Salvitti slides at end, McClintock rises
Qualifiers for the boys Class AAA state tournament.
Canonsburg resident Rocco Salvitti, a junior at Central Catholic High School, tries a putt on No. 18 hole at Nemacolin Country Club Tuesday.
BEALLSVILLE – Rocco Salvitti had a problem.
Some 60 feet in front of him was the 18th green of Nemacolin Country Club.
And 20 feet in front of him was a tree.
A perfect shot and Salvitti would have a chance to sink the putt and pressure Nick Turowski of Penn-Traffford, who had a one-stroke lead over Salvitti in the WPIAL Class 3A Golf Championship on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon.
A little too far to the left and one ran the risk of sending the golf ball off the green. A little too far to the right and the leaves threatened to wrap up the shot like a casing over a sausage.
Salvitti, a Canonsburg native and senior at Central Catholic High School, got too close to the tree and it snatched the ball out of mid-air and spit it to the ground about halfway to the hole.
Turowski went on to win the event and Salvitti finished tied for fourth after that double-bogey 6 on the par-4 hole.
Still, Turowski and Salvitti joined a dozen other golfers in qualifying for the PIAA Championships Oct. 18 and 19 at Heritage Hills Resort in York.
“That tree on 18, I had to try and give myself a good shot into the green,” said Salvitti, who spent most of the day tied with Turowski.
“I hit a 4-iron off the tee and probably shouldn’t have done it,” said Salvitti. “It left myself with an 8-iron in. I had to make a 2 or 3. Where the round really changes is (the par-4) 15th. I hit off a tree root and he is in the middle of the fairway. He makes a birdie and I make a bogey. That’s where it all flipped around.”
Salvitti will be joined by Kyle McClintock of Peters Township, who moved from tied for 8th to tied for second without swinging the club. James Cavrak of South Fayette was four shots better on the back nine and tied for seventh. Tyler Mocello, a senior from Belle Vernon, finished seven-over par with a 77 and tied for ninth.
The top 14 players in the field advanced to the state tournament.
“I hit a lot of good shots,” said Salvitti. “I had a lot of good up-and-down shots. I should have had a few more up-and-down shots.”
So what is the key to conquering the par-70, 5,501-yard hilly course?
“Keep the ball below the hole,” said Salvitti, who was medalist in the semifinals last week at Willowbrook Country Club in Apollo.
“You have to put yourself in good position and I did through most of the round.”
McClintock had a thoroughly enjoyable day, finishing the round early in a tie for eighth place after shooting 37-37-74. Then players in front of him began to stumble and he climbed the ladder without needing to make a shot.
“I played really well. My driver went really well, I had some really good saves, my putts were falling,” said McClintock. “When my driver is working, my confidence soars. I’m really happy with myself today.”
Three straight birdies on Nos. 12, 13 and 14 of the back nine polished off a 6-over 76 and punched his ticket to the state tournament.
“It went well, except for a couple holes,” said Cavrak. “I hit it below the hole on 14 about five feet and made it. On No. 12, I hit it out of the rough and it was back right of the green. It rolled all the way back down and I made it going up the hill.”
Mocello shook off a seven on the par-5 sixth to shoot 77 and tie for ninth.
Colton Deems of Trinity had two sevens on his card on the way to an 81 and tie for 18th.
Nick Haught, a freshman from Peters Township, shot a 45-39-84 and finished tied for 26.