BRADFORD, Pa. – It wasn’t quite the start that Owen Wright anticipated.
In Week 4 of the Penn-York Junior Golf League campaign, the rising Cattaraugus-Little Valley senior was 4-over par through five holes as he endured a handful of errant tee shots into the trees.
It was then, however, that Wright “fixed my head.”
“I said, I’m just gonna be confident, hit straight and that’s what I did,” he recalled afterward.
Wright was even the rest of the way, posting one more birdie and bogey, en route to shooting a 4-over par 76 at Pine Acres Golf Course on Monday – a day that began with heavy fog and ended with temperatures in the high 80s. The result of his improved play over the final 13 holes?
Yet another victory.
WRIGHT EDGED a trio of players by two strokes, including Louie Nedzinski, who himself has become a regular at the top of the Penn-York standings, to claim the Division I (16-18) boys crown on this penultimate stop of the local junior golf circuit. It was his third triumph in four weeks following a Week 1 triumph at Elkdale in which he carded an even-par 70 and last week’s bounce-back win at Wellsville.
This title, however, came with something of an asterisk: Wright actually shared the medal with Liam McCardle, who, quite impressively for being in a younger age group, also recorded a 76 to capture the Division II (14-15) boys title. Still, it marked another splendid performance for Wright, who’s now firmly in the driver’s seat for the overall points title entering next week’s final leg at Bartlett Country Club.
“Just staying consistent,” said the Cardinal Hills member, when asked about the roll he’s been on this summer. “I’ve been putting in the work, working on my game, but I’ve also been getting to the gym, I’m eating the right things and I’ve been trying to get to bed earlier and not stay up too late.
“Those things have been important too.”
WRIGHT’S WAS one of several notable outings to come from Monday’s scorcher in Pennsylvania.
Nedzinski (St. Mary’s) has taken second place at all four P-Y stops, tying for that spot on Monday with Tyler Salvaggio (Cardinal Hills) and Levi Howard (Pennhills). Nedzinski, in fact, is the only Penn-York golfer to have finished in the 70s in each round, carding a 73, 79, 76 and 78 (Wright had an 82 at Pennhills). Wright currently has the inside track for low average at 75.0, but Nedzinski is close behind at 76.5 with one course remaining.
McArdle, too, has been a model of consistency, following up two second-place finishes in which he shot 80 both times with a pair of firsts, notching a 78 in Wellsville last week and a 76 on Monday.
At Pine Acres, 10 golfers shot 81 or better (and seven were in the 70s) as participants continued to take advantage of the beautiful weather.
What was working for Wright?
“I was definitely struggling a little bit off the tee, but I was scrambling very well,” he said. “I was getting myself up and down and making the six-foot tester putts. I was just scrambling around very well, and when I had those six-foot par putts, I was making them, so putting I’d say was a big factor in shooting that.”
Monday’s round also featured two divisions that needed to be decided by a playoff.
IN DIVISION III (12-13) boys, Kayd Caskey (Bavarian Hills) fired a 42 over nine holes to tie Mason Myers for the top spot, and then edged Myers in a playoff to secure his third divisional title in four stops. In Division IV (11-and-under), Kaysen Beaver (Cardinal Hills) and Keegan Smith (Bavarian Hills) each shot a 33 on the modified tees before Smith won the extra hole for his third-straight victory.
On the girls’ side, Eva Militello (Orchard Park) notched a 42 as the lone entrant to grab another Division I (14-18) title and Molly Leslie (Bartlett) shot a 56, topping Allison Sikora (Orchard Park) by 12 strokes for the Division III (12-13) championship.
Wright, a longtime Penn-York golfer, after consecutive triumphs, feels good about where his game is entering the Bartlett leg … and his chances of coming away with some hardware next Monday. More than that, he’s looking forward to being one of several P-Y golfers who will earn an invitation to play in next week’s SWNY-NWPA Men’s Amateur.
“I’d say I’m very proud of myself with how much better I’ve gotten over the past year and this offseason,” he said. “My goal is to make the Championship Flight in the Men’s Amateur, and I’m really looking forward to showing my game off there.”
Seventy-eight of 102 registered golfers played on Monday at Pine Acres. Following are the top 10 finishers in each age group:
(Story courtesy of J.P. Butler, as a special to the Olean Star)
BOYS
DIVISION I (16-18)
1. O. Wright (C. Hills) 76 10
2. T. Salvaggio (C. Hills) 78 8
2. L. Nedzinski (Bav. Hills) 78 8
2. L. Howard (Pennhills) 78 8
5. P. Chamberlain (Kane) 79 6
6. J. Walter (Bav. Hills) 80 4.5
6. M. Muccio (Bav. Hills) 80 4:5
8. L. Kiel (Kane) 81 3
9. Z. Deck (Allegheny Hills) 82 2
10. J. Obenrader (H. Station) 83 1
DIVISION II (14-15)
1. L. McArdle (Caledonia) 76 10
2. C. Kahm (Moonbrook) 81 9
3. D. Palumbo (Emporium) 86 8
4. F. Kaye (Wellsville) 90 7
5. J. Bell (Pine Acres) 91 5.5
5. N. Lorenzo (Kane) 91 5.5
7. K. Caskey (Bav. Hills) 93 4
8. C. Backus (Caledonia) 94 3
9. K. Riekofsky (Smethport) 96 2
10. N. Perkins (Bolivar) 100 1
DIVISION III (12-13)
(9 holes)
1. Kayd Kaskey (Bav. Hills) 42 10*
2. M. Myers 42 9
3. Kalon Caskey (Bav. Hills) 43 7.5
4. C. Crabtree (Chautauqua) 43 7.5
5. K. McArdle (Caledonia) 49 5.5
6. L. Vecchio (Barlett) 49 5.5
7. A.Rupp (Rolling Hills) 54 4
8. A. Wade (Elkdale) 55 3
9. C. Jackson (Bartlett) 66 1.5
10. C. Lundgren (Penn Hills) 66 1.5
DIVISION IV (11-UNDER)
(9 holes modified)
1. Keegan Smith (Bav. Hills) 33 10*
2. Kaysen Beaver (C. Hills) 33 9
3. G. Blocher (Bartlett) 42 8
3. Gavin Beaver (Bartlett) 42 8
5. H. Honeck (St. Bona) 44 6
6. A. Wade (Elkdale) 45 5
7. C. Giles (Chautauqua) 48 4
8. Callan Beaver (C. Hills) 50 3
9. D. Delong (St. Bona) 53 2
10. S. Smith (Bartlett) 54 0.5
10. L. Pellegrino (Conewango) 54 0.5
GIRLS
DIVISION I (14-18)
(9 holes)
1. E. Militello (Orchard Park) 42 10
DIVISION III (12-13)
(9 holes)
1. M. Leslie (Bartlett) 56 10
2. A Sikora (Orchard Park) 68 9
DIVISION IV (11-UNDER)
(9 holes)
1. B. Nedzinski (Treasure Lake) 57 10
