Ontario duo set for Drive, Chip, & Putt finals at Augusta

Photos courtesy of drivechipandputt.com

AUGUSTA, GA— Two young golfers will be representing Ontario at the 2016 Drive, Chip, & Putt Finals April 3, at Augusta National Golf Club. Toronto’s Vanessa Borovilos and Richmond Hill’s Elaine Giantsopoulos will both take part in the championship after working through local, sub-regional and regional qualifiers.

For Borovilos, from the Trafalgar Golf & Country Club, she will compete in the Girls’ 7-9 age group and Giantsopoulos, from York Downs Golf & Country Club, will compete in the Girls’ 12-13 division.

This will be the second consecutive year that Borovilos competes in the event. In 2015, she finished fourth with 18 total points, just four off the lead. This year she advanced through a local qualifier at the Buffalo Tournament Club, sub-regionals at the Harvest Hill Golf Club in Orchard Park and regional qualifier at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont Pennsylvania.

Borovilos, who credits her dad for introducing her to the game, started putting at just two and a half years of age. By three, she was hitting balls and won her first tournament at the age of five. She cites qualifying for her second consecutive Drive, Chip, & Putt Finals as her biggest achievement. Now she will have another chance to improve on last year’s finish.

Giantsopoulos won her local qualifier last season, but a third place finish in her sub-regional ended her run to Augusta. This year, with that experience, she progressed through her local qualifier at Ravenwood Golf Club in Rochester, sub-regional at Harvest Hill Golf Club and regional at Oakmont.

Playing golf since she was nine, Giantsopoulos is a 16.4 handicap. Inspired to get into the game by her brother, Giantsopoulos says she watched last year’s finals and missing out just motivated her to work harder to qualify this year.

All 80 of the final qualifiers (40 boys and 40 girls) in four age division (7-9, 10-11, 12-13 and14-15) will all compete for the division titles, April 3 at Augusta National Golf Club.