Maya Palanza Gaudin had an amazing story before she set foot on Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday and won the Girls 12-13 Division of the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals.

As a newborn in her native Ethiopia, Maya was in grave danger when her biological mother died shortly after childbirth. No woman in her Southern Ethiopian village, near the Kenyan border, was lactating to be able to breastfeed Maya.

So, her father and uncles carried Maya on their backs and walked 55 miles to the safety of the nearest hospital. Once Maya was nourished and safe, her father produced the most unselfish act of love and put her up for adoption. That was her best chance at a good life.

The couple who took Maya into their lives were a golf-loving couple from New England who have been based in Abu Dhabi since Maya was 2. Maya’s surrogate father, Stephen Gaudin, was an overseas-based agent for the FBI who is now retired, and her mother, Cassandra, works in the American embassy in Abu Dhabi.

The pair are lifelong golfers, having met at a golf outing at Cape Cod, and introduced Maya to the game at age 5.

“The way I see it, Maya’s birth mom gave her life [and] Maya’s birth father saved her life, and our job since has been to love, nurture and provide every opportunity to Maya to embrace her life including this wonderful gift of golf,” Cassandra told Masters.com.

Maya Palanza Gaudin reacts to her putt on the 18th green in the Drive, Chip and Putt. David Cannon

Maya’s talents on the course were quickly evident, so Stephen and Cassandra invested time and money into their daughter’s passion. (Maya’s sister, Willa, is also adopted and loves the game of golf.) Maya has won the junior club championship at Yas Links in Abu Dhabi, where she plays, and which hosts the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship on the DP World Tour.

Through the connection with Yas Links, she has teed it up with Rory McIlroy in DP World Tour pro-ams, as well as Thomas Pieters and Robert MacIntyre. The elite pros know Maya so well by now that, when her parents were looking for her at Yas Links in January, McIlroy told Stephen and Cassandra, “I just saw her. She’s inside.’”

“He’s so nice to me,” Maya said of four-time major winner McIlroy. “He’s very kind. I get to see him almost every time when he comes to Abu Dhabi tournaments.”

??? Congratulations Maya https://t.co/Op03nMkL3f

— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) April 2, 2023

Before the 2023 Drive, Chip and Putt Finals, Maya had enjoyed junior golf success overseas. She won a major junior tournament in India several years ago before stepping up in Europe and claiming the U.S. Kids European Championship in Scotland last year. “I got to play at St. Andrews afterwards,” Maya said. “We drove up there. It’s a close second to this course [Augusta].”

But there was one gaping hole in her junior résumé. She wanted to compete in the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta National on Sunday before Masters week, a competition in its ninth year in 2023. Her absence from the National Finals was not for a lack of trying.

“Six times [I tried to qualify], but it would’ve been seven with the COVID year,” a proud Maya said after her victory.

Maya Palanza Gaudin is presented with the Girls 12-13 trophy by Jordan Spieth. David Cannon

Participants compete in three skills (Drive, Chip and Putt) and hit three shots per skill for a total of nine shots. With 26 points, Maya won the Girls 12-13 years category by four points. Narah Hope Kim, a local from Georgia, and Ruihan Kendria Wang, from Washington, were tied second.

Naturally, with her passion for golf and her backstory, Maya was emotional. She said it was a miracle she was even alive, let alone playing golf. “It probably wasn’t supposed to happen, but it did and it’s surreal. I don’t really have any words for it,” she said. “[It’s] very surreal. I can’t believe it. Just coming here was surreal and then winning is on a whole ‘nother level.”

The next step for Maya is obvious—compete more in U.S. junior golf tournaments. Each summer, Maya and her parents travel to the U.S. and she tees up in New England PGA junior tournaments. She has tried to qualify for the U.S. Girls’ Junior three times. Eventually, Maya dreams of competing in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She watched eagerly this weekend as American Rose Zhang, the superstar amateur from Stanford, won the event.

“It was very exciting. Congratulations to Rose,” Maya said. “The last two holes were nail-biting for me. I can’t imagine how it was for Rose. I would love to play in that tournament.”

With her credentials and perseverance, all signs point to Maya potentially securing a return to Augusta National.

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By Joel Beall
Augusta National Golf Club is postponing the 2020 Masters amid concerns for the coronavirus pandemic, according to a statement released by tournament chairman and club president Fred Ridley on Friday.

Sources told Golf Digest Thursday that Augusta National was reviewing contingencies include limiting patron access or banning patrons from the course entirely, as well as cancellations of practice rounds, the Par-3 Contest, the ANWA and the DCP. Multiple sources insisted that cancelling the tournament “is not expected at this time.”

However, as every major sports league suspended its operations—including the PGA Tour, which cancelled the Players Championship and its next three weeks of events—and awareness grew of the battle ahead against COVID-19, the club altered its approach to the 2020 tournament.

“Unfortunately, the ever-increasing risks associated with the widespread Coronavirus COVID-19 have led us to a decision that undoubtedly will be disappointing to many, although I am confident is appropriate under these unique circumstances,” said Ridley in a statement. “Considering the latest information and expert analysis, we have decided at this time to postpone the Masters Tournament, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals.

“Ultimately, the health and well-being of everyone associated with these events and the citizens of the Augusta community led us to this decision. We hope this postponement puts us in the best position to safely host the Masters Tournament and our amateur events at some later date.”

This is a breaking news story. This post will updated with more information as it becomes available.

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By Ryan Herrington
Like the proverbial tree that falls in the forest, if a drive breaks the PGA Tour’s record for the longest in the ShotLink era, but it comes at the WGC-Dell Match Play Championship, does it count?

Apparently, not. Which is a total bummer if you’re Dustin Johnson.

Playing against Kevin Kisner in his Friday match at Austin Country Club, 3-down and with no chance of advancing to the weekend and defending his 2017 title, we can only imagine what DJ was thinking when he stepped to the tee at the par-5 12th hole. It’s a hole that traditionally sees some mega-blasts, and well, DJ is known for mega-blasts.

But this mega-blast was, well, extra mega.

DJ went long. REAL LONG.

489 yards. ??

Statistics do not officially count in this event. But the longest drive on TOUR in the ShotLink era (2003) is 476 yards by @Love3d. pic.twitter.com/EHgMscMhdt

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 23, 2018

As you can read in this tweet from the tour, DJ’s 489-yard poke (aided a bit by the road that bisects the hole) is technically 13 yards deeper than Davis Love III’s official longest drive in the ShotLink era (since 2003). However, because this isn’t a stroke-play competition, the drive doesn’t officially count.

.@DJohnsonPGA hit a 489-yard drive at the par-5 12th. While stats do not officially count at @DellMatchPlay, by comparison, the official longest drive in the ShotLink era (since 2003) is 476 yards by @Love3d at the 2004 @Sentry_TOC.

— PGA TOUR Media (@PGATOURmedia) March 23, 2018

Unfortunately, too, the tour and Golf Channel didn’t catch the actual drive on camera. But we did hear Nick Faldo talk about it as DJ was hitting his second shot (from less than 140 yards) to the green.

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By Ryan Herrington
When Augusta National Golf Club opens again on Oct. 16, it will do so under new leadership. Billy Payne, chairman of the club and the Masters Tournament since May 2006, announced on Wednesday that he will retire from the role this fall.

Succeeding Payne will be Fred Ridley, a former USGA president who has served most recently as the chairman of the Competition Committees for the Masters.

During his tenure, Payne, 69, helped create the Asia-Pacific Amateur, Latin America Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship in an effort to extend the game’s reach to new, broader audiences. He also oversaw the expansion of the club’s physical footprint, but said now was “the right moment to step down.”

“The privilege I experienced serving as chairman of Augusta National and the Masters was far greater than I could have ever imagined,” Payne said in a release. “Just as nothing can prepare you for the unique responsibilities and important decisions that come with this position, it is equally impossible to anticipate the many joys and, most importantly, the wonderful friendships that are the ultimate reward of service.”

Ridley, 65, will be the seventh man to hold the position of club and tournament chairman. His predecessors include Augusta National co-founder Clifford Roberts (1933-’77), Bill Lane (1977-’80), Hord Hardin (1980-’91), Jack Stephens (1991-’98), Hootie Johnson (1998-2006) and Payne.

“I am now proud to call upon my good friend Fred Ridley to lead Augusta National and the Masters to a future that I am confident will hold new promise, while always being faithful to the principles of Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts,” Payne said. “Fred will be an excellent chairman who will serve with my complete and enthusiastic support.”

A Florida native who lives in Tampa, Ridley works as a business lawyer and partner at Foley & Lardner LLP, where he serves as national chair of the firm’s real estate practice. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and his law degree from Stetson University.

Ridley has deep ties to the game as both an accomplished player and an administrator. During his competitive career, Ridley won the 1975 U.S. Amateur, played on the 1976 U.S. World Amateur team and was on the 1977 U.S. Walker Cup squad. He is the last U.S. Amateur champion to have not turned professional. Ridley also captained the American Walker Cup team in 1987 and 1989, and the 2010 U.S. World Amateur Team.

Beginning in 1994, Ridley served as a member of the USGA Executive Committee and was elected the association’s president in 2004-’05. After finishing his tenure with the governing body, he became more involved at Augusta National, taking over as chairman of the Masters competition committee in 2011.

Ridley’s connection to the tournament goes back to 1976, when he made the first of his three appearances as a competitor. That year he met Roberts, beginning a lineage in which he has been acquainted with every chairman in club history. Ridley, however, will be the first chairman to have played in the Masters.

On Ridley’s short-term radar: the potential expansion of Augusta National’s 13th hole. A letter from the president of neighboring Augusta Country Club sent to its club members earlier this month revealed that ANGC had purchased land just behind Augusta National’s 12th green and 13th tee. Speculation is that Augusta National might build a new tee box that would lengthen the par-5 13th, which plays among the easiest holes during tournament week.

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Appearing at a pre-PGA Championship event for Omega at Quail Hollow, McIlroy ripped tee shots while wearing a space suit. And judging by the sound of this shot — and McIlroy’s caption — it seems the four-time major champ still had no problem launching a golf ball past the 300-yard mark. Check it out:

“Houston, we have a problem” #DriverStillGoesOver300 @omega

A post shared by Rory McIlroy (@rorymcilroy) on Aug 7, 2017 at 1:57pm PDT

The most impressive part of the clip is McIlroy saying he was switching to a baseball grip to deal with the restrictions of the space suit. Of course, if we wanted to nitpick, we’d point out that McIlroy wasn’t wearing a space helmet.

Either way, it was a cool stunt and a good way to associate Omega with the PGA Championship in some manner other than that awful “Hall of Fame” commercial that seems to run on a loop during the tournament. Whoops, is that song in your head now? Sorry. . .

RELATED: The PGA Championship is moving to May

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hat a fascinating year it has been so far for golf with the emergence of Jordan Spieth as the player most likely to challenge Rory McIlroy’s increasingly tight stranglehold on the World No.1 ranking. Rory has been in scintillating form of late, but what Jordan did at Augusta marked him out as a special talent.

First off, both Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth do everything incredibly well, but their strengths lie in different areas. For Rory, it’s the sheer virtuosity of his ball striking that separates him from his peers. Contrastingly, when I watched Jordan at Augusta, I saw a player in total command of his short game.

When Rory is dialled in with his long game, particularly the driver, he dismantles golf courses and leaves himself so many wedge approach shots that it takes all the pressure off his putting. He can putt ok, and still win. What Jordan does is equally impressive when he’s on. At the Masters, the way he controlled the flight of his pitch and chip shots was incredible for a player aged just 21.

Over the next four pages I look at what both players do with their left hand – Rory on the takeaway, and Jordan at impact – and explain how these techniques can turn you into a better ball striker and more versatile chipper.

RIP IT LIKE RORY

Rory McIlroy is blessed with tremendous speed and balance in his golf swing, attributes he has worked tirelessly to refine with his strength and conditioning coach, Steve McGregor. But for Rory to be able to transfer all that power and energy so effi ciently, I believe that throughout his career, he’s been able to control the top of his backswing position. Rory and his coach Michael Bannon work very hard on completing the backswing when his shoulders stop rotating – if you can do that it’s easier for you to transfer the energy back into your downswing.

It’s a great idea for you to follow these two key checkpoints to ensure you also complete your backswing in this optimum position. It all starts with the takeaway, which is such an important move to get right. What Rory does is maintain the integrity of his le wrist as he takes the club back. The club stays outside his hands and from there he can set it on plane and then complete his shoulder turn to the top of the backswing.

Groove the perfect takeaway

This little exercise is brilliant for working on your takeaway, and it also provides a refresher for your left-hand grip position (for righthanders). Hold the club just with your left hand, but let your thumb and bottom three fingers come off the grip as pictured. So with just your index finger wrapped around the grip, practice moving the club away while maintaining the angle of your left wrist. You’ll notice how the clubhead stays out in front of your hands.

Set then turn

Once you’ve completed the initial takeaway with your thumb and bottom three fingers off the grip, go ahead and take your normal left hand grip. You’ll notice that if you then set the club as I have done here, there should be a cupping of your left wrist and the club shaft will be perfectly on plane. From here, Rory employs his tremendous flexibility and stability to simply turn to the top. If you can use the drill here to start setting the club correctly, and then complete your backswing with a turn, your swing will start to get a lot more efficient and that will translate into longer, straighter shots.

Chip it like Jordan

We’ve talked about how the left wrist is a key component of Rory McIlroy’s peerless ball striking, and interestingly, Jordan Spieth has talked about how it plays an important role in his short game feels as well. When Jordan practices pitch and chip shots, if he wants to hit a lower flighted shot he bows his left wrist outwards through the impact area as I am doing in this image. This de-lofts the club and creates a lower trajectory with chip shots that have a bit more zip on them.

Conversely, you can add loft by cupping the left wrist through impact. This is a slightly more advanced technique, but working on it can add an extra dimension to your short game. At Augusta, we saw Jordan hit a lot of floaty chip shots that landed softly and held tight flag positions.

Bow to go low

Hitting chips one-handed is a great way to feel how you can control the flight and the spin of the ball through your left wrist. Bowing it at impact (where you feel like the knuckles are pointing down more towards the ground) takes loft off the club and helps you hit those low, running shots that check.

Cup to flight up

Keep hitting chip shots with just your lead hand on the club (left for right-handers), but this time try cupping your wrist through impact instead of bowing it. This is more difficult to execute, but it’s a very effective way of hitting soft chip shots that stick much closer to their landing area.

Photos by Farooq Salik

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