Observer-Reporter Athlete of the Week
Name: Lauren Waller
School: Canon-McMillan
Year: Senior
Sport: Golf
Waller’s week: Waller shot a personal-best 4-under-par 68 at Willowbrook Country Club in Apollo Monday to repeat as WPIAL Class AAA Girls Golf champion and qualified for the PIAA Western Regional, which will be held Tuesday at Tom’s Run Golf Course in Blairsville.
“She works hard. She definitely puts in a lot of time practicing,” Canon-McMillan head coach Justin White said. “That’s the main reason why she’s as good as she is. It’s all hard work. She’s been doing this for a long time and has played in hundreds of tournaments. I basically just told her to trust her instincts and play.”
Waller shot under-par splits with a 35 on the front nine and a 33 on the back nine. She won by eight strokes as Gateway’s Johnna Beehner, Penn-Trafford’s Amanda Conner and Central Valley’s Amanda Scala each shot a round of 76.
In charge: Waller is in a unique position. The Penn State recruit is one of two girls golfers on Canon-McMillan’s boys team. She played her freshman year at Shady Side Academy.
Waller found the transition awkward at first, but two years later, she became the leader of a young team still learning the game. She didn’t mind delivering advice or words of encouragement.
For the first time, she was not alone this year. Her younger sister, Taylor, is a freshman on the team.
One thing that hasn’t changed is Waller’s dominance. She finished in first place in every match for the Big Macs.
“The leadership role I took on this year was good,” Waller said. “Those guys are inexperienced compared to me so I tried teaching them the ropes and how I like to do things. I always help them out if I can.”
Waller doesn’t see a difference between herself and the male golfers. The skill may be at a different level, but a golfer is a golfer. White has noticed a strong resolve from his top player the last three years. While everyone wants to talk about the boy-girl difference, Waller keeps on winning.
“She just plays it like it’s any other competition or any other person,” White said. “She doesn’t see the whole boy-girl thing. It looks like the boys notice it. She thrives in it and she likes playing no matter who she is playing against. She just loves the game.”
Championship round: Waller is accustomed to the big stage. She has won many tournaments against top competition. She won the WPIAL title last year and held the lead at the PIAA Championships after the first day before finishing third.
She does admit that nerves come with the territory. It helped having her coach and her parents there to encourage her before she teed off.
At Willowbrook Country Club, Waller reinforced her status as one of the top amateur golfers in the state. Waller bogeyed only one hole and birdied five holes to separate herself from the field.
“On No. 9, I birdied and that got me going,” Waller said. “From there, I’d just focus on putting and go from there.”
Compiled by Lance Lysowski