Wayne Hachey’s love for the game of golf is obviously shared by his son Timmy, 8, who had a summer to remember as he advanced to the regional finals in the U.S. Drive, Chip and Putt competition. Timmy says he will continue practising hard and will take another run at this competition two or three years down the road. (Keith Lacey photo)
Considering how young he is and how hard he works on his golf game, Timmy Hachey is sure to be enjoying plenty of success on the golf course for many years to come.
But the talented eight year old from Osoyoos will always be able to look back at the summer of 2016 and smile.
Timmy is the son of Wayne Hachey, the founder of the Osoyoos Desert Golf Academy and a former assistant professional at the Osoyoos Golf Club who is also the founder of the successful Evolve Professional Golf Tour in Europe.
Wayne decided to enter his son in the popular Drive, Chip and Putt competition, which attracts tens of thousands of young golfers across the United States each year.
As the name implies, young golfers test their skills driving, chipping and putting.
Timmy did remarkably well in his first competition near Spokane in July, capturing first place in the age 8-9 division.
That win qualified him for the regional championships in Portland, Oregon in early August and once again he won his age division.
That victory qualified Timmy to compete in the regional championships at the famous Olympic Club in San Francisco, California on Sept 10.
The age group winners in San Francisco would 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.
In San Francisco, Timmy was up against 10 other regional champions. Only the first-place winner would qualify for the national championships and the trip to The Masters.
Timmy got off to a great start as all three of his drives landed in bounds at an average of 120 yards.
Unfortunately, the greens at the par three course at the Olympic Club were super fast and Timmy’s three chips all rolled past the hole.
“I thought I hit them perfectly, but the ball just kept rolling and rolling,” said the charming youngster. “The greens were really grainy and I thought the ball would stop, but it didn’t and all three of my chips ended up rolling way farther than I thought they would.”
As in previous competitions, the putting component featured putts from six feet, 15 feet and 30 feet.
He missed his first putt by three inches, but the two longer putts once again rolled out much further than he expected.
At the end of the day, he ended up in a tie for eighth place.
In total, Wayne figures he and his son travelled more than 5,000 kilometres to compete in Spokane, Portland and San Francisco.
“It was a really great way to spend some quality time with him,” said Wayne. “He loves the game so much and practices so hard, but we got to see a lot of sights along the way as well.”
Being able to bring his son to the Olympic Club was an incredible experience, he said.
“This is one of the very best golf courses in the United States and anywhere in the world for that matter,” he said. “It has hosted the U.S. Open and PGA championship, World Match Play Championships and will be hosting the PGA Championship in 2020 and the President’s Cup in 2025.
“It’s the largest multi-sports club of its kind in the entire United States and it was an amazing experience to finally be able to visit and to have Timmy be able to experience it was something I’m sure he’ll never forget.”
It took 18 hours and two days of driving to get to San Francisco for a competition that lasts less than an hour, but it was all worth it, said Wayne.
“He’s a young kid, but he knows what The Masters is all about and just having the chance to go there and compete in the national finals was just very exciting.
“He came up just short, but he won two major regional events and I’m very proud of him.”
When asked if he ever gets nervous when competing, Timmy shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head.
“There’s nothing to get nervous about,” he said. “I love golf and I love to practice so this was a lot of fun.”
Timmy had one further thrill in San Francisco as former U.S. Open champion Scott Simpson walked into the clubhouse when he was getting ready to compete.
Wayne recognized Simpson and asked him if he would pose for a picture with Timmy and Simpson obliged.
Timmy said he will continue to practice all aspects of his golf game and will likely take another shot at the Drive, Chip and Putt competition when he turns 11 or 12.
“He’s going to take a couple of years to get bigger and stronger and will try it again in a couple of years,” said his proud father.“He works harder than any kid I’ve seen. 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
