Sep 30, 2014 By Eleanor Bailey 4 min read

The second time around proved better than the first as Lauren Waller captured a consecutive WPIAL championship for girls’ golf.

“Definitely,” Waller said. “This one is sweeter. I shot my lowest score so far.”

The Canon-McMillan senior fired a personal-best, 4-under-par 68 from the gold tees on the 5,424-yard course at Willowbrook Country Club. She finished eight strokes ahead of the nearest competition as Gateway’s Johnna Beehner, Central Valley’s Amanda Scala and Penn-Trafford’s Amanda Conner all carded 76 scores.

“The competition was good,” Waller said of those who wished to unseat her as champion. “I knew it would tough because of the scores from the sectional tournaments. A lot of girls shot low scores.

“Plus,” Waller continued. “It was harder because of the pressure to repeat. I just tried to stay focused on the task at hand and stay mentally stable.”

Having been there before played into her hands. Waller finished second in the WPIAL as a sophomore. She was eighth as a freshman when she attended Shady Side Academy. Waller noted she was less nervous than she had been for past competitions.

“Experience helped a lot,” she said. “In the past I would psyche myself out but I was definitely calm. This time, I was in a good mental state. My only focus was to take it one hole at a time, one shot at a time.”

For Waller, the strategy worked. She converted five birdies and carded only one bogey.

“A lot of things were working for me. I shot well off the tees and I made putts,” she said.

Justin White agreed with the assessment. “Lauren played fantastic. Her tee shots were fabulous, she was putting very well and it was just clicking for her today,” said the Canon-McMillan golf coach. “It’s more of sit back and watch instead of coaching with her. There’s definitely not much I can contribute because she is so well-trained.”

In her quest for a PIAA championship, Waller will continue to train hard. With her WPIAL victory, she is now qualified for the western regional set for Oct. 14. The state finals will be held over a two-day period Oct. 20-21 in York. To reach her objective of a state crown, the Penn State recruit says she plans to ‘practice a lot’ at Southpointe Golf Course and work with her swing coach, Bill Kurp, as well as with White, perfecting her game.

“There are a lot of good golfers out East and I’m anticipating a harder course and a longer course with even better competition. But,” Waller continued, “I’m going into this with a good feeling.”

Not to mention another gold medal around her neck. The two-time WPIAL champion, who finished third in the state with a bronze medal in 2013, would love to finish her scholastic career with PIAA gold.

“It’s always been a goal since I started my career,” she admitted. “It depends on how well you play and at this point in time I’m playing pretty well.”

Kness qualifies

Mia Kness finished fifth in the WPIAL Class AAA championships and qualified for the PIAA western regional set for Oct. 14 at Tom’s Run Golf Course. The Peters Township sophomore carded a 77.

Kness’s teammate, Synclaire Kuhn, shot an 86 and placed 14th overall. Upper St. Clair’s Bella Petrone followed in 15th position with an 86. PT’s Brook Hilden and USC’s Elizabeth Engel also competed and finished among the top 24 golfers.

Walz third

In Class AA, Joe Walz finished two strokes off the winning pace set by Olivia Zumbrano of Greensburg Central Catholic.

The Seton-La Salle senior finished third overall with an 83. Zumbrano won the title with an 81 while Freeport’s Audrey Clauson claimed runner-up honors with an 82.

Walz qualified for the PIAA western regional for the third time in her career. She was the state runner-up last year as a junior.