Timmy Hachey shows off his medals from the Drive, Chip and Putt competition in Portland, Ore. (Photo supplied)
Young Timmy Hachey from Osoyoos is only a few chips, putts and drives from being able to travel to and be part of one of the world’s most prestigious golf events.
Hachey, 8, who is the son of Osoyoos Desert Golf Academy founder Wayne Hachey, continued to show he has the magic touch as he captured top spot at the Pacific Northwest regional finals in the popular Drive, Chip and Putt competition in Portland, Oregon last week.
This came less than a month after Hachey captured first place – in the age 8-9 division – at a regional competition near Spokane, Wash.
Because of his victory in Portland, Timmy and his dad will be travelling to the famous Olympic Club in San Francisco, California the second weekend in September. The competition takes place on Saturday, Sept. 10.
The age group winners in San Francisco will be invited to compete in the national Drive, Chip and Putt competition that will take place during the 2017 The Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, which is one of the most popular and prestigious sporting events in the world.
Hachey beat out 17 other competitors in his age division to win the regional competition in Portland.
The competition involves three chips from the side of the green roughly 15 feet from the hole, three puts (one from six feet, the second from 15 feet and the third from 30 feet) and three drives, where the longest drive counts, said Wayne Hachey.
“He chipped his first two shots to within a foot of the hole and the third chip was maybe a foot and a half away,” he said. “That gave him a big lead.
“He just missed his first putt, he drained the second one from 15 feet and his third putt was also pretty close.”
His best drive measured 134 yards, which is impressive for someone eight years of age, he said.
When all the scores were totalled, Timmy was far ahead of everyone else, he said.
“His final points total would have placed him first in the age 10 and 11 bracket,” he said. “He just doesn’t get nervous, which is amazing for a kid his age.’
There are no shortcuts to success in a competition like this where you get very few golf shots to prove your skills, he said.
“It’s all about practicing and being able to perform under pressure and the kid never gets tired of practicing and has an uncanny ability to not get nervous,” he said.
The Olympic Club in San Francisco is the oldest sporting club in North America as it also includes sailing, tennis and yachting facilities and one of the finest golf courses in the world, said Hachey.
If his son were to come out on top, being able to travel to Augusta and The Masters to compete in the national finals would be thrilling for both of them, he said.
“What can I say? … The Masters is arguably the greatest golf tournament in the world,” he said. “It would be such a thrill to be there for both of us.”
Hachey said he couldn’t be prouder of his son.
“I’m so very proud … how could you not be?” he asked rhetorically. “To see a kid this age come through and do so well against other kids his own age in a big competition like this is just so exciting.”
When he competed in Spokane, Timmy beat out close to 50 competitors in his age division.
Even though his son is only eight years of age, he’s “already addicted to golf” and puts in endless hours of practice, said his proud father.
“He works harder than any kid I’ve seen,” he said. “He just loves practicing and he never gets tired of it. He is a golf junkie just like I was at this age.”
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
