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Masterful memories: Huntersville golfer wins Drive, Chip and Putt title at Augusta



Autumn Solesbee of the girls 7-9 division smiles after chipping during the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club. /Courtesy Drive, Chip and Putt

HUNTERSVILLE – Before the return of Tiger Woods dominated media coverage at the Masters golf tournament, a young girl with an inspiring story was the talk of Augusta National Golf Club.

Nine-year-old Autumn Solesbee, a student at SouthLake Christian Academy, knows real pressure. Among the hundreds of thousands of children in the foster care system hoping to find stability, her spirit never wavered, and that determination helped her reach the biggest stage in golf April 3. 

With that stage, the Drive, Chip and Putt national finals at Augusta National, comes pressure. And sure, Autumn was nervous – she said as much in an interview after being crowned champion in the girls 7-9 division – but it didn’t show through the beaming smile on her face.

“She was actually smiling while she hit her two pitch shots,” adoptive father Donnie Solesbee said with a laugh. “She loves that nervousness. She embraces it and wants to run toward it rather than trying to escape it and I think that’s pretty rare.” 

After finishing fourth in the driving competition, Autumn took first in the chipping discipline while grinning from ear to ear. Her two putts on the historic 18th green – one from 15 feet away and the other a 30-footer – each threatened the hole to propel her to the top of the leaderboard with 26 points. 

Autumn Solesbee of the girls 7-9 division putts on No. 18 green during the Drive, Chip and Putt national finals at Augusta National Golf Club. /Courtesy Drive, Chip and Putt

“She’s at Augusta National, there are thousands of people watching and there’s TV cameras everywhere, yet she’s still smiling and genuinely having fun,” Solesbee said.

Even while practicing on her home course at Cowan’s Ford Golf Club in Lincoln County, Autumn embraces the spotlight, according to her father.

“She always wants the other members to watch her hit shots,” he said. “She loves being under that pressure of hitting a good shot while someone is watching.”

Despite being relatively new to the game, Solesbee said Autumn was fully aware of the magnitude of competing at one of golf’s most storied venues.

“She knew all about the history of both the Drive, Chip and Putt competition and Augusta National,” he said. “She got tears in her eyes the first day we were in Augusta and drove past Magnolia Lane.”

While she was in awe of the mystique of Augusta National, a former Masters champion was equally impressed with Autumn. Bubba Watson, an adoptive father of two, was there to present the trophy to Autumn after she won.

“Bubba Watson was standing there to give everyone a high-five as Autumn’s group walked over to the chipping area and she told him ‘Bubba, I think you’re great because you adopted your kids and I’m adopted,’” Solesbee said. “I don’t know what happened behind the scenes after that but he was there when she won. He was extremely gracious with Autumn even after the short hug they shared during the interview. He talked with her for a long time about his kids and how much adoption meant to him. He even told Autumn that she inspired him.”

Solesbee came away equally impressed with his daughter’s performance.

“To watch her that day, it just made me extremely proud as her father,” he said. “Not just of who she is as a golfer, but who she is as a person. It was just incredible to watch her blossom on that stage.”

Autumn has developed into one of the most talented young golfers in the world less than three years after first swinging a club at Top Golf in November 2019. While that fateful day wasn’t intended as her introduction to the sport – she was actually there to meet her grandfather for the first time – golf has been her focus ever since. 

Soon after Solesbee and his wife, Jamie, watched “The Short Game” on Netflix with their daughter. The 2013 documentary follows 7- and 8-year-old golfers attempting to qualify for the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship. 

“She loved it,” Solesbee said. “When it was over she looked at us and said ‘I’m going to play in that one day.’ This was before she had ever even played nine holes.”

Not only did Autumn play in that tournament, she placed top 10 in her age group at the 2021 U.S. Kids Golf World Championship played at the Pinehurst Golf Resort. 

 

One response to “Masterful memories: Huntersville golfer wins Drive, Chip and Putt title at Augusta”

  1. Reta Berman says:

    Awesome story. What talent and poise.

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