Indian Hills hosts qualifier for National Drive, Chip, Putt championship

Published 9:24 am Friday, July 10, 2026

Golfers compete in the National Drive, Chip, Putt Qualifier at Indian Hills Country Club on Wednesday. (Submitted photo)

Qualifiers for the Drive, Chip and Putt championship was held Wednesday at Indian Hills Country Club with more than 90 golfers from six states competing for a chance to advance to the National Finals held annually in Augusta.

The event is open to boys and girls ages 7-15 with separate divisions in four age categories: 7-9 years old; 10-11 years old; 12-13 years old; and 14-15 years old.

Each participant will get three drives, three chips and three putts for a total of nine shots. Participants accumulate points on all shots with a champion determined in each skill and an overall champion to the participant who accumulates the most points in all three combined.

Wednesday’s event was a local qualifier with participants who advance moving on to the sub-regional qualifier next month at Oxmoor Country Club in Louisville. The regional qualifier is scheduled for Sept. 20 at the Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana.

The qualifiers from Wednesday’s event were as follows:

In the boys’ 7-9 division, Woods Sharrow from Nicholasville was the overall champion, scoring 97 points – including 31 to win the chipping portion of the competition. Bowling Green’s Tillman Schardein also advanced as a qualifier with 79 total points. Bowling Green’s Joseph Ebelhar was the final qualifier in the age division with 75 points, including 32 to win the drive portion of the competition.

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Yunhan Li from Duluth, Georgia won the putt portion with 55 points and was one of two alternates, along with Bowling Green’s Grayson Elmore.

In the boys’ 10-11 division, Hopkinsville’s Oliver Moore (94 points), Alvaton’s Ross Ridley (85 points) and Stanford’s Grady Bray (82) points were the three qualifiers with Jude Reiser from Evansville, Indiana and Rockfield’s Knox Potter alternates.

Moore (26 points) won the chipping portion of the event, while Ridley (65 points) won the putting portion of the event in the age division. Bowling Green’s Daniel Ebelhar was the drive winner in the division with 30 points.

In boys’ 12-13 division, Easton Bohannon from Murfreesboro, Tennessee (123 points), Knox Mason from Portland, Tennessee (89 points) and Austin’s Hudson King (80 points) were automatic qualifiers with River Towe from Bradenton, Florida and Ryder Sells from Livingston, Tennessee alternates.

Bohannon (70 points) won the putting portion in the age division. Mason (51 points) won the driving portion, while Sells (40 points) won the chipping version.

In the boys’ 14-15 division, Hodgenville’s Luke Bernard (132 points), Owensboro’s Paxton Divine (94 points) and Bowling Green’s Kipton Holt (94 points) were automatic qualifiers with Glasgow’s Tucker Garrett and Stanford’s Grayson Bray alternates.

Bernard was the individual winner in both driving (60 points) and chipping (41 points), with Divine the top scorer in putting with 50 points.

In girls’ 7-9 division, Zhihan Li from Duluth, Georgia (82 points), Edmonton’s Lexi Thompson (61 points) and Hopkinsville’s Charlotte Leffard (55 points) were automatic qualifiers with Hopkinsville’s Hattie Barbee and Bowling Green’s Audrey Johnson alternates.

Li won the individual winner in driving (28 points) and chipping (three points) while finishing tied for the lead in putting (46 points) with Leffard and Barbee.

In the girls’ 10-11 division, Bowling Green’s Caroline Mcelroy (76 points), Edmonton’s Mia Thompson (64 points) and Clarkson’s Adley Cox (63 points) were automatic qualifiers with Glasgow’s Cora Dickerson and Cave City’s Acey Houchens alternates.

McElroy was the individual winner in putting with 65 points. Cox (19 points) was the individual winner in driving with Diana Kangas from Clarksville, Tennessee the individual winner in chipping with 17 points.

In the girls’ 12-13 division, Bowling Green’s Ally Jean Stephens (109 points), Bowling Green’s Kourtlyn Suchard (101 points) and Owensboro’s Ayla Roberts (101 points) were automatic qualifiers with Reynolds Station’s Katerina Dorton and Lexington’s Nora Chamberland alternates.

Suchard (37 points) was the individual winner in driving. Roberts (35 points) was the individual winner in chipping, with Dorton (60 points) the individual winner in putting.

In the girls’ 14-15 division, Lexington’s Elle Chamberland (146 points), Audrey Lawson from Mount Juliet, Tennessee (94 points) and Clarkson’s Eli Cox (85 points) were automatic qualifiers with Layna Patel from Newburgh, Indiana and Clarkson’s Brinley Cox alternates.

Chamberland was the individual winner in driving (41 points) and chipping (40 points), while Lawson was the individual winner in putting with 70 points.