Thirteen advance to WPIAL golf finals
The first round of the WPIAL Boys Golf Individual Championships was rough for many of the local qualifiers.
Only six of 12 local entrants in Class 3A advanced to next week’s final round, while in Class 2A seven of 19 made the cut for next week.
In Class 3A, which was held Monday at Latrobe Country Club, the top local finisher was Peters Township’s Colton Lusk, who tied for sixth placed with a round of 6-over 78 that included an eagle on the par-5 No. 2 hole. Six of the top seven finishers eagled the hole.
Penn-Trafford’s Nick Turowski shot the day’s low round, an even-par 72, one stroke better than Upper St. Clair’s Connor McKenzie.
Lusk was one of three Peters Township golfers to advance to next week’s final round, which will be held Monday on the Indians’ home course at Valley Brook Country Club.
PT’s Nick Haught and South Fayette’s Sam Bishop tied for eighth place with rounds of 7-over 79. Ryan Watterson of Peters Township was in a tie for 20th at 81, and Canon-McMillan’s Tanner Mizenko and South Fayette’s Brady Newman tied for 30th place at 82.
The top 36 finishers, and ties, advanced. Just missing the cut was Canon-McMillan’s David Szalay, who shot 84.
At the Class 2A event held at Willowbrook Country Club in Apollo, Belle Vernon sophomore Jordan Mocello shot 1-over 73 and finished in a tie for fifth place.
Ethan Dai of Quaker Valley was in first place after shooting 3-under 69, two shots better than Brownsville’s Daniel Sethman and Elizabeth Forward freshman Aaron Didjunas.
The Class 2A finals will be held Monday at Butler Country Club.
Mocello was one of four Belle Vernon golfers to advance to the final round. Rogan Maloney finished in eighth place at 4-over 76 and teammates Seth Tomalski and John Bellisimo each moved on with rounds of 80.
Elliot Lenhart of Charleroi (78), Alan Tarolli of Fort Cherry (79) and Waynesburg’s Braden Benke (82) also advanced.
Class 2A golfers needed to shoot 84 to advance to the final round. Carmichaels teammates Liam Lohr and Mason Lapana just missed the cut with a rounds of 85 and the Mikes’ Dustin Hastings finished with an 86.