Oct 23, 2012 4 min read

After Canon-McMillan sophomore Lauren Waller opened the WPIAL Class AAA individual championships for girls golf two weeks ago with a nine-hole score of 44, she vowed to not let the same thing happen at yesterday’s PIAA Western Regional.With a blistering 34 on her first nine holes at Tom’s Run Golf Course in Blairsville, Waller got off to a fast start and shot an even-par 72 to finish first, seven strokes better than WPIAL champion Janista Numpho-Frank of Hempfield.Perhaps most impressive, Waller was at 3-under before finishing with a bogey and a double on her final two holes.”I started out really strong,” said Waller, who drained a 50-foot, downhill putt to save par on No. 5. “I hit a lot of my drives straight. My putting was really good today.”Waller said she worked some on her short game over the past two weeks, but she otherwise didn’t try to change too much from that 6-over 78 she shot at 3 Lakes Golf Club on Oct. 2.”Leading up to it, I definitely worked on my short game because that’s what hurt me at WPIALs,” Waller said. “I didn’t play any different or have a different mentality. I just went into it like I did any other round.”Jefferson-Morgan’s Gillian Alexander was the only other female to qualify for the PIAA individual championships Oct. 22-23 at Heritage Hills Golf Resort and Conference Center in York. She shot 85, tying for seventh.Peters Township’s Tommy Nettles was the area’s lone boys qualifier in Class AAA. Despite closing with a pair of bogeys, Nettles shot a 1-over 73 to finish third. He hit a wedge to a couple inches for birdie on No. 4 and crushed a drive at No. 18, barely missing the eagle putt.”I drove the ball really well,” Nettles said. “I was in play all day. I didn’t lose a ball. Then when I did miss a fairway, I was right off the fairway in the rough. I was also making some good putts. I made a few 15-footers for birdie.”Nettles had five bogeys, nine pars and four birdies in his round and played Nos. 10-18 – he started the day at No. 3 because of the scramble start – at 2-under.”It’s always fun when you’re making birdies and in the thick of things,” said Nettles, who shot 75 to finish sixth at the WPIAL tournament. “But certainly I gained some confidence going forward.”Burgettstown junior Owen Miller was the top finisher in Class AA, shooting a 2-over 74 to tie for second, making 11 pars and three birdies to offset three bogeys and a double.”I played really consistent today,” Miller said. “I hit a lot of greens. I didn’t make a putt over 10 feet, but I made everything under that.”McGuffey’s Jesse Vensel shot 77 to tie for fifth, while Waynesburg’s Loren Dukate posted an 80 along with California’s Michael Langley. All three qualified for the state tournament.For Dukate, who shot an 82 to finish 13th at Youghiogheny Country Club in the WPIAL Class AA finals, his score Monday was nice. But it wasn’t exactly encouraging.”I qualified,” Dukate said. “But it was kind like Youghiogheny again – barely getting there, just another bad day.”Might be tough for Waller to relate.”She was red-hot today,” Canon-McMillan coach Justin White said of Waller. “She was sinking some really long putts, and everything was clicking for her. I was happy for her. Not surprised, but happy.”Chip-insMegan Moylan of North East finished first the Class AA girls tournament with a 5-over 77. … Yough’s Alex Patricio had the top score among Class AA boys – an even-par 72. … North Allegheny’s Kevin O’Brien placed first for the Class AAA boys with a 1-under 70.