Oct 1, 2024 By Eleanor Bailey 4 min read

Colton Lusk

Colton Lusk knew there would be a bad hole or two when he played the fabled golf course at Oakmont Country Club on Oct. 1 during the final round of the WPIAL Class 3A boys championships. So the Peters Township senior approached the issue pragmatically.

“I knew I would have one because we’re not all perfect,” Lusk said. “I wanted to do it as soon as possible and get it out of the way.”

Indeed Lusk did.

He bogeyed his first hole of the day and double-bogeyed the first hole on the back nine. Yet he went on to claim the title.

Lusk finished his round with a 4-under-par 67. That score combined with his fist-round of 74 at Southpointe Golf Club gave him the victory by five strokes over Michael Quallich from Baldwin and William Hilton from Pine-Richland. Both tied for second place.

“It feels surreal now,” Lusk said. “This was something I have been wanting to do for three years and I finally got it done.”

Lusk’s high school and personal coach David Kuhn agreed that the milestone was a long-time objective.

“We have been through battles working together for four years on this. I’d be lying if I said that I was not surprised.

“Colton had a good practice round and we built off that,” Kuhn continued. “He has been playing great golf this year. He wasn’t perfect but he didn’t need to be but was when he had to be and that speaks volumes.”

After starting with a bogey, Lusk fired off four straight birdies followed by four pars. He birdied out to finish the front nine with a 3-under-par 33.

“At Oakmont when you get in the fairway bunkers, it’s like a penalty shot. So I made a five there,” he said of first-hole bogey. “I knew the next five holes were easier than the back and I would be given chances to make birdies.”

On the back nine, he again started with a bogey, a double one at that, before recovering with five pars and birdies on 14, 16 and 17. He was 1-under on the back nine (34).

“After 10, I was one under and that was really good but I knew I had work to do,” Lusk said. “I just kept going and didn’t let things bother me.

“I hit the ball well and played good golf. I knew that if I kept my mind on straight and didn’t let little things bother me, then I would be given chances to make birdies.”

While Kuhn said that Lusk worked on developing a golf swing that produced power as well as control over the ball, the pair also focused on mental toughness. Lusk’s mental approach to the match proved the difference.

“From a golf perspective, Colton put in the work and the training but he has also grown. He is mentally strong and resilient. He plays with a calmness. He bounces back. He passed the test that Oakmont throws at you with flying colors.”

Oakmont is the site of the U.S. Open next year from June 12-15.

“It’s the greatest course on the planet,” said Kuhn. “You get penalized when you make mistakes and for what Colton did, tactically, I am so proud of him.”

Lusk, too, was pleased.

“I was thinking about all the pros who played here all day but I tried not to let it influence my play,” he said. “It’s cool that they played here. So I wanted to see if I can do something cool as well. A 67 is a 67 anywhere but at Oakmont it’s more special.”

While Lusk became only the second player in school history to win a WPIAL boys golf championship – Hunter Bruce – was the other, he has set his sights now on a PIAA crown. The state tournament will be held Oct. 21-23 at Penn State.

“The goal is to go to states and win,” he said. “This (the WPIAL title) gives me a lot of momentum to push this forward.”

The top 14 finishers advanced to the state tournament.

Upper St. Clair’s Connor McKenzie medaled in eighth place, shooting the second-best score of the day with a 2-under-par 69. Coupled with his first-round score of 83, McKenzie’s overall mark was 152.

South Fayette’s Sam Bishop shot 75 in the final round and finished in a tie for ninth place with a 153 total.

PT’s Griffin Hansberry tied for 12th after shooting 73 at Oakmont and finishing with a two-round total of 156.