Chillicothe boy finishes fourth in Drive, Chip and Putt Nationals
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A 9-year-old from Chillicothe tied for fourth place in the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.
Maxwell Lattavo, playing in the boys 7-9-year-old division, finished with 17 points, just five points behind top finisher Knox Mason, from Portland, Tennessee. Lattavo faced 10 other golfers in his division.
Lattavo shined in the chipping portion of the competition, scoring 8 out of a possible 10 points with a combined chip of 23 feet, 10 inches. Players took two chip shots and the closest cumulative distance to the hole determined the winner.
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 02: Maxwell Lattavo of the Boys 7-9 group competes during the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship at Augusta National Golf Club at Augusta National Golf Club on April 02, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images) 
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 02: Maxwell Lattavo of the Boys 7-9 group competes during the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship at Augusta National Golf Club at Augusta National Golf Club on April 02, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) 
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 02: Maxwell Lattavo of the Boys 7-9 group competes during the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship at Augusta National Golf Club at Augusta National Golf Club on April 02, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) 
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 02: Maxwell Lattavo of the Boys 7-9 group competes during the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship at Augusta National Golf Club at Augusta National Golf Club on April 02, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) 
Maxwell Lattavo, 9, of Chillicothe, Ohio, walks the green before putting at the Drive Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club, Sunday, April 2, 2023, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Eighty regional winners (40 boys and 40 girls) across four age divisions all earned a trip to Augusta to participate in the competition. Qualifying for the tournament began in the summer of 2022 with local qualifiers.
The competition is sponsored by the Masters Tournament, the USGA, and the PGA of America and happens annually the weekend before the Masters.
This year marked the ninth Drive, Chip, and Putt National Finals.
"Drive, Chip and Putt is an annual showcase of the next generation for the game of golf,” PGA of America President John Lindert said in a press release.