RICHMOND, Texas — It's hard to believe that in a sport as old as golf, anything could still be ahead of its time. But then again, it might be even harder to believe that 10-year-old Alaina Villarreal could be this good at a game that's this hard.
"I love traveling all around the world and meeting new people playing really good golf courses. Golf allows me to do this type of thing," Villarreal said.
Most recently, Alaina, who practices at Black Hawk Country Club in Richmond, drove chipped and putted her way to a regional championship and the opportunity to take her game to golf's most hallowed ground, Augusta National, and test it in the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals.
"I've tried three other times. I've been super close, and I just felt like a moment of like relief because I was able to get there," she said.
But Alaina doesn't just drive or put for show. She scores.
"Best shot you've ever hit?" KHOU 11's Zack Tawatari asked her.
"My hole in one shot," she said.
Yes, she already has a hole-in-one. She's also already scratched. In her age group, she's the top player in the Houston area, the second-ranked player in the state and the top 20 in the world.
"I love practicing all the time and trying to get better," she said.
But despite everything she's accomplished, this fifth grader has her sights set on a bigger dream. It's here at Khango Gym in Houston that she's building a strength and a mentality that she hopes will help her achieve her dream of reaching the LPGA Tour.
"Training kids can be tough, but with her, she's been amazing to train and see her evolve," said her trainer, Dose Khango.
Khango sees something in Elena that's much more than talent.
"Seeing that she can know that she can achieve anything... now I think she can accomplish whatever she sets her mind to," Khango said.
But all of Elena's steps have had one thing, or person, in common.
"She always had that drive," said her dad, Jason.
He taught her the game, still carries her bag and will be there with Alaina at Augusta National in April.
"For her to step onto the green, the 18th green at Augusta National, and to have putts live on TV like this is it's very special," he said.
In a few years, Elena hopes to win a high school state title, then play college golf and one day be right alongside her LPGA idols. But if time is any indicator, she's not waiting to tee up her future.
"You have to have a really good mindset and a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication," said Villarreal.