Las Vegas girl will play in tournament at Augusta National
Milan Norton of the Summerlin area has found her passion playing golf, she says. The 9-year-old started playing three years ago after watching her sister and father from the golf cart as they practiced.
“My goal each match is to just win,” the Faith Lutheran Middle School and High School student said. “On match day, I always feel confident that I can win, and if I don’t, well at least I tried. Sometimes I play with people outside my age group — my sister and her friends or my dad and his friends.”
On April 7, Milan is set to participate in the 2019 Drive, Chip & Putt Championship at Augusta National Golf Club, held before the start of the Masters Tournament. The nationwide youth golf development initiative for ages 7 to 15 is designed to inspire them to choose golf as a lifelong pursuit.
Milan breezed through local, subregional and regional competitions, qualifying her for the National Finals. She’s one of two finalists from Nevada; the other is Yana Wilson of Henderson.
“I’m really excited because I think it’s a great opportunity to learn more and meet new people,” Milan said. “I practice two hours a day every day and when it’s raining or cold, I go indoors and practice.”
Milan said the sport has taught her honesty, integrity and patience.
“You learn how to be calm,” she said, adding, “You learn to be nice to other people. My coach has told me when I don’t hit it good, just observe what you did … so you don’t do it on the next shot.”
Milan is inspired by local professional golfers Scott Piercy and Danielle Kang, she said. Looking toward the future, Milan said she wants to continue golf but also pursue a career in robotics. She’s involved with the STEM program at Faith Lutheran and makes robots after school, she said.
“I want to go to MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) for college when I’m older,” Milan said. “I’d like to do science and golf.”
Milan’s mother, Mickey, said Milan, along with her father and sister, make the sport look easy.
“It’s not an easy game by any means,” she said. “It’s been a game changer for these kids. They’re out there on their own getting their mental game on more so than anything else. It teaches them so much, too. Honesty, integrity, good judgment and behaving well on the golf course. They learn really quick.”
Contact Mia Sims at msims@
How to watch
The Drive, Chip & Putt Championship will be broadcast live on the Golf Channel on April 7.
