Upper St. Clair golfer wins sectional
Louis Olsakovsky of Upper St. Clair won the Section 7-AAA title with a 71 score at Hickory Heights Golf Course.
Louis Olsakovsky practices his chipping in preparation for district championship action this week. The Upper St. Clair senior is one of the top contenders to win a WPIAL title for boys’ golf. The district finals are set for Oct. 4 at Oakmont Country Club.
Lou Olsakovsky took the first step toward his goals of winning championships in boys’ golf this fall when the Upper St. Clair senior captured the Section 7-AAA title. He carded a 71 during the sectional held at Hickory Heights Golf Course.
“I hit my shots off the tee well and put 15 out of 18 on the greens,” said the son of Judy and Steve Olsakovsky.
“Hickory Heights is a tight course, but I didn’t get into trouble,” he added. “Hickory Heights is definitely a tough course.”
The course proved difficult, as only eight players from the section advanced to the WPIAL semifinals played yesterday (Sept. 27) at the Cranberry Highlands and Hannastown golf courses. The top finishers advance to the WPIAL finals, set for Oct. 4 at Oakmont Country Club.
Olsakovsky’s teammate Jack O’Leary fired a 78 to finish fifth at the sectional. Hunter Bruce, last year’s WPIAL champion, finished as runner-up, three strokes off the pace set by Olsakovsky. Also from Peters Township, J.W. Cunningham (75), Tanner Johnson (77) and Matt Petrisin (80) qualified for the semifinals. Canon-McMillan’s Rob Licht (80) and South Fayette’s Luke Lestini (80) also made the cut.
Because Olsakovsky is friends with O’Leary, a Hickory Heights club member, he said he plays the course a lot. Olsakovsky also played at Hickory Heights the following day, when the Panthers battled South Fayette in a Section 7 duel. Olsakovsky fired a 39 during the nine-hole match. He is averaging 35 this year in match play.
Olsakovsky credits his summer training program for his success. He worked at Frosty Valley and he competed nationally, qualifying for the U.S. Junior Amateur Golf Championships played on the Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tenn.
“I wanted to do well, especially this being my senior year, so I just worked real hard this summer,” Olsakovsky said. “It’s definitely helping. Being able to play high-profile tournaments helped me put into perspective matches. The goal is to have fun.”
Individually, Olsakovsky hopes to continue the good times on the greens. The top finishers from the semifinals advance to the WPIAL championships, which will be held at the site of many U.S. Opens, including this year’s tournament.
Olsakovsky played at Oakmont once, as a freshman. He said that he doesn’t remember what he shot but does recall that the course was very challenging.
“It will be very exciting to play at Oakmont, because it has a ton of history. But I expect it will be extremely difficult, not the yardage (6,436), but the greens are challenging. It will be a tough test.”
The true test comes after spending time in the clubhouse and actually hitting the greens. Because he has played there before, Olsakovsky said that he has gotten the “awe factor” out of the way.
“It’s hard not to be awed or think about those who played here because you see all the Open trophies and pictures in the clubhouse,” he said. “Once out on the course, though, I will be focused on golf and playing each shot as it is.”
That’s because Olsakovsky had big goals.
“My goals are to win the WPIAL title and to win a state championship,” he said.
Playing in Section 7-AAA helps Olsakovsky hone his game. The league features Peters Township, which is the defending district team champion. The Indians are currently undefeated this season. The Panthers host the Indians this afternoon (Sept. 28) at St. Clair Country Club.
“Playing with Peters Township definitely makes you better. Playing against competition that is as good as you are, drive you to become better, especially when you know they are out there every day practicing and working hard.”
Kness wins
Mia Kness claimed the Section 2-AAA girls’ title. The Peters Township senior shot a 3-under-par 68 on the Cedarbrook Golf Course.
With the lowest score of any qualifier in either classification, Kness enters the finals as the favorite to win the 2016 WPIAL championship. The individual title match is set for Oct. 5 at Treesdale Golf and Country Club in Gibsonia.
Several other local ladies will join Kness in the championships. Upper St. Clair and Bethel Park advanced two golfers each: Bella Petrone (70) and Meredith Engel (87), as well as Brooke Hilden (73) and Erin Cavrak (84). Canon-McMillan’s Taylor Waller took third overall, carding a 71. Baldwin’s Vanessa Taylor (84) and Paige Gennaula (77) from Thomas Jefferson also qualified.
Bruce leads PT
Hunter Bruce carded a 1-under-35 and paced Peters Township to victory, 192-235, in Section 7-AAA action played on the Back 9 at Southpointe Golf Course.
Tanner Johnson followed with a 38, while Brian Livolsi and J.W. Cunningham each fired 39 scores. Matt Petrisin finished with a 41 for the Indians, who improved to 14-0 overall this season.