Mark WiedmerLike most parents, John Ford wanted to do all he could to help his 8-year-old son Conner advance to the Drive, Chip & Putt finals at Augusta National Golf Club on the weekend before the Masters begins.
But as he followed Conner around at The Honors Course in Ooltewah on Sunday morning, his son effortlessly launching 245-yard drives, laser putts and deft chip shots, he also wanted him not to depend too much on his father for help.
"I've learned," he said, "that if you let your kids be, let them figure it out on their own, they'll play better."
And so it was that Conner Ford of Mount Vernon, Kentucky, is no longer just the quarterback on his elementary football team or a proud member of his town's middle school golf team. Now he's headed to Augusta thanks to a 124 total that just nipped Grayson Baucom's 123.
"This is great, this is awesome," said Conner, who said his favorite golfers are "Sergio Garcia and Freddie Couples."
Everything about Drive, Chip & Putt, which is jointly sponsored by Augusta National, the PGA of America and the United States Golf Association, is great and awesome if you ask Honors head pro Henrik Simonsen.
"We host a lot of events, but this is our favorite," Simonsen said. "You get it all. It's kids. It's competition. It's emotions, both the highs and the lows. We've absolutely loved this event."
The Honors hosted a DC&P regional last year, too. The club will likely fall off the rotation for at least the next two or three years, though it will almost certainly return at some point.
Yet unlike last year, the majority of the 80 young folks who arrived at the private club were coming from states threatened by Hurricane Florence, with 17 competitors from North Carolina, 12 from South Carolina and 20 from Georgia.
"We were going to evacuate our family here (to Chattanooga)," said Paula Walmet, whose son Luke competed in the 14-15 boys' division. "We live in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, near Charleston, and it looked like we were going to take a big hit. But it went north of us. We are blessed."
Not everyone was so lucky, of course. The financial damage from this massive storm is predicted to be in the billions. Lives were lost. Property destroyed. As one parent said, "It might be weeks before some people get power back."
At least for one day at the Honors, though, many of those concerns and fears were put on the briefest of holds as parents and siblings did all they could to help their children reach golf's grandest stage next April. The DC&P finals are not only televised by the Golf Channel but supported by many of the professionals who will be competing for the green jacket a few days after eight talented youngsters are crowned champions at the same course.
"Just driving down Magnolia Lane," said repeat 10-11 boys' winner Patmon Malcom of the greater Atlanta area when asked his favorite memory from last spring.
Said repeat 14-15 girls' winner Sara Im, also of Atlanta: "I loved the whole thing. I took a picture with Bubba (Watson). We bought so much stuff. My father spent $800 by himself. Then my mother spent $800 more."
Indeed, the chance to mix with their professional golfing heroes is one of the greatest things about this for those who won Sunday.
When 12-13 girls' winner Victoria Kuranga of Atlanta was asked what she most wanted to bring back from the Masters, she instantly said, "Tiger Woods' signature."
However, she also talked about her love for drawing portraits in pencil. And taking up tennis. And just being a 13-year-old kid whose three drives (every competitor drives three balls, chips three balls and putts three balls to amass points) covered 220, 220 and 240 yards.
Not all parents were as calm as John Ford. His wife Angie couldn't watch. She took the couple's 3-year-old son Cooper and 5-year-old daughter Ella to the car while Conner played.
"I was getting texts," she said, "but I was afraid to watch. He's worked so hard for this."
They've all worked hard. Their parents have worked hard to give them this chance. Augusta National, the PGA and the USGA all have worked hard to make it a wonderful event for all who enter, regardless of how far they advance.
Even then, the rewards are not always what you might expect.
For instance, when 10-11 girls' winner Elle Marie Reisner was asked what she was looking forward to regarding Augusta National, she answered "a pet" because she made her parents promise that if she won the regional she could have a pet.
And what might that pet be?
"A hamster," she said with a grin. "Or something like a hamster."
Of course, some of them are dreaming the dreams you'd expect them to dream.
Having posted a stunning total of 179, 14-15 boys' winner Matthew Troutman of Louisville, Kentucky, told the Golf Channel his long-term goal is to "get to the PGA Tour and win some majors."
At some point a few of these gifted, driven young golfers may do just that.
But that's never been the ultimate goal of Drive, Chip & Putt. It's more about friendly competition. About golf etiquette. About priorities.
Or as 7-year-old Hayden Nall of North Lee Elementary in nearby Cleveland said when asked what he most enjoys about the competition: "I really like how you get to play and have fun."
Especially when the parents let the kids be.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.