Beaver Dam girl drives, chips and putts her way to Augusta

BEAVER DAM, Wis. - Sometimes the best things are found in the most unlikely of places.

"It's a small town and there's nothing really to do."

With nothing to do, 12-year-old McKenna Nelson of Beaver Dam spends her time with a golf club in her hand.

"I knew that it was something that I really wanted to do," said Nelson.

"She grabbed dad or mom's putter and started putting and from then on, she wanted to play golf," said McKenna's father, Ryan.

She also played other sports growing up.

"When I played basketball and softball, it always made me nervous," said Nelson. "But when I played golf, it never made me nervous."

Quickly, golf became her passion as well as a family affair playing with her parents, Jennifer and Ryan, often.

"I really like that," said Nelson. "That's my favorite part of the game and it's always so much fun trying to beat 'em and always playing with them."

Now they are by her side at Augusta National.

"I'll be like a little kid in a candy store," said Ryan Nelson.

That's where she will be competing on April 4 in the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals, a place she's tried to reach since she was six.

"I think it was the year before, she was right in it," said Nelson's coach, Donald duChateau. "Her last putt rolled 2 inches through the circle for her to not make it and then she came back the next year and won by 50 points. It's kind of neat to see that."

"It's just really hard because you're so close and then you just don't. And then it just makes you really want to practice some more and so much harder."

A fan of hers who will be watching is LPGA Tour Pro Amy Olson.

"You're going to have such an amazing time so enjoy the experience, best of luck and I will be watching and cheering for you," said Olson in a video message to Nelson.

"I've been teaching golf for 40 years, lots of kids, lots of good players, collegiate players and everything and there's just something there that she understands how to do it," said DuChateau.

With many goals on the horizon, one big one has already been accomplished, beating her dad for the first time.

"It wasn't good," said Ryan Nelson.

"I knew I was really close with him and then on the last hole I kind of beat him by a lot and so, it was kind of fun after that," said Nelson.

"She finally beat me last summer from the men's tees because she wanted to beat me legit," said Ryan Nelson.

"It's crazy, it really is," said Jennifer Nelson. "Sometimes it just doesn't feel real sometimes that she does that."

Some tears may have been shed.

"I was actually pretty hurt at first, but then I was pretty proud," said Nelson's dad.

It's been six years of hard work and now it's paying off and making both parent beam with pride.

"I don't know if I can put it into words," said Nelson's mom. "Seriously, I was not expecting that. It's just hard because you don't, I guess, at that age. She's out there playing golf, it's fun, you know. It's something we do. Now it's just crazy that she gets to do this stuff."

And it’s only the beginning.