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Norah Catlin, 13, hits the greens at Augusta National

 
Grace Jin (third place), left, Lauren Clark (second place), middle, and Norah Catlin (first place overall in the girls 12-13 division) pose with their medals during the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship at TPC Sawgrass on Sept. 10, 2016, in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Grace Jin (third place), left, Lauren Clark (second place), middle, and Norah Catlin (first place overall in the girls 12-13 division) pose with their medals during the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship at TPC Sawgrass on Sept. 10, 2016, in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Published March 29, 2017

ZEPHYRHILLS — At age 13, Norah Catlin has golf pretty well figured out.

"I have not always loved it. I'd say it's a love-hate relationship," she said. "How can you hit an amazing shot from the fairway, but then 3-putt and make the same score as — no offense, Dad — but … my Dad!"

Such true words. And ones dad Kim certainly forgives, considering where Norah's talents for the game will be taking the Catlins this weekend.

In the Zephyrhills resident's third year of trying, she has made it to the national finals of the Drive, Chip & Putt competition — with the event held at Augusta, home of the famed Masters golf tournament.

"This was really out of the blue," Kim said. "It was one of those, 'Okay, we'll go through this (qualifying attempt)' but the odds were against us. When it all hit me that she'd won, wow, I started jumping around like a little kid."

That was at the close of the third stage. Catlin had only made it past the local level once. She had to finish top three out of 20 there (Tampa Bay Downs) before progressing to the subregional in Orlando.

Finally in early September at another major course, TPC at Sawgrass, needing to place in the top two, Norah wound up in first place in the 12-13 age group.

"Advancing to regionals was a huge accomplishment. To me, just getting to TPC Sawgrass seemed like a good idea in my mind," Catlin said. "I was sooooo nervous. I remember getting on the tee and physically shaking."

But she worked it out after the first shot. Competitors must keep their drives within a 40-yard fairway and are given points for every 10 yards the ball carries. Chips are from 10-15 yards away and are scored for closeness to the hole, likewise on putts are from 6, 15 and 30 feet.

The Drive, Chip & Putt was founded in 2013 as a joint initiative by the Masters, U.S. Golf Association and the PGA of America with the goal of growing the game among junior players. It is free to take part in.

Catlin's competition at the final stage had roughly a dozen players vying for two spots.

"There were four girls after her, and she was in first place. You don't want to root against somebody, but … you weren't rooting for them either," Kim said. "At the end everybody was high-fiving us an congratulating us, boom, boom it happened so quickly."

A few years ago it seemed unlikely, as most of Norah's fans were playing soccer so she dropped competitive golf. The whole love-hate thing, you know.

"I don't think I was patient enough," said Norah, a student at John Long Middle School. "Putting is my favorite but driving is my best. There's a lot of luck involved. You can practice all day on the putting green — and still mess up the next day."

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Two years ago she played a tournament at Lansbrook where she finished atop a group of girls that normally beat her, with a score of 37 for nine holes.

"I think that opened her eyes a little bit," Kim said

They will be open wide this weekend. Eighty golfers, ages 7-15, will be on hand, and the event will be broadcast live Sunday on the Golf Channel, the eve of Masters week.

And if you're a friend of the Catlins just catching wind of this, don't even ask.

"Sorry. No more tickets. I've been asked a couple times," said Kim, who is bringing wife Elena and Norah's coach, Fred Bender (Pasadena Hills).

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience," she said. "It would be amazing to win at Augusta. Definitely already have the DVR set. Dad's learning how to use the DVR, just for this."