” Ridley said last year when asked about the viral clip.
“It’s interesting, but every phase of the competition has the same length chip and the same length putt, so it’s really not necessary to pace that off. They know how many yards that is.
“But nevertheless that’s what they were doing. I think it’s safe to assume that next year at the Drive, Chip and Putt you will see some sort of time limitations placed on the competition.”
The Drive, Chip, and Putt event sees competitors hit two of each shot type – so six in total – and points are awarded for where they finish on the leaderboard in each section. The highest finisher earns ten points, the second-highest earns nine and so on.
This time around, competitors will be timed from the moment their name is called until they make contact with the ball. For their second effort, the shot clock will begin when the first shot’s result has been shared on the leaderboard until they make contact again.
They will earn an extra half point for every shot they complete in 40 seconds or less, meaning they can score an additional three points if they hit all six shots within the timeframe.
The leaderboard next to each skill will populate with a checkmark if the shot is hit on time or an ‘X’ if it wasn’t.
“This initiative aims to reinforce pace of play as an essential skill in golf,” Augusta National…
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