Peters Township golfer takes second in WPIAL
Ellie Benson experienced one of those days on the golf course. As a result, the Peters Township sophomore finished runner-up in the WPIAL.
After she carded a 73 in the first round of action played Sept. 26, Benson took a two-shot lead into championship round of play Oct. 4.
The advantage slipped away when Benson shot a 13-over-par 85 on the 5,500-yard, par 72 course at Diamond Run Country Club in Sewickley.
“Mainly, one bad shot led to a lot of bad shots,” said Benson. “A couple bad shots on a couple holes really put a dent in my score.”
Benson finished with a two-day total of 158 allowing Mya Morgan to rally for the victory. The Elizabeth-Forward sophomore won the Class AAA title with a 75-71–146.
Benson started well. She picked up a birdie and three pars on the first four holes but double-bogeyed on No. 5 and was four shots over on No. 7. With two pars, she finished the front nine with a 5-over 40.
“I got off to a good start,” she said. “So there were definitely some highs.”
On the back nine, she parred only two holes. Benson started the back nine with a triple-bogey seven and bogeyed the par-5 12th and the par-3 13. She had another triple bogey on 16 and a bogey on No. 18. Benson carded a 45 on the par-37 back nine.
“It was mainly my tee shots,” Benson said. “I would say I put myself in trouble off the tee. I hit into the fescue and that’s not a good place to be. You have to make sure you put the nall in play.”
Benson’s two-day effort though did nail down a PIAA berth. She will compete in the state championships to be held Oct. 16-17 at Penn State.
“I have to play a calm round,” she said. “There is very little room for error.”
Benson also conceded, “This isn’t the first time I lost the lead in a tournament and it probably won’t be my last.”
Benson will be making the trip to Penn State alone as none of her teammates and no other South Hills area golfer earned a qualifying berth for the PIAA championships.
PT’s Brooke Vowcheck just missed a spot as she finished tied for eighth place. Only the top seven finishers in the WPIAL advanced to states.
Other finishers for the Lady Indians included: Sophia Severns (11th); Amelia Severns (19th) and Gabby Catalogna (22nd).
Upper St. Clair’s Addy Shedd (13th), Olivia Ziegler (14th) and Myla Burchill (23rd) and Mt. Lebanon’s Madeline Zerega (16th) completed the list of area competitors.
In Class AA, Emily Obara from Seton La-Salle captured the bronze medal. The junior finished three strokes off the winning pace set by Neshannock’s Sophia Covelli.
The top six finishers in Class AA advanced to the PIAA state tournament.