Beloit's Taytum Oswald finishes third in Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals

Taytum Oswald, a sixth grader at Parkview Jr./Sr. High School in Orfordville, placed third in her age group during the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia on Sunday.

With 10 competitors in the 10-11 age bracket, each competitor was judged and ranked in the three events. Lily Wachter of Saint Augustine, Florida won the age bracket after finishing first in the drive (10 points) and chip (10 points) competitions. She finished with an overall score of 24.

Oswald finished second in the chip competition and secured nine points. She placed third in the drive competition for eight points and she scored one point in the putt competition.

“It was really, really good,” Oswald said about the national competition. “I enjoyed it a lot. My favorite part was chipping. It was a pretty hard chip, but chipping has always been my favorite part. So it was really fun.”

Oswald finished the competition with an overall score of 18, good enough for third place.

She was joined by her brother/caddy Trey Oswald, a former state champion at Parkview who now golf at Eastern Illinois University.