PORTLAND, Oregon - Connor Holden a year after winning the Drive Chip and Putt 14-15 year old category event at Augusta National Golf Club home of the Masters is continuing his golf journey.

Holden became the first golfer from Oregon to win the event and is now a freshman at Canby High School. It was the first time he made it to the national Drive Chip and Putt event after playing in several of the local qualifiers over the years.

“Winning the Drive Chip and Putt meant the world to me. It was always something I had dreamt of. Being on that big of a stage and pulling through and winning felt awesome.” Connor Holden said.

After they competition, Connor and his family were treated to tickets to a practice round of the Masters. The Drive Chip and Putt competition takes place the Sunday before the Masters tournament.

“Getting to the DCP finals was a dream come true. The first thing I should note about the experience was the hospitality provided by Augusta National.” Brad Holden, Connor’s dad said. “At the dinner we enjoyed listening to the incredible guest speakers which included Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley among others. We also had the pleasure to hang out a bit with Oregon’s own Peter Jacobson. We left with great memories that will last a lifetime.”

Becoming the first golfer to win the Drive Chip and Putt from Oregon was quite the accomplishment since it was founded in 2013 by the USGA, the PGA of America, and the Masters Tournament.

“Connor reaching the finals was an incredible achievement due to the difficulty of advancing through the qualifying stages to eventually reach Augusta. Connor’s group was the first to compete, hence our drive down magnolia lane occurred at the crack of dawn,” Brad Holden said. “When the competition began Connor did incredible, scoring 26 points to win the championship by one point, securing the win on his final putt.

“Between the crowds watching, the tv cameras, and just being on the 18th green at Augusta, I thought he did an excellent job at controlling his emotions. Shortly after walking off the green they announced that Connor had become the first national champion of the day, and what a thrill to see the Holden name alone atop the iconic Masters 18th green leaderboard.”

Aside from winning the Drive Chip and Putt event, Holden won his first OGA major in the boys open division last summer, shooting a two day total of five under in the Southern Oregon junior championship at Rogue Valley Country Club.

“Ever since then my confidence has been much higher, and it has driven me to practice harder so I can hopefully make it back there some day.” Connor Holden said.

Holden qualified as the youngest member on team Oregon in the prestigious Eddie Hogan Cup event in 2024.

“He has continued his obsession with golf, which began around the age of four. He keeps a busy year round schedule, which includes a variety of out of state events, to compete against fantastic competition,” Brad Holden said. “A few months back, we traveled to Southern California to the Future Champions golf national championship. Out of 170 players in the boys 15-18 age group, Connor made the final group, eventually finishing in second which was another great accomplishment in his young career.”

Holden is mixing regional junior tournament play with competing for Canby High School, where he has won three competitions, and the team won their first tournament in 8 years.

“He looks forward to the opportunity to attempt to achieve his first high school state championship,” Brad Holden said. “He also has recent runner ups in Arizona, California, and Washington competing in the 15-18 age division. Connor also was honored to be approached by Callaway golf and invited to become a member of the Callaway Next program which will be very beneficial to his golf future.”

His success at the Drive Chip and Putt event has motivated Connor to reach for new heights in his golf journey.

We’ll be here to watch it unfold.