Drive, Chip and Putt registration now open

The 2018 Drive, Chip and Putt Championship is open for online registration, with local and regional qualifying taking place later this year.

Qualifiers from the local competition advance to the subregional, then the regional. The top 80 players — 40 boys and 40 girls ages 7-15 — advance from the regionals to the national competition at Augusta National on the eve of The Masters.

The first step is the local qualifying stage, where the top three juniors advance in each age/gender division. Subregional qualifying takes the top two players for each division to the regional competition, where just one player in each age/gender division advance to Augusta for the national finals on April 1, 2018.

There are three local qualifying sites in the area: Sarasota’s Meadows Country Club and Bobby Jones Golf Club, and Venice’s Waterford Golf Club.

The Meadows qualifier is May 13, with Bobby Jones’ qualifier slated for June 3 and Waterford’s set for July 29. The subregional is Aug. 19 at Sarasota’s TPC Prestancia, with the Florida regional happening at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach on Sept. 16.

Public input needed for golf architect

Bobby Jones Golf Club is holding walkthroughs for two courses this week that is open to the public for participation and input to architect Richard Mandell, who was hired by the Sarasota City Commission to create a master plan for renovating the complex that is 90 years old. There are two days remaining for the public walkthroughs. They are Thursday and Friday. The schedule is 6:45 a.m. on Thursday for the American Course and 2:30 p.m. for the British Course. It’s the same times on Friday, but with both courses flipping.

Anyone wishing to attend are encouraged to pre-register with Bobby Jones Golf Shop in person at 1000 Circus Blvd. or by calling 954-4163.

Michelson just misses WFGT title

Bradenton’s Landon Michelson came up just short in Monday’s West Florida Golf Tour one-day event at Sara Bay Country Club. Michelson fired a 70 to tie Maryland native Joseph Gunerman atop the leaderboard. Gunerman, though, won in a sudden-death playoff to earn more than $1,000 for first place, which was nearly double what Michelson earned for second place. The next WFGT tournament is Friday’s unique event, the 2017 Under the Lights Par 3 Championship at the Suncoast Golf Center near the Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport. The first tee time is slated for 6 p.m.

Three shine at FJT event

Out-of-Door Academy’s Max Coutsolioutsos posted an 85-75--160 in the Florida State Golf Association’s Florida Junior Tour 16- to 18-year-old event at Ruskin’s Cypress Creek Golf Club. That garnered Coutsolioutsos a tie for 13th place. New York’s Prescott Butler won the tournament in a playoff after posting a pair of 76s. Longboat Key’s Jack O’Hara also logged a top-20 finish with a 161 total for the 36-hole tournament. Lakewood Ranch’s Sophia Warren had the best finish on the girls side, registering a tie for 13th place following an 89-81--170. Seminole’s Alyssa Lamoureux won the tournament by four shots with a 74-79--153.

HOLES-IN-ONE

On Jan. 18 at The River Club, Sophia Warren aced the 105-yard second hole with a pitching wedge. Witnesses were Oliver Warren and Noah Cone.

On Jan. 18 at Peridia Golf and Country Club, Peggy Schultz aced the 123-yard seventh hole with a driver. Witnessed by John Schultz.

On Jan. 19 at Peridia Golf and Country Club, Donald Robinson aced the 160-yard ninth hole with a 5-wood. Witnessed by Dave Trumbo and Vaughn Williams.

On Jan. 25, at Terra Ceia Bay, Mike Calleja aced the 114-yard 17th hole with an 8-iron. Witnessed by Bruce Hayes, Larry Duran and Joe Stark.

This story was originally published January 25, 2017 at 11:47 PM with the headline "Drive, Chip and Putt registration now open."