WPS’s Michael DePalma Qualifies for Drive, Chip & Putt Nationals
Berlin, MD – On September 19, 2021 in Rochester, NY., Worcester Preparatory School (WPS) Freshman Michael DePalma placed first in the Boys 14-15 Division of the Drive, Chip and Putt (DCP) Oak Hill Regionals qualifying him for Nationals in Augusta, GA in April.
DePalma started golfing with his dad and grandfather at the age of 9. He quickly realized his passion for the sport one short year later, and started playing golf competitively. By the time DePalma reached 6th Grade he had won a number of golf tournaments, realizing that golf was about to become a major part of his life.
DePalma started playing for WPS in the 7th Grade on the Middle School Golf Team, and is now playing Varsity. Besides competing on the school team, he also plays in the Under Armour Junior Tour’s Eastern Shore League, where he has won several tournaments in the past couple years, and in the Hurricane Junior Tour, where he will be competing in New Jersey and North Carolina this Fall.
In 2019, DePalma was watching the Drive, Chip and Putt tournament with his family when his parents and grandparents started to encourage him to compete.
“This was my first and only time trying for this tournament,” DePalma said. “I had zero expectations with how I would do in the tournament, I just wanted to see how well I could do.”
At DCP, each golfer is given three attempts, and DePalma scored the highest in his division with 68 in Drive, 40 in Chip and 45 in Putt resulting in a total score of 153 reaching first place.
“I am very proud to have tried my best and was able to perform under the pressure of each competition and qualify for the final round at the Masters,” DePalma said. “Each competition brought strong golfers to compete against. It feels really good to be among the many thousands that started this summer competing and now I am one of only 10 remaining in the 14-15 age group. I can’t wait to go to Augusta to see where the Masters is played and be able to compete myself there.”
Moving forward, DePalma plans on improving his golf game by playing competitively, as well as for fun with family and friends. He dreams to play golf in college when he graduates from WPS.
"It has been amazing to watch Michael grow in the game of golf, in his ability, confidence and love of the sport,” said DePalma’s mother, Errin DePalma. “We are very proud of the composure and maturity he has shown while competing in the Drive, Chip and Putt, as well as during the interviews he has done afterwards."
About DCP: A joint initiative founded in 2013 by the Masters Tournament, United States Golf Association and The PGA of America, Drive, Chip and Putt is a free nationwide junior golf development competition aimed at growing the game by focusing on the three fundamental skills employed in golf.
By tapping the creative and competitive spirit of girls and boys ages 7-15, Drive, Chip and Putt provides aspiring junior golfers an opportunity to play with their peers in qualifiers around the country. Participants who advance through local, sub-regional and regional qualifying in each age/gender category earn a place in the National Finals, which is conducted at Augusta National Golf Club the Sunday before the Masters Tournament and is broadcast live by Golf Channel.
For more information visit their website at https://www.drivechipandputt.com/.
About WPS: Founded in 1970, WPS is a private, independent Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 School, located in Berlin, Maryland. Approximately 500 students attend from Maryland, Delaware and Virginia.
For more information about WPS, please visit www.worcesterprep.org or call 410.641.3575.
Worcester Preparatory School
508 South Main Street, Berlin, MD 21811
Phone: 410-641-3575 | Fax: 410-641-3586
Celebrating 50 years, WPS is an independent, college prep day school for Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 students. Located in Berlin, Maryland, the private school attracts an average of 500 students from Maryland, Delaware and Virginia.
