White leads after Round One, Graham and Urban crowned champions
By Mike Dudurich • July 20, 2022
Mike is a freelance writer and host of The Golf Show on 93.7 The Fan Saturday mornings from 7-8 AM. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeDudurich.
Sarah White made her first trip to Allegheny Country Club on Tuesday for a practice round in preparation for the 15th WPGA Women's Amateur Championships.
And when the first day of the championship concluded on Wednesday, White, a life-long resident of Erie found herself on top of the leaderboard.
“It was a really fun day,” said the junior-to-be at Gannon University. “I was really pleased with it. It’s definitely a challenging course.”
How tough was it? White’s two-over par 73 was the best of the day, with Katie Miller of Green Oaks Country Club two shots back and Christina Lewis of Olde Stonewall three shots behind White.
The highlight of White’s round was an eagle three on the par 5, 16th.
“I hit a good drive, a good wood on my second shot and it ended up about 10-12 feet below the hole,” White said proudly. “I was trying not to think about it being for eagle. I’d be more nervous if I thought of it way.”
She finished the day with four bogeys and an eagle for a 73.
Her nearest competitor heading into the final round was Miller, who put up five bogeys and one birdie.
“I was happy with how I hit the ball. I just struggled on the greens. They weren’t as fast as they normally were. Not bad for being eight months away from giving birth.”
In the Super-Senior net division, Claudette Graham, president of the West Penn Golf Association in 2018, finished in a tie for first place with Hee Soo Kim of Edgewood Country Club. Graham captured the victory after a playoff on hole 17.
“Hey, I’m still out there playing,” she said. “I had double knee replacements and that kept me from playing for 2 ½-3 months, but I’m back and still enjoying it.”
Other category winners included: Victoria Witouski (Connoquenessing Country Club) in the Women’s Amateur net; Steph Urban (Lawrence Park Golf Course) in the Senior Amateur; Annie Vanzant (Valley Brook Golf Club) in the Senior Amateur net.
About the WPGA
Founded in 1899, the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association is the steward of amateur golf in the region. Started by five Member Clubs, the association now has nearly 200 Member Clubs and 33,000 members. The WPGA conducts 14 individual competitions and 10 team events, and administers the WPGA Scholarship Fund.