This 14-year-old homeschooled golfer is going to compete at Augusta National
Jake Sheffield is only 14, but he will soon enjoy a rare opportunity that most good golfers do not receive their entire careers – participating in an official event at the famed Augusta National Golf Club.
The homeschooled online student, who plays competitively as a top golfer for the Maryville High team, received the invite to play at the home of the Masters after qualifying for the national finals of the Drive, Chip and Putt competition.
After making it through three levels of qualifying last year, he will compete in the Golf Channel-televised event on the morning of April 2 in the 14-15 age category at the Georgia course. It is part of several formal activities at the noted club leading up to the Masters the following week.
Knowing he will be playing against some other good junior golfers − and where the adult greats of today play − has filled him with double anticipation.
“I’m mainly excited,” the son of Kevin Sheffield and Christie Sheffield said during a recent interview at the Willow Creek Golf Club in Farragut. “I’m sure there will be some nerves.”
An apparent ability to handle his nerves helped him reach this far, as he had to make some long putts like some of the former Masters champions just to qualify.
In a partial skills competition set up like the NFL’s former Punt, Pass and Kick contest and Major League Baseball’s Pitch, Hit and Run event, competitors get opportunities to hit three drives, three chips and three putts. They receive points based on how far and straight the drives are, and how close the chips and putts get to the cup.
After going through two levels of qualifying at The Patch at The Preserve in Oak Ridge and then at Cleveland, Tennessee, Country Club, he gathered at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte knowing that only one male golfer in his age group would qualify for Augusta.
In fifth place going into the putting competition – the final event – he was able to make a PGA pro-like charge from behind and barely win by making all three of his putts from 6, 15 and 30 feet.
“It felt like a PGA thing going on,” remembered father Kevin of the putting competition at the course that has previously hosted pro tournaments, including the 2017 PGA Championship. “I was not sure if he would win.”
Kevin said he tried to figure out the math but was not sure of Jake’s finish until they went inside the clubhouse afterward, and someone told them Jake had won, and then they saw the final scores on a screen.
Jake has already played a lot of golf as a youngster in various tournaments and is building his resume away from his competition in the Drive, Chip and Putt competition that is designed to draw youngsters into the game. He has played rounds and in junior tournaments everywhere from The Golf Club of Tennessee in Nashville to famed Pinehurst in North Carolina.
He said he enjoys the game for a variety of reasons. “It’s just so different than any other sport,” he said. “It’s so mentally challenging. There is something about it you really like. It’s like an obsession. And it is different every day.”
His father − who is a financial adviser and grew up playing golf in Elizabethton before some back surgeries slowed his playing − said the sport fits Jake’s personality perfectly. “He likes having control of things,” he said. “He’s very methodical, and everything’s a challenge to him. It’s a destiny to him. It’s been a fun thing to watch and see him grow.”
Like with most events at Augusta National, tickets will be required for the Drive, Chip and Putt competition, but several have been made available for spectators by club officials. The Sheffields will also have some family members there.
As part of the festivities, a special dinner with club officials and others will be held, and participants and their families can tour the clubhouse and grounds, including the Butler Cabin, where the Masters winner is interviewed on TV. They are also given some complimentary tickets to the Masters practice round on Monday.
In the Sunday morning competition, which will feature 80 total competitors and 10 in Jake’s 14-15 boys’ division, the driving part will be held on the club’s driving range, the chipping in the practice area, and the putting will take place on the course’s famed 18th green.
While anything can happen with nine shots, especially in a sport as inconsistent as golf sometimes is by nature, Jake said he is simply excited to take part in a competition at such a famous course.
“It’s probably the most historic golf course in the world,” he said. “To be able to hit shots there is a prestigious honor.”
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: 14-year-old Knoxville golfer Jake Sheffield Augusta National
