Kid Masters: Lowcountry duo to showcase skills Sunday at Augusta National

A bouquet of balloons was waiting on Sophia Burnett’s front porch last Thursday, wishing her luck at Sunday’s national finals of the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship. A day earlier, someone else left a card with the words: “Hope your day is par-fect.”

“I thought it was so cute,” the Bluffton eighth-grader exclaimed. “I love those cards!”

Thursday also was the day Sophie Guo’s classmates first learned about her upcoming adventure, slipped in among the daily prayer requests.

“They were like, ‘Whoa, we have a student that’s going to be on TV now,’ ” Guo said with a shy grin. Yes, she confirmed, no one there had known.

To be fair, Guo ought to get a little slack there. She’s the new kid in school, going through a midyear adjustment after moving in January from Bluffton to Orlando. Then again, who wouldn’t want to tell folks you’re heading to Augusta National?

Burnett and Guo are two of just 80 youngsters set to compete Sunday morning at the home of the Masters, a new tradition that has blossomed since its introduction three years ago.

From thousands of entrants who began at more than 200 sites across the country, they advanced through three stages to earn the honor of showcasing their skills in the shadow of the famed Augusta National clubhouse where Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson and now Jordan Spieth have green jackets hanging.

Even with a trophy at stake, that experience may be the real reward.

“I’m going to be the first person in my family to putt on the 18th green,” Burnett beamed. “I get to kind of brag about that a little bit.”

The competition will be broadcast live by Golf Channel, starting at 8 a.m. through its early afternoon conclusion.

“More cameras, more people,” said Guo, who has a little experience performing in front of crowds as a youth gymnast in her Chinese homeland. “Then all the pros are watching, too.”

It isn’t unusual to look among the crowd and find someone like Watson or Adam Scott taking in a few minutes of the proceedings. Hall of Famers Gary Player and Nick Faldo were among eight former Masters champions handing out the trophies last year.

“For hundreds of thousands or millions of people,” Faldo said, “just to step inside the gates of Augusta National is special. But an opportunity for them to come here and compete and what it does for the enthusiasm — what an incentive for youngsters.”

Said Jonathan Burnett, Sophia’s father: “If you want to grow the game, this is the most wonderful thing to have done.”

For Sophia, 13, it’s a moment that almost didn’t happen. After something of a raw deal in her first try two summers ago — she struggled to keep her drives inbounds on a range she later found out was sloped — the McCracken Middle School student was going to sit this year out.

Then she watched last year’s broadcast.

“Now we’re watching and I’m thinking I really want that — ‘Hey Dad, can you sign us up? I’d like to try it again. It’s only nine shots; I’ll try it again.’ ”

As it turned out, the Burnetts almost had a twosome in the finals. Not only did Sophia advance through the first two stages to the regional final at TPC Sawgrass — home of The Players Championship — so did younger sister Camila.

Camila, alas, finished in the middle of the pack in the girls’ 10-11 age group. Now she’s trying to prepare her sister by providing competition in the daily chipping and putting contests they have at Colleton River Plantation’s practice facility.

“I’m really proud of her and I’m really happy she’s going,” Camila said. “To be honest, I’m a little bit jealous, but I think I’ll live. I’ll have next year and other years. She’s two years older than me.”

To which Sophia quickly interjected: “And better.”

Camila was unfazed.

“I’m going through a swing change right now,” she said with a sly smile, “and when I get through, you’d better be watching out. That’s all I’m saying.”

The Burnetts have golf embedded in their DNA. Jonathan Burnett was one of David Leadbetter’s early students — before Faldo and Nick Price turned him into a household name — and later coached at Francis Marion.

Guo, 15, is a natural athlete who just as easily could have had Olympic aspirations in a different sport.

Growing up outside Shanghai, she showed enough promise as a gymnast to become part of the feeder system to China’s powerful program.

In fourth grade, though, her father brought her to the practice range and put a borrowed club in her hand.

“I think it’s a good sport for her,” said Jianhui Guo, who goes by Jim on these shores. “She plays other sports well — swimming, gymnastics, (competitive) dance, they’re all very good. So I believed she would play golf very well, too.”

When Sophie was 11, she asked to switch from gymnastics to golf. The family came out to an IJGA summer camp at Pinecrest and wound up staying.

“For gymnastics, you can only play it to college,” Sophie said. “Then if you want to get a job later, it’s hard to get a good job with that. But golf, you can play all your (life). You can be a pro.”

Last fall, a friend introduced the Guos to swing coach Henri Reis, who groomed Annika Sorenstam into a Hall of Famer and now is head of instruction at the Annika Academy outside Orlando. After several lessons, they opted to leave the Lowcountry for Florida.

“When you change some things, it’s not easy,” Jim Guo said. “But Sophie feels he’s good, so we come to (Orlando).”

Sophie may be feeling a little more urgency Sunday, as this is her final year of Drive, Chip & Putt eligibility.

“I really want to get the trophy,” she said.

Whatever happens, both girls will have plenty to talk about when they get back home. As part of their reward, they also get tickets to watch Monday’s practice rounds. Both have Spieth on their watch list.

“I want them to just go and soak it all in,” Jonathan Burnett said. “Use it as inspiration. If this experience can really ignite that, that’s the best.”

This story was originally published April 2, 2016 at 7:41 PM with the headline "Kid Masters: Lowcountry duo to showcase skills Sunday at Augusta National."