Tens of thousands of young golfers from around the country compete in the National Drive, Chip, and Putt but only 80 make it to the finals in Augusta, Georgia, on the Sunday before the Masters Tournament. Two of those 80 are from Marshall County. Jay Nimmo, age 15, and Trinity Beth, age 10, will be making the trip the first Sunday in April.
Jay Nimmo, from Benton, will compete in the boys 14-15 age division. Jay will be making a return trip to the finals as he was a finalist in 2016 where he finished 4th. Jay reached the finals by winning the drive and chipping portions of the regional competition.
Jay is a freshman at Marshall County High School and is on the high school golf team. Jay just recently finished second in the 1st Region High School Golf Championship and helped his team earn a spot in the state tournament with their second-place team finish in Regionals. Jay has also won two high school invitational events this season. This summer Jay placed 2nd in an AJGA event in Owensboro.
Trinity Beth, from Calvert City, will compete in the girls 10-11 age division. Trinity barely missed out on making it to the finals last year by only seven points. This year Trinity secured her spot by placing second in each Drive, Chip and Putt competition.
Trinity is a 4th grader at Central Elementary in Graves County. She is the daughter of Coaches Aaron Beth and Leah Beth. Trinity is a member of the PGA Jr League State Champion, The West Ky Bombers, which competed September 30 – October 1 for a chance at Nationals in Arizona in November. This summer she won the Future Tour Championship in Greenville, MS and placed in the top 20 at the IMG Junior World Championships in San Diego.
Drive, Chip, and Putt started in 2013 by the Masters Tournament, United States Golf Association, and The PGA of America. Participants, like Jay and Trinity, advanced through local, sub-regional, and then regional qualifying before earning a place in the National Finals, which is held at Augusta National Golf Club the Sunday before the Masters and is shown live on Golf Channel.
