Lily Wachter was last in 2023 Drive, Chip and Putt. Then she went to work with her 15th club

Lily Wachter finished in last place in the 2023 Drive, Chip and Putt at the Augusta National Golf Club.

She went to first place in 2024 thanks to what her father Kevin called "her 15th club."

"My head," said the 11-year-old St. Augustine resident. "I improved my confidence and I was more positive."

Lily Wachter won drive, chip competitions

Wachter won the girls 10-11 age group on April 7, finishing first in the driving and chipping competition to wrap up the title with 20 points before she had to take a single putt. She finished seventh in putting for another four points, icing on the cake.

Wachter set the tone for her day when she pounded a drive 232 yards down the middle of the Augusta practice range. She left the first of her two chips a bit less than 7 feet from the hole, then clinched the competition when she hit her second chip to within 2 feet, 8 inches.

"I knew it was gone," she said of the moment she connected with the longest drive of her two attempts.

Getting more comfortable at Augusta National

Kevin Wachter said his daughter didn't get discouraged after her 2023 finish.

For one, he impressed upon her that she had already beaten thousands of girls in her age group at three levels of qualifiers to become one of the 10 finalists.

But said she was also more comfortable with her surroundings at the event attended by an estimated 5,000 fans and aired on Golf Channel.

"We knew what to anticipate this year," said Wachter, a project manager for MacCurrach Golf Construction. "We didn't get caught up with gasping at being at Augusta National, with thousands of people and cameras in your face. Last year it was daunting for her. But we didn't change anything about her game, just went to work on the mental side."

Suri brothers give her advice on mental game

Lily was told by her swing coach, Robert Forde, to "play the course, not the people."

Kevin Wachter also said his daughter got valuable tips from Julian and Devin Suri at South Hampton, one of the three clubs where she plays and practices, on how to handle pressure. Julian Suri, a Bartram Trail graduate, is a two-time Florida high school state champion and is a past DP World Tour winner who climbed as high as 62nd on the world.

"I knew what to expect," Lily said of her return to Augusta National.

Lily will begin playing more 18-hole events on the North Florida Junior Tour and the Florida Junior Tour, as well as some invitational events. But she said she plans on entering the Drive, Chip and Putt for as long as she's eligible, to the age of 15.

"Every year," she said.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Lily Wachter went to work on her mental game to win Drive, Chip and Putt