Michigan’s Bentley Coon Headed to Augusta National for Drive, Chip and Putt Finals

By Tom Lang

Sometimes parents will say their child began playing golf as soon as they learned how to walk.

Bentley Coon did that too, but his first time on a golf course actually did come when he was only three days old, when mom and dad placed his car seat in the basket on the back of the power golf cart and headed out for a round.

From that day to now age 11, Bentley Coon of Horton, outside of Jackson, has essentially been obsessed with the game. That love of the sport translated to winning the 10-11 age division of the Drive, Chip and Putt Regional held at Oakland Hills Country Club in late October – which sends Bentley to the national finals at Augusta National Golf Club in April.

He won in overall scoring and won the Drive category as well for his age group.

“I’ve been around golf since I could walk,” his father Brian said. “And my dad (Rusty) has been obsessed with the game, and that obsession has gone down to Bentley. He is by far obsessed.”

Bentley has already picked his grandfather, who used to play pro golf on mini tours, to be at his side as caddy at the event.

It wasn’t for another five days after Bentley won the Oakland Hills Regional that any of his friends at school found out. Bentley was not flaunting it, despite being on local TV in Jackson.

“They finally looked my name up (on the Internet) and saw I was going to The Masters,” he said.

“He’s very humble when it comes to this stuff but it’s funny because when we do or play stuff, he is pretty trash talkie, so it’s nice to see the humble side of it,” Brian Coon said. “It’s very good.

“I tell him he’s a very good golfer for 11, but you’re still 11. Five years from now these kids can be beating you, you never know so be humble and respect the game.”

Bentley said he hopes to meet lots of pro golfers at Augusta and that his favorite Masters winner is Dustin Johnson, “because he can hit it far.”

Bentley knocked his longest drive at Oakland Hills 253 yards. He said it was the first time he got all three drives inside the grid; normally one goes out. He reached the same Regional level at Oakland Hills in 2019 at age 9, but didn’t win. Then in 2020 there was no competition due to Covid.

Tens of thousands of kids seized the opportunity to participate in Drive, Chip and Putt this year, which began with local qualifying at hundreds of courses throughout the country over the summer, including more than a dozen sites in Michigan. These qualifiers are open each year to young golfers of all skill and experience levels. The top finishers from each local qualifier in 2021 advanced to sub-regionals in August and then regional competitions in September and October, concluding with the regional qualifier at Oakland Hills Country Club. 

These were all the winners at Oakland Hills who advanced:

Boys 14-15:

William Redden, Evansville IN

Girls 14-15:

Mia Hammond, Crooksville OH

Boys 12-13:

Jacob Thompson, Louisville KY

Girls 12-13:

Athena Singh, Morehead KY

Boys 10-11:

Bentley Coon, Horton MI

Girls 10-11:

Maya Keuling, Carmel IN

Boys 7-9:

Matthew White, Lexington KY

Girls 7-9:

Calista Han, Lewis Center OH