Calvert middle schooler gets his chance to golf to Masters

Golfers of all levels from across the country aspire to compete in the Masters Tournament each April in Augusta, Ga., and for one Calvert County middle school student the dream will become a reality, at least to a certain extent.

Chesapeake Beach resident Luke Gladfelter earned the unique opportunity to compete in a drive, chip and putt competition for male and female golfers ages 7 to 15 and divided by gender. The three-pronged event at the Masters tests the talents and levels of consistency of youngsters in the key aspects of the game.

The 10th annual Drive, Chip and Putt National Tournament, conducted in conjunction with the USGA, the Masters Tournament and the PGA of America, includes a grand sum of 80 golfers from 31 different U.S. states, Canada and Australia. It will take place on Sunday, April 7, several days prior to the start of the 88th Masters Tournament at Augusta National in Georgia which runs from April 11-14.

"I've always dreamed of being able to play at Augusta," Gladfelter said. "Now I get the chance to live out my dream. When I started playing golf, I learned a lot from my dad [Mark Gladfelter] and then I started playing in the Calvert County league. I played other sports, too. But I stuck with golf."

Prior to competing in the opening leg of the drive, chip and putt event, Gladfelter honed his skills in the Junior Tour events in Southern Maryland that thrived in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Established high school golfers Shelby Herbert [La Plata High] and Aspen Bikowski [North Point High] also competed in those events, which were initially not divided by gender.

Gladfelter's climb to the national finals at Augusta began on June14 when he captured the first local leg of the event at the University of Maryland as an alternate after three others defected. Two months later at River Bend in Great Falls, Va., Gladfelter finished second with 142 points in an event in which the top two finishers in each age group advanced to the next round.

Then on Sep. 16, 2023, in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament at Aronimink Golf Club just outside of Philadelphia, Gladfelter scored 156 points and took first place in one of 10 regional events nationwide in which only the winner in each group would advance to the national finals.

"Luke had a really good day driving and chipping that day and he also got points for his putting," said Mark Gladfelter, an assistant principal at Northern High School where his two oldest sons, Jack Gladfelter and Sean Gladfelter, are current students. "I was following along the scores and Luke was way out in front after most of the kids had played. So, when I was waiting on the last couple of scores to come in I knew he was in good shape."

While fans can view the Masters Tournament live each day on television, with the last two rounds broadcast by CBS, the National Drive, Chip & Putt Tournament will be telecast live on the Golf Channel on Sunday, April 7. Gladfelter's group will begin at 8:45 a.m. on Sunday morning, with the winners expected to be announced around noon that day.