Four advance to WPIAL final round at Oakmont
Three Belle Vernon Area golfers and one from Thomas Jefferson made the cut at the WPIAL Class 3A championship first round Tuesday and will advance to play in the final round next week at Oakmont Country Club.
The Leopards’ Seth Tomalski was the top finisher among local golfers and currently sits tied for 16th overall after shooting a 7-over 79.
Tomalski shot a 39 on the front and a 40 on the back nine.
Right behind Tomalski was Thomas Jefferson freshman Ty Hartman. One of only 10 freshmen in the field of 110 golfers, Hartman shot 8-over 80 and is tied for 19th. He combined for a 13 on the eighth and ninth holes. He rebounded nicely on the back nine and didn’t shoot a score higher than a five, finishing two over.
Belle Vernon’s Jack Edwards is tied for 26th after shooting 10-over 82.
Leopards teammate Jordan Mocello is tied for 34th just one stroke behind Edwards, though, finishing right at the cut line.
BVA, who finished the regular season unbeaten as a team, had five golfers participate in the individual championships.
Donnie Croftcheck finished 54th overall. He was 11 over par on the front nine but settled in and shot a 38 on the back nine to finish with an 85.
Leopards junior Landon Vaccaro carded a 95 to end his day. He shot 47 on the front and 48 on the back.
Fox Chapel sophomore Carson Kittsley leads the way at 1-over par after hitting a 73. Four golfers are one stroke off the pace.
Tee times for the final round at Oakmont will be released later this week, according to the WPIAL.
The country club will host the 2025 U.S. Open next summer and has just completed an extensive renovation project.
Greens were expanded by nearly 24,000 square feet, allowing groundskeepers to adjust pin locations in multiple locations.
The course will present a big challenge for some of the top golfers in the world next year, but it will host some of the WPIAL’s best on Tuesday.
