HOPEWELL JUNCTION — A 10-year-old boy from Dutchess County is preparing to take his exceptional golf skills overseas after placing second in a national competition earlier this month.
Mario Vilardi has been playing golf practically since he could walk. From swinging plastic clubs to competing on the same course where the Masters is held, the Hopewell Junction youngster has come a long way in his short life.
“He started going to the driving range with me and my father when he was age 3,” Mario’s father, David Vilardi, said. “I started taking him on the course around 4 or 5.”
Mario began competing in U.S. Kids Golf tournaments five years ago, and earlier this year, he qualified to compete at the 2026 National Drive, Chip & Putt tournament — the only boy from New York to do so across four age brackets. To qualify, Mario had to make it through three local and regional tournaments to become the Northeast representative for the boys in the 10- and 11-year age group.
Held at Augusta National Golf Course in Georgia on April 5, the Drive, Chip & Putt tournament is not a typical golf tournament, David Vilardi said. Competitors are scored separately on each skill — driving, chipping and putting — and an overall score is calculated. Mario took first place in the chipping round and second overall against nine boys from across the country. He lost by just one point.
“It was beyond amazing, and it was more hilly than I imagined,” Mario Vilardi said of the competition.
Mario’s triumph has been an inspiration to his classmates, younger siblings and teachers, Fishkill Plains Elementary School Principal Amy Fazio said.
“It makes us so proud to see our children’s hard work pay off,” she said. “It was so heartwarming to hear how his classmates supported him and cheered him on.”
On Thursday, Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino gave Mario a special proclamation to celebrate his achievement.
“To top it all off, Mario even autographed a golf ball for me,” Serino said in a Facebook announcement. “I’m holding onto this one — I have a feeling it’s going to be worth a lot more in a few years.”
Next month, from May 26 through 28, Mario will compete in the U.S. Kids Golf European Championship in East Lothian, Scotland — his first international tournament.
In addition to golf, Mario also plays basketball and soccer. His favorite sport often changes with the seasons, David Vilardi said.
Asked if he plans to go pro, Mario replied: “I want to keep going with golf, but there’s a certain point where you have to choose a sport, and I don’t know what I’m going to pick.”