Many young boys grow up with dreams of one day competing at Augusta National, annual site of The Masters and one of the most famous sites in sports. 

Morgan Academy’s Jones Free is getting his chance at 12 years old.

Free, a seventh grader that can drive the ball 280 yards, qualified last weekend for the National Drive, Chip and Putt contest that will be held at Augusta National on April 3, 2016 — the Sunday before The 2016 Masters Tournament gets underway.

“I was nervous and excited,” Jones said, while admitting it hasn’t even sunk in yet. “Everybody was proud of me so it was a pretty good feeling that I was about to go next year and meet some of the pro golfers that are playing the tour right now.”

Free is one of 80 boys and girls from around the country that made it through three rounds of qualifying to qualify for Augusta. The competition awards cumulative points for how well players drive, chip and putt the golf ball.

First, he had to qualify at Robert Trent Jones Trail at Capitol Hill in June, where the top three players in each age group made it through. He scored a 122, which was the second best score of the 12-and 13-year-old boys competing.

Next, at sub-regional qualifying in August, Free scored 110 to best the field at TPC Louisiana.

At the final qualifier, which was held at TPC Sawgrass — home of The Players Championship — he again topped the 12-and 13-year-old field by scoring 155.

Using a driver he purchased from former Auburn University golfer Andy Stewart, Free bombed the ball off the tee to get the early lead.

Free said driving the ball is what he enjoys most on the golf course and the new driver helped separate him on the scoreboard.

“I’m just glad something of mine is actually going to make it to Augusta,” Stewart said.

Jones also had the best score of any player in the chipping competition and held a lead going into the putting competition.

“One of my buddies from Florida walked up to me and said that I was doing pretty good and that if I got 45 points on putting that I’d win by one point and I got 50 points,” Free said.

By the time it was his turn, Free said he’d read the first putt — a 6-footer — many times because he’d been watching everyone else attempt it for hours.

“I was watching the other people putt it so I knew the read,” Free said.

Once he made that one, some of the pressure was off. Free didn’t make his final two attempts, but was close enough to defeat his nearest competitor by six overall points.

“We kind of got emotional because he works so hard for it and he’s so dedicated in golf,” said William Free, Jones’ dad.

“We were just so proud of him.”

While at the TPC Sawgrass for the competition, Jones got to play a practice round with his dad. Jones said he shot 4 or 5-over par on the holes he played, which included the entire front nine and parts of the back-9.

One of the back-9 holes he did get to play was the par 3, 17th, one of the most daunting shots in golf because of its island green with water completely surrounding it. Free said he wasn’t intimidated.

“I was hitting everything right that day so I turned my hand a little bit and hit it on the right edge of the green,” Free said.

Not surprisingly, Free made par on the hole.

That’s the kind of fearlessness and confidence that has led him to win multiple junior golf tournaments at such a young age and part of the reason he’s headed to Augusta as one of the best 12-and 13-year-old players in the country.

While at Augusta, he’s got two goals. One is to win the national Drive, Pitch and Putt contest and the other is to meet defending Masters champion Jordan Spieth, his favorite golfer.

“I’m so proud of him and I know that’s all he’s been wanting to do is get to Augusta, and if he gets to meet Jordan Spieth, he’s going to be on top of the world,” William said.