Upper St. Clair golfer finishes runner-up in the WPIAL
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Connor McKenzie of Upper St. Clair celebrates after sinking his final putt for a birdie during the WPIAL Class AAA boys’ individual championships. The junior finished runner-up to Penn-Trafford’s Nick Turkowski. During the two-day event, Turkowski shot 72-70—142 while McKenzie carded 73-74—147.
By Eleanor Bailey
Connor McKenzie with his grandfather, Phil Newcamp. The former golf pro at the St. Clair Country Club has coached McKenzie since he was little.
By Eleanor Bailey
Connor McKenzie of Upper St. Clair puts his chip shot onto the green during WPIAL Class AAA boys’ individual championship finals at Valley Brook Country Club.
By Eleanor Bailey
Connor McKenzie watches his putt approach the hole during the WPIAL Class AAA boys’ individual championships. McKenzie birdied No. 18 and finished with a 74 during the final round of competition at Valley Brook Country Club. The Upper St. Clair junior took the silver medal and advanced to the PIAA tournament to be held Oct. 16-17 on the Blue Course at Penn State University.
Ryan Watterson of Peters Township puts his chip shot on the green on No. 17 during WPIAL Class AAA boys' individual golf championship. In the final round played at Valley Brook Country Club, Watterson shot a 76.
Ryan Watterson of Peters Township tees off on No. 18. He parred the hole to finish his round of 76.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Ryan Watterson of Peters Township sinks his putt on No. 18 to finish his round of golf with a 76.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Ryan Watterson of Peters Township pumps his fist after sinking his putt on No. 18 to finish his round of golf with a 76.
Colton Lusk of Peters Township watches as his putt shot fall short of the hole during WPIAL Class AAA boys' individual golf championship finals held at Valley Brook Country Club.
Photos by Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Colton Lusk of Peters Township watches the flight of his tee shot during WPIAL Class 3A boys individual championship final action.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Colton Lusk of Peters Township watches his shot as it approaches the hole during WPIAL Class AAA boys’ individual golf championship finals action at Valley Brook Country Club.
Sam Bishop of South Fayette focuses on putting the ball on the green during WPIAL Class AAA boys' individual championship final action. Bishop just missed qualifying for the PIAA championship, falling on the first-hole of a tiebreaker.
Sam Bishop of South Fayette lets his tee shot sail during WPIAL Class AAA boys' individual golf championship final action. The sophomore just missed qualifying for the PIAA championships.
Tanner Mizenko of Canon-McMillan tries to coax his putt into the hole during WPIAL Class AAA boys' individual championship action. During the final round of competition, he carded an 89.
Tanner Mizenko of Canon-McMillan watches his putt on the 18th hole of the WPIAL Class AAA boys' individual golf championships.
Connor McKenzie is more like granddad than father when it comes to golf.
Since he was a little boy, the now Upper St. Clair junior took his instruction from former golf pro Phil Newcamp.
“Phil only coaches two people now. Connor, my oldest and Colin our youngest,” said Michael McKenzie, who married Newcamp’s daughter, Kristen, decades ago. “It’s a good price, too,” added Mr. McKenzie.
The lessons paid off recently as the 16-year-old McKenzie finished runner-up in the WPIAL. During the Class AAA tournament, he carded a two-day total of 147 to finish five strokes off the winning pace set by champion Nick Turowski from Penn-Trafford.
“I’m really lucky to have (Newcamp) as a grandpa and as a coach,” McKenzie said. “He’s a heck of a coach. I couldn’t ask for anything more. He’s taught me a lot.”
The most valuable lesson, McKenzie applied after an unsettling first hole on the second day of competition. McKenzie started one stroke behind Turowski after shooting a 73 in the first round played Sept. 25 at the Latrobe Country Club. McKenzie bogeyed the opening hole of the final round of action played Oct. 2 at Valley Brook Country Club.
“I cannot lie, I was pretty nervous,” McKenzie admitted. “It was just the fact I knew I was in contention and nerves kick in but that’s good because it means you care.”
McKenzie reminded himself of Newcamp’s approach to the game as he went on to hit 15 of 18 greens.
“He always tells me to worry about myself and keep smiling.”
Despite some bad luck where putts failed to drop for birdies, enabling him to catch the leader, McKenzie presented a positive front and exuded enthusiasm when he closed out the final hole with his lone birdie.
“I had to wait 17 holes,” he sighed.
“That birdie putt at the end was awesome,” said USC varsity head coach Todd Flynn. “Connor has been so close with putts. Right on the edge. So that one that dropped means a lot.”
WPIAL runner-up is significant for McKenzie for multiple reasons.
For starters, he lost to a two-time champion and the first from Westmoreland County since Arnold Palmer won in 1946 and 1947. Turowski also won a district championships in 2021 but was runner-up last year to Rocco Salvitte, who attended Central Catholic but hailed from Canonsburg.
“Nick is a heck of a player,” McKenzie said of the West Virginia University recruit. “I love competing with him and playing out there with him. It’s awesome.”
Equally thrilling was qualifying for the PIAA championships to be held Oct. 16-17 at Penn State University. The top 14 finishers in the Class AAA event advanced to the state tournament.
McKenzie said he has “high expectations” for the PIAA championships because he competed in a tournament at Penn State this summer and carded a 4-under-par and finished second.
“It should be interesting and I thing this (WPIAL) experience will help me stay level headed. In golf anything can happen. Maybe Nick can go out there and make nine birdies in a row or I could. You never know. You have to be prepared to make bogeys, birdies because you never know what golf is going to give you.”
The course at Valley Brook Country Club gave McKenzie all he wanted. He praised Mike Papson for the well-groomed course.
“Mike did a a great job of setting up with the pin placement. The pins were perfect. Not too hard and the greens were perfect. Everything was great out there. Once again, (Papson) did a great job.
“Going into this, I knew I had to shoot a good score but I also wanted to play my own game. I let my game take me where it goes.”
McKenzie hopes his game takes him farther than just Penn State.
He plans to play collegiately at a top Division I school. Already, he has been in contact with the Naval Academy. “I’ve talked a lot with the coach. He’s a great guy and they have a great facility.”
Eventually, McKenzie would like to take a shot at making the pro tour.
“That’s something I would like to do,” he said. “That’s a goal of mine but that’s so far away. If not on tour, I would like to be a head professional somewhere just like my grandpa.”
PT duo advanceTwo Peters Township golfers will join McKenzie at the PIAA Class AAA golf championships.
Colton Lusk shot a 75 to finish in a tie for sixth place. He carded a 78 in the first round of action at Latrobe Country Club for a two-round total of 153.
Though he entered the second day of competition tied for 20th place, Ryan Watterson carded a 1-under-35 on the back nine to finish with a 76 and a tie for 10th with a two-round total of 157.
The pair’s teammate Nick Haught entered the final round tied for eighth place but dropped out of contention for a PIAA-qualifying spot by shooting 82 to finish 19th overall.
Peters Township coach David Kuhn was happy for Lusk and Watterson but disappointed for Haught.
“I thought they all played well,” Kuhn said. “A little rough start early, but we’re disappointed for Nick Haught. He had a rough start to the day. He really hung with it. Ryan played an incredible back nine. He took himself from out of contention and put himself back in contention. Every one has a clean slate at the state tournament.”
After winning the section tournament, the Peters Township boys will begin its quest for a WPIAL team title on Oct. 10 at The Links at Spring Church in Apollo. The top three teams advance to the championship Oct. 12 on Cedarbrook’s gold course in Belle Vernon.
“We have been in the final match 19 times in the last 20 years and we’ve won six of them,” Kuhn said. “We like where we are at and we like our team. We have a really high standard in what we do.”
In other golf news, South Fayette sophomore Sam Bishop finished in a tie for 14th place, but carded a bogey on the tieb-reaking hole to determine the final spot for the state tournament. He finished behind Plum’s Wes Lorish and Fox Chapel’s Carson Kittsley, who had a birdie and par on the playoff hole. Lorish qualified for states while Kittsley is the alternate.
Several other area golfers competed in the final round but did not advance.
Chan Yoon of Bethel Park finished 21st overall with a 79-79–158 score while Neil Joon of Upper St. Clair followed in 23rd position with 82s in both rounds.
SF sophomore Brady Newman, tied for 30th with a two-round total of 167 while Canon-McMillan senior Tanner Mizenko was 36th with a two-round total of 171.