Huang siblings return again for Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals

Most brother and sister combinations, especially at a young age, don’t always get along very well.

Then again, not all combinations are like Treed and Maye Huang.

The brother and sister golf duo from Katy, Texas, will be in the spotlight again this weekend for the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals. The event for boys and girls ages 7-15 will be held Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club.

Treed, 14, is making his fourth appearance in the event. He won the Boys 7-9 age division in the inaugural event in 2014.

Maye, 11, is a two-time national finalist. She won the Girls 7-9 age division in 2017.

“It’s extremely special to have someone to go back with and support each other when we’re playing,” Treed said. “I think that will help me a lot mentally.”

The two list each other as their favorite playing partners when they practice at Meadowbrook Farms Golf Club.

“I like to compete with him and he’s really fun to talk to and play with,” Maye said of her older brother.

Treed said they practice together almost every day.

“I think we improve each other’s games by competing a lot together,” he said.

The siblings each took up the game at age 3. Their parents, father Yufu and mother Yanmei Li, were born in China and their children are first-generation Americans.

Both advanced out of the regional at The Club at Carlton Woods near their home, and each was nervous as they watched the other.

“I watched him in the beginning and I was nervous because I was afraid he was going to hit the ball (out of bounds), leave the putt short, and things like that,” Maye said. “But I had faith.”

Treed rooted his sister on in the regional.

“I’m pretty proud of her,” Treed said in his bio for the event. “She’s been an important part of my game and I’ve been an important part of hers. And yes, I watched every shot she hit. I was nervous. It was crazy.”

Treed said he is working to get the speed right for the putting portion of the finals. Each player gets two putts on the 18th green at Augusta National.

“The first year I blew them both by and the second year both were short,” he said. “Third year they were both long again. I’m just working on my speed, getting it right for those fast greens.”

Maye said the strongest part of her game is driving. After missing out on the finals last year, she went back to work for this year.

“I felt like I needed to work harder because I made a lot of mistakes on the first try,” she said. “I worked on a lot of chipping and putting, mainly what I did really bad on.”

Like all sibling rivalries, there is some competition when they play together. And although Maye has yet to beat Treed in an 18-hole round, she’s working on it.

“I still think I need to work on my putting to beat him because his putting is really good right now,” she said. “I think I need to work on my chipping, and then maybe I can beat him.”

Treed acknowledged that his sister can beat him in some of their practice games.

“Definitely, not on the course, but maybe in some of the putting and chipping games,” he said.

When asked if she would ever beat him on the course, Treed gave an answer typical of older brothers.

“We’ll see,” he said.