South Fayette golfer wins second straight WPIAL golf title
By Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Marissa Malosh of South Fayette gets a congratulatory hug from her mother, Lisa, after capturing her second straight WPIAL Class AAA title for girls’ golf.
By Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
By Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Marissa Malosh hits out of a bunker during the WPIAL Class AAA girls’ golf championships at Valley Brook Country Club. The South Fayette senior won her second straight district title on Oct. 4, carding a 77 score.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Marissa Malosh of South Fayette kicks up a little grass while hitting a shot during WPIAL girls’ golf championship action. Despite not having the best iron game, Malosh captured her second straight title.
By Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Ellie Benson of Peters Township watches her putt attempt on No. 9 during WPIAL Class AAA girls’ individual championships action at Valley Brook Country Club. The freshman finished third overall (81-80–161) and qualified for the state championships to be held Oct. 17-18 on the blue and white course at Penn State University.
Marissa Malosh relied on her C game to claim her second straight WPIAL Class AAA girls golf championship.
When her irons let her down and after she scored a triple-bogey on the fourth hole, the South Fayette senior remained calm, cool and collected and fought through her final 18 holes on Oct. 4 at Valley Brook Country Club.
“Everyone is going to have a bad hole at one point and you try to minimize that by keep going and trying to get back on par. I did exactly what I wanted to do. Stay composed. Stay calm. I didn’t want to make anything worse. I didn’t want things to snowball.”
Malosh smoothed out each bogey — there were five others — with three birdies and nine pars, She scored a 39 on the front nine and 38 on the back nine.
Her 5-over 77 coupled with her first-round score of 3-over 75 at the Youghiogheny Country Club gave her a 152 total under the WPIAL’s new 36-hole format. That gave Malosh a six-stroke win over runner-up Lihinin Ranaweera from Seneca Valley, who finished 81-77-158. Peters Township freshman Ellie Benson took third with a 81-80-161.
In 2021, Malosh won her first WPIAL title with par 72 at Hannastown Golf Club.
“The pressure was definitely different,” Malash said of the two championship matches.
“Last year, my only goal was to make it to states. This year, I couldn’t really do that. I wanted to win it again but I didn’t just want to set the goal to win. So I just kind of wanted to set a score and make sure my mind was always composed and calm … that if I had a blow up, then I would let it go.
“Last year, everything just came together and this year I had to scramble. The best part of my game is usually my irons and by far that was the worst part. I had to rely on my short game.
“So these were two completely different years. I was just happy that I was able to come through in the end.”
After her rocky start, Malosh played a consistent game. She parred seven holes in a row before getting her second birdie on No. 12. She backed that up, however, with bogeys in four of her final six holes.
“It definitely was not how I wanted to finish,” she said. “I made some 50-foot putts and missed some 2-footers. It was not my best but I was happy I could finish where I needed to be.
“I think I let the nerves get to me. Again my irons weren’t working and I usually can rely on them but I couldn’t. It wasn’t my best but I am happy I didn’t make anything worse than it had to be.
“It’s such a relief,” Malosh continued. “In the end, you just take a deep breath and know that you did what needed to be done and that was okay. There was never one point where I was super comfortable but there was never a point when I felt like I was in danger.”
Malosh now has a PIAA title in her sites. As one of the top seven finishers in the district, she has qualified for the state championship tournament to be played Oct. 16-17 at Penn State. Last year, Malosh tied for 14th place, carding an 80.
“I really want to win,” Malosh said. “This year, I think I’m a better player than I was last year. I really do think I have a chance but I have to play well and better than I did (at WPIALs). I definitely have to work on my irons but I do think I have a chance to win. I hope I can but there are a lot of good girls in the tournament.”
Malosh is banking on her experience and familiarity with the course to help give her an edge.
“Last year was my first state championship and I was so nervous. It was like my first WPIAL. I was a mess. Now that I have one under my bel,t and I love Penn State, and I love that course, I think it will make me a little more calm. I’m excited.”