Morgan 6 off the lead after WPIAL 1st round

Two local girls players and six local boys are moving on to the final rounds of their respective WPIAL championships.

Eight local golfers will continue their quest for a WPIAL individual championship next week after first rounds Monday.

In the Class 3A girls championship, both golfers from Elizabeth Forward will compete in Monday’s final round at Butler Country Club.

Despite struggling throughout the day, defending champion Mya Morgan sits in fourth place, six strokes off the lead with a 9-over par 81 Monday at Willowbrook Country Club in Apollo.

Morgan finished with a 42 on the front before rebounding with a 39 on the back nine.

“Today, I just couldn’t find my rhythm,” Morgan said following her round. “My drive off the tee was inconsistent. I hit two balls out of bounds then drove the green. I took a seven on that hole, but that’s golf. Some days you have it, some days you don’t.”

Morgan admitted she was getting frustrated.

“I didn’t control my internal emotions,” she said. “This caused some easy chips to roll out and I wasn’t feeling the greens like I usually do.”

Morgan’s EF teammate Sydney Boyd will compete in the final round despite not having her best day.

The Warriors sophomore had three /Volumes/Mon Pages/ 2024/ September 2024/24/B1/IMG_3805. jpeg holes that combined for 23 strokes with a six, eight and nine.

She finished 28-over with a 100 in the opening round.

Morgan has long-time rival and overall leader Ellie Benson of Peters Township in her sights and will work to prepare herself for Monday’s trip to Butler.

“This week, I’ll be moving back to the white and blue tees to get comfortable with my drive. I’ll also be focused on my short game – 100 yards and in,” she said. “Tough days happen, but they’re only one day. I know what I need to do to improve.”

Class 2A boys

Six of 10 local boys golfers have advanced to the Class 2A final round after dotting the leaderboard Monday.

Youghiogheny Country Club in McKeesport played host to Monday’s first round as golfers looked to advance to the final round Oct. 2 at Sewickley Heights Country Club.

Elizabeth Forward’s Aaron Didjunas is sitting in a good spot after day 1. He’s four strokes off the lead and sits tied for fourth place after shooting 5-over 77.

McGuffey’s Logan Crowe is the leader at 1-under.

Three local golfers are among eight tied for 14th at 8-over par. South Allegheny senior Josh Nesky, Charleroi freshman Levi Large and Elizabeth Forward’s Luke Boyer are in the middle of the pack.

Not far behind the trio is Serra Catholic’s Kody Kraeuter. He had one of the best scores on the front nine with a 2-over 38, but he struggled in the back with a six on three different holes and a seven on the par 5 14th. He sits at 11over 83, tied for 23rd overall with two more competitors.

Julien Hredocik was able to sneak in as the final qualifier after tying at 34th. He shot 14-over par with an 86.

Charleroi junior Jake Corrin ended his individual season by shooting 20 over with a 92. Bentworth’s Ross Skerbetz was 65th with a 94 (22 over).

Frazier’s Aidan Hardy and Charleroi’s Gage Patterson were 70th and 71st, each shooting a 99 over the 18 holes.

The Class 3A boys first round will be held today at Southpointe Golf Club in Canonsburg. Five Belle Vernon Area golfers will be competing.