Peters Township native wins WPGA Open
Through the starts and stops of play due to inclement weather, Connor Schmidt stormed to victory during the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association’s (WPGA) 122nd Open Championship held June 16-18 at Sewickley Heights Golf Club.
The Venetia native and Peters Township High School graduate waited out three weather suspensions in the final two days, including an hour-long delay as he walked to the 18th tee.
When play resumed, Schmidt birdied the final hole and finished with a 10-under par 203 for the victory. He ended up three strokes ahead of a trio of golfers and five strokes ahead of Louis Olsakovsky from Upper St. Clair, who tied two others for sixth place.
“Delays are always tough,” he said of the suspensions,” Schmidt said.
“I just went to the locker room and kept to myself and stretched a lot. And stayed hydrated.
“The last one was obviously the hardest one. I saw I was in the lead and was trying to stay calm and focused on what I need to do.”
Schmidt is no stranger to WPGA events, especially the Open. In 2018, he came close to winning but lost in a playoff at Oakmont, which recently hosted the US Open. In 2019 and 2020, he won the WPGA Amateur Championship.
“Some of the greats of the game are on this trophy, like Arnold Palmer,” said Schmidt. “I always wanted to get back into the winning circle at this event. I’m just really happy I could do it this week.”
Schmidt was equally delighted because the triumph was his first as a professional. He earned $6,500 in prize money.
He also was the second straight champion from Peters Township High School. Alec Stopperich won the Open last year at Indiana Country Club.
“We graduated together,” Schmidt said. “Our names will forever be next to each other on the trophy, which is pretty cool.”
In his run-up to his professional career, Schmidt was the 2015 PIAA Western Regional champion and a KPGA Tournament winner. A three-year letter winner and team MVP, he helped the Indians win back-to-back WPIAL team titles before he matriculated to Drexel University. While honing his golf skills for the Dragons, Schmidt earned Bachelors of Science degree in Business Analytics and Operations management
Amateur Chuck Tragesser finished in a tie for second, earning Low Amateur honors. Professionals Rob McClellan and Beau Titsworth also finished runners-up. Amateur Scott Jordan, who held a late lead over Schmidt, placed fifth.
Jordan led the competition after a first round at 5-under. He and Titsworth were atop the leaderboard when the second round concluded with matching 7-under marks.
After the dangerous weather passed through Sewickley, Schmidt still had work to do, leading the event by just a stroke. His drive sailed well right of the dogleg Par 4 and into the rough, setting up a tricky, uphill approach shot.
“I was kind of struggling off and on today,” said Schmidt. “After the long delay, I just put an anti-left swing on it. I knew I could miss right. It was on a crazy slide slope. The ball was probably two feet under my feet. Somehow, I was able to put a great shot on it and put it to 15 feet.”
He followed that with a birdie putt that rode a downhill slope into the hole, pushing him to 10-under and solidifying the victory.
“I thought I needed it,” he said of the putt. “I knew someone was at 8-under, or two people were at 8-under. And they were at (the 17th hole), so they could get a birdie. I figured I had to make it. I was super nervous but just had to find a way to make it. I can’t believe it went in.
“I was just holding on all day. I didn’t feel super comfortable in the middle of the round, but I settled in on the back nine after the rain delay. I finally made a birdie on the back nine.”
The second round had to be completed Wednesday morning due to poor course conditions because of heavy rain. Schmidt struggled a bit during the close of his second round but quickly refocused and got off to a blistering start in the final round, starting five-under through his first five holes.
“It was kind of wild,” he said. “I played very poorly in the morning when we had to restart the second round. I shot 1-over. I needed to reset there. I knew I was capable of playing good golf. I got off to a good start on (the first hole) and then chipped in on 2 from a crazy spot for eagle. I wasn’t expecting that.”
The win is the second straight for a Peters Township grad, as Schmidt followed close friend Alec Stopperich, who won the 2024 version of the West Penn Open and finished 17th this year at 2-over. Nathan Piatt, an Upper St. Clair graduate, tied for 12th place with a one-under, 212 score.
On top of the heartbreaking loss in the same competition seven years ago, Schmidt also overcame physical challenges as he was dealing with a surgically repaired wrist. Since the procedure last June, Schmidt has played sporadically.
“I’ve been playing off and on this year,” he said. “This is honestly the first event that I really felt no pain in my wrist and was free out there. I’m happy it all worked out.”
After the Open, Schmidt headed for Canada to work on earning a spot on the PGA Tour Americas, which is a combination of the old Canadian Tour and Latin America Tour. The second half of the season starts in July in Canada.
“It’s a 72-hole tournament that they call a Q-school,” Schmidt said. “The top 11 finishers get full status on the tour. Hopefully I’m able to get one of those spots and play in Canada all summer.”