9-year-old Chowchilla girl plays on Masters course at Augusta National

Playing a round of golf at Augusta National Golf Club would almost surely be on any golfer’s bucket list.

Chowchilla’s Asterisk Talley did it just over a week ago at the age of 9.

Talley competed in the National Drive, Chip and Putt Finals at Augusta National last week. Talley finished second in the Girls 7-9 Division.

“It was really exciting and I was grateful,” Talley said. “Not a lot of people get to go there. It was really beautiful. I loved it.”

Talley got to tell her third-grade classmates at Ronald Reagan Elementary School in Chowchilla all about her trip after returning home last week.

After the competition, Talley and her family got to stick around Monday for a practice round. She also got to collect autographs from the Masters participants.

“My friends saw it on TV. They said it was fun to watch,” Talley said. “They were cheering for me.”

Talley has been playing golf since she was 3 years old. She started with plastic clubs and balls. She’s won roughly 70 tournaments.

She had to do well at three tournaments to qualify for the National Drive, Chip and Put Finals. The qualifying began with a tournament in Fresno last summer. She advanced to a tournament in Morgan Hill and then San Francisco, which only took the top qualifier.

“It was great just to go to Augusta. It was a great experience,” said her father Jim. “We were able to take my aunt and uncle. Not everyone gets to drive down Magnolia Lane.”

Talley said she was sad she didn’t finish first. The event was broadcast on the Golf Channel.

“I was super nervous because I was playing on live TV all around the nation,” Talley said. “I wasn’t really able to calm myself down on the drives. I got a little better on the chipping and putting.”

After actually being on the course last week, it made watching the Masters on TV even more special.

“It was pretty neat,” Jim said. “You’re more familiar with the layout after actually being there. You can recognize where they’re at.”

Talley’s favorite thing outside of golf on the trip was eating hush puppies and peach ice cream sandwiches.

Her next big tournament on her schedule is the U.S. Kids World Championships in Pinehurst, N.C. in August. Talley won the event in 2016.

This story was originally published April 9, 2018 at 3:20 PM with the headline "9-year-old Chowchilla girl plays on Masters course at Augusta National."