Playing at Oakmont great experience for area golfers
Jack O’Leary carded a 76 and finished tied for sixth place in the WPIAL AAA boys’ golf championships.
Hunter Bruce shot a 76 and finished tied for sixth in the WPIAL AAA boys’ golf championships
Mia Kness of Peters Township was the WPIAL Class AAA runner-up during the girls’ golf championships.
The mere mention of Oakmont brings goosebumps to young golfers. Actually playing the course exudes an entirely different emotion.
“One of the greatest experiences of my life,” Upper St. Clair’s Jack O’Leary said. “It was a privilege to play the course where the so many legends of the game have played.”
And on the same day the golf world bid farewell to its greatest ambassador, Arnold Palmer, in Latrobe, O’Leary had his own army of admirers as he competed for the WPIAL Class AAA championship. O’Leary fired a 76 and tied for sixth place. He was six shots off the winning pace set by Fox Chapel’s Gregor Meyer.
“My parents and friends were with me throughout the round, making it even more special,” O’Leary said of his outing at Oakmont. “I thought I played a solid round.”
A double bogey on No. 10 proved the turning point for the Upper St. Clair junior. After firing a 40 on the front nine, O’Leary carded a 36 on the back nine. The effort was enough to earn O’Leary a spot in the Western Regional. The first step toward a PIAA championship is set for Oct. 17 at Tom’s Run Golf Course in Blairsville.
“I knew that how I reacted would determine whether or not I would score well enough to advance,” said O’Leary after he made the turn at 10. “I ended up playing the last eight holes at 1 under par. Overall, I was very happy with my performance.”
O’Leary’s showing erased the memory of his failure to qualify last year for the PIAA tournament. And he did so on one of the most-recognized courses in the world.
“I was very excited to qualify, especially after my disappointing finish in last year’s finals,” O’Leary said. “The most exciting part was qualifying at Oakmont Country Club.”
O’Leary’s teammate Lou Olsavkovsky shot an 82 and did not advance to the regional. The sectional champion finished 20th in the WPIAL championships.
Kness runner-up
One stroke proved the difference in the shade of medal Mia Kness wore around her neck at the completion of the WPIAL Class AAA golf championships playe at Treesdale Golf and Country Club in Adams Township.
The Peters Township sophomore carded a 76 to finish runner-up to Caroline Wrigley. The North Allegheny sophomore shot a 75 to win the title.
Kness was one of two local ladies to advance to the PIAA Western Regional Championships, to be played Oct. 17 at Tom’s Run Golf Course in Blairsville. Taylor Waller was the other. The Canon-McMillan junior finished fourth with an 82.
Kness fired a 1-over 36 over the front nine but carded double-bogey 6s on No. 10 and 15 to fall three shots back with three holes to play.
“I hit a couple bad shots, and this is a tough course to do it on,” said Kness. “On 10, I hit it off the green and three-putted. On 15, I put it in the hazard. I settled down after that.”
Kness played the final three holes with a 1-under to earn the silver medal. The Seton Hall recruit birdied No. 17 and shot par on No. 18, a hole in which only 11 of the field of 30 made it in three shots.
Of her overall performance Kness said, “The front nine was tough but I played really well. I got it in the fairway, hit the greens and made some putts.”
Meanwhile, Waller made her putts after a bad start. She double-bogeyed the par-4 first and triple-bogey No. 3 but recovered for a 3-over par during the remaining holes. Waller credits her sister, Lauren, who is now playing at Penn State, for maintaining composure.
“she taught me to never give up,” said Waller. “She said if you have a bad hole, don’t let it get to your head. It was that way for me after the third hole. I was just trying to keep in mind that there was a lot of golf left.”
For three other local girls, there is plenty of team golf remaining. The WPIAL championships are set for Oct. 13 at Cedarbrook Golf Course in Rostraver Township. Upper St. Clair’s Bella Petrone shot an 85 and just missed a qualifying slot for regionals, finishing tied for eighth place. Her teammate Meredith Engel also competed in the WPIAL championships, finishing 23rd overall. Peters Township’s Brooke Hilden finished tied for 11th place with an 88.
Bruce secures 6th
Hunter Bruce of Peters Township did not have his best round of golf as he attempted to defend his WPIAL title. Oakmont did that to many.
The famed golf course was tamed only by one: Gregor Meyer. The Fox Chapel sophomore carded a 1-under 70 to capture the Class AAA title. Jimmy Meyers of Central Catholic and Justin Griffith of Hampton each fired 73s to finish tied for runner-up honors.
Meanwhile, Bruce totaled a 76 and tied three others for sixth place.
“I didn’t play my best, but I played well enough to get through,” said Bruce, a junior. “That’s all I wanted. I’m excited, happy to get through to the next round.”
The top 14 finishers qualified for the PIAA Western Regional Championships, to be held Oct. 17 at Tom’s Run.
Bruce was not completely unfamiliar with Oakmont. He played the course in August and shot a practice round the Sunday leading up to the event.
“The greens were very, very slow on Sunday,” he said. “They had not been cut. They were only 10 or 11,” he said about the rating on the Stimpmeter, a device used to measure the speed of a golf course putting green.
During the U.S. Open in June, by comparision, “They were 12 or 13. I like them fast. But once I got out off the first tee, it all disappeared,” he said.
Meanwhile, J.W. Cunningham’s chances of finishing in the top 14 virtually disappeared from the get go. The Peters Township senior started terribly, sending his tee shot on No. 1 into the woods to the right of the fairway and was forced to reload. He got the second tee shot in play but ended up with a triple-bogey seven.
Cunningham said he could not remember the last time he had a 7 on a hole and knew it was a steep climb to finish 15th overall and as the alternate for the regional.
“After the first hole, I knew there was a chance of having to wait it out,” said Cunningham. “It happens. It happens to everyone. I was a little nervous; I’m not going to lie. I was playing Oakmont in the WPIAL Championships. It’s something special.”
Cunningham blocked out that thought when he faced a playoff with Luke Minsky of North Allegheny for the alternate slot. To win the spot, Cunningham, shot par on the No. 1 hole he’d had so much trouble with earlier, while Hinsky fired a bogey-5.
PT goes 18-0
Peters Township completed its third consectuive undefeated regular season, running its record to 54-0 during that span, after beating Mt. Lebanon, 183-191. The Indians, who won the Section 7 title with a 10-0 slate, headed into the team playoffs with an 18-0 record.
Hunter Bruce earned medalist honors in the win against Lebo. He carded a 34. J.W. Cunningham (35), Tanner Johnson (36), Brian Livolsi (39), Michael Bell (39) completed the scoring for the Indians, who played in the WPIAL semifinals Oct. 11 at Indian Run Golf Course, Independence Township. The top teams in the match that included Mt. Lebanon and Upper St. Clair, as well as Bell Vernon, Moon, Pine-Richland, Shady Side Academy, Thomas Jeferson and West Allegheny, advanced to the WPIAL team finals set for Oct. 13 at Cedarbrook Golf Course.
In the loss to Peters Township, Sam Bellini tied for medalist honors with Bruce. He, too, shot a 34. While Andrew Smith fired a 37, Luke Rolfsen and Cory Koval finished with 39s. JT Nichols contributed a 42 for the Blue Devils, who were 11-1 in Section 6-AAA and 12-4 overall.
Staff writer Joe Tuscano contributed to this article.