BELLAIRE • MEMORIAL • RIVER OAKS • TANGLEWOOD • WEST UNIVERSITY

Chipping away at success

By Waits Angel Rodriguez, | November 27, 2023

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TO A TEE Waits Angel Rodriguez, a fourth grader at West University Elementary, won first place at the Regional Drive, Chip and Putt golf competition. He will advance to the National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club on April 7, 2024.

It was about an hour-long drive to the Champions Golf Club for the Drive, Chip and Putt Regional competition. It was a nice sunny day, and I was really excited because a trip to Augusta National was on the line.

The Drive, Chip and Putt is a golf competition where kids are scored on how well they can perform three golf skills: drives, chips, and putts. When I got to Champions, I started warming up and discovered that I would be chipping from the rough – that’s where the grass is a bit longer, which makes it a more difficult area to chip from. After practicing, I went back to the clubhouse and spent time with my friends and family until my tee time was up.

I got my balls, tees, and my driver ready. I scored 28 points on my three drives. Now it was time for chipping. My first chip was short. The same thing happened on the next chip. On the final chip, I knew I had to hit it harder. I took a deep breath – and I hit the ball perfectly. It started going towards the hole and I thought, “That looks really good, that will definitely end up close.” Then it started to take the edge. Everyone screamed when the ball went in the hole. I was so excited!

Finally, it was time for putting. On the six-footer, I stroked it in the hole. On the 15-footer and the 30-footer, I got it close and scored a decent amount of points.

At the award ceremony I received first place! I scored 128 points in total, beating everyone by 28 points. Then I was interviewed by the Golf Channel, and I told them a few things about me.

I was introduced to golf by my dad, who first took me golfing when I was just two years old. I started to admire the game, and he’s been my coach ever since. Before I knew it, I was playing in golf tournaments. I thank my dad, mom, Buelo (my grandpa), and family for what I have achieved.

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