Turner to Augusta, Maine, is 31-mile drive.
The more important distance, though, is 1,124 miles — the distance to the other Augusta, golf Mecca Augusta, Georgia..
Two Turner golfers, Jade Haylock and Mia Hornberger, hope to make the 18-hour trek next April to compete in the fourth annual Drive, Chip and Putt Championship, held the Sunday before the Masters at the famed Augusta National Golf Club.
The tournament was a joint creation between Masters Tournament officials, the United States Golf Association and the PGA of America in 2013 as a way to grow the game of golf.
Points are awarded for how far you drive the ball, with one point awarded for a drive shorter than 25 yards to 25 points for a 300-plus-yard drive. Chipping and putting have seven point brackets ranging from one point to 25 points for a hole-out. A participant takes three shots per skill.
“I think we were ready to watch the Masters three years ago and we saw the ad for the Drive, Chip and Putt competition,” said Harry Haylock, Jade’s father. “We googled it and signed up for the (qualifying) event at Val Halla. Ruby, our oldest girl was eight or nine, we signed her up and went to Val Halla.”
Ruby made it to the second stage that year, a subregional in Massachusetts, after winning the event at Val Halla. She finished in the middle of the pack in Massachusetts.
The Haylocks and the Hornbergers are good friends, playing golf regularly together at Turner Highlands Golf Course.
The girls have one more qualifying round to go before they can make plans for the first Sunday in April 2017. Both Jade and Mia have reached the regional final, which will be held at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, on Sunday, Sept. 25.
“I really enjoy traveling to the different places and seeing lots of other girls,” Jade Haylock said. “It’s been a lot of fun so far.”
Their journey started June 4 at Val Halla Golf and Recreation Center in Cumberland. Jade, 9, won the 7-9 year-old girls’ division with a score of 91, earning five points for driving, 26 for chipping, and a whooping 60 points for putting.
Lewiston’s Alexis McCormick finished third with 29 points.
Since the Haylock girls were little, their parents have stressed how important putting is. The short game is also a strength for Mia Hornberger.
“My short game is pretty good,” she said. “My chipping and putting are my strengths.”
She has been working on honing her skills with Bob Darling Jr., the PGA Professional at Fox Ridge Golf Club in Auburn.
Hornberger, 11, nailed the final qualifying spot into the subregional round with a third-place finish in the 12-13 year-old girls’ division with 118 points — 28 for driving, 55 for chipping and 35 for putting. Ruby Haylock finished in second with 124 points.
Nicole Hogan of Bathurst, New Brunswick, won the age group with a total of 113 points. She was one of many that traveled a good distance to Val Halla to compete.
“There were a girl from New Hampshire who tried to qualify in Maine,” Scott Hornberger said. “A real good golfer and there was a girl from New Brunswick … They are coming from everywhere.”
Jade Haylock continued to have a hot putter at the subregional at the Renaissance in Haverhill, Massachusetts, on July 31. She notched 55 of her 104 points with the putter to win and punched her ticket to The Country Club. She scored 45 points chipping and four more points came from driving the ball.
“This year (Jade) did very well at Val Halla and proceeded to Massachusetts and won her flight there in which none of the girls from Maine has ever done,” Harry Haylock said. “It’s quite impressive to see the younger daughter Jade make it that far. Now she’s one step away, hopefully competing from Augusta, one week before the Masters.”
Alexis McCormick just missed out on going to The Country Club with 75 points, four points from second. She is listed as an alternate for the regional.
Hornberger also claimed the subregional title for her age group, edging Hogan 114-109. Hornberger had a balanced approach with 18 points for driving, 50 from chipping and 45 from putting.
Ruby Haylock finished 10th with 70 points and failed to qualify for the regional in September. While she won’t be competition at The Country Club she will be supporting her sister and her friend.
“I am really proud of (Jade),” Ruby Haylock said. “We fight here and there, but we but we get along (with each other) overall.”
One of the traditions at the Drive, Chip and Putt at Augusta is when the professionals start to arrive on the grounds to prepare for the first major of the year and go over to the competition to support the kids on that Sunday morning.
Which golfer do Jade and Mia hope to meet if they do qualify?
Their answer was the same: Tiger Woods.
“Tiger Woods is fun to watch,” Jade Haylock said.
The parents are trying to keep things as normal as possible as they prepare for the regionals.
“We aren’t trying to make a big deal of it,” Scott Hornberger said. “She has other tournaments that’s she’s playing in. She just played in a big tournament Monday and Tuesday. She did pretty well and she’s playing in the MSGA junior tournament.”
Mia won the low net at the Janet Drouin Memorial at Natanis with a a score of 129. Ruby Haylock won flight three gross with a score of 187.
nfournier@sunjournal.com
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