A Bristolian 10-year-old, born on the cusp of the Fourth of July, is poised to make waves in the world of skills-based golf competition, with a chance to go all the way to the holy greens of Augusta if his swing is true.

Thomas James “Tommy” Beauregard, named after his father and grandfather who were both themselves skilled golfers, is poised to compete in Lakeville, Mass. on Aug. 8 in the upcoming sub-regional qualifier for the national Drive, Chip, and Putt. competition.

Drive, Chip, and Putt is a nationwide junior golf development competition formed from a joint initiative founded in 2013 by the Masters Tournament, United States Golf Association, and The PGA of America to grow the sport by emphasizing the three fundamental skills of the game; driving, chipping, and putting.

Open to kids ages 7-15, a series of local, sub-regional and regional qualifying events will ultimately get the chance to play in the National Finals, held at the gamed Augusta National Golf Club the Sunday before the Masters Tournament, and broadcast live by the Golf Channel.

Beauregard, whose birthday is July 2, got his first set of golf clubs at 6 years old, according to his mother, Kelly Finn.

“It started when Tommy was around 5,” she said. “My father was over playing sports with the kids, and he noticed Tommy swinging a baseball bat like it was a golf club.”

Seeing some natural talent in his stance and swing, James found a program at Swansea Country Club, led by instructor Eric Dantas, to channel his innate enthusiasm for the game. And it all took off from there.

This year is the third summer that Tommy has competed in the Drive, Chip, Putt competition, which started off this year with a local competition at Button Hole in Providence. The top three kids of each age group move onto the sub-regional match.

“In past years he didn’t even place in the top three in the local qualifier. This year was different,” Finn said. “He went in with less nerves, confident. I was nervous for him but he absolutely killed it. He got the highest score among that entire group. I was just blown away.”

Tommy will now battle it out amongst the top three local winners from Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and his fellow qualifiers from Rhode Island in the 10-to-11-year-old group. The top two from the sub-regional event move onto the regional qualifier in New Jersey, and the top golfer from that regional group moves onto Augusta.

“I think it’s inspiring to have the drive that he has,” Finn said, perhaps intending the pun. “He was still humble and he’s like, it’s not over yet. He said he’s going to get that green jacket one day.”

Finn said that it was important for Tommy to be the one pushing for more involvement with the sport, rather than being pressured by any outside forces or from within the family. They provided him with the tools, like clubs and an indoor golf simulator when the weather is bad.

“We never wanted to put pressure on him to do it,” she said. “We wanted to keep it fun and simple for him, and he has taken the initiative himself to get out in the backyard and practice very day.”

Bristol natives, through and through (his brother was born on July 4th), Finn said that she would cry tears of happiness to see Tommy move onto the next level.

“The sky is the limit,” she said. “The only shot you miss is the one you don’t take.”