Three atop the leaderboard at West Penn Open Championship
By Mike Dudurich • June 19, 2023
It looks like downtown Pittsburgh during rush hour at the top of the leaderboard after the first day of the 120th West Penn Open Monday.
Three players – Beau Titsworth, James Lasher and Jimmy Meyers are tied for the lead at 3-under par. Three more – Jason Li, Jack Urban and Chris Tanabe are at 3-under and three more – Amani Dambrosio and Evan Rowane finished their rounds at 1-under par.
Nine players within three shots of each other on one of Western Pennsylvania’s top courses, designed originally by Donald Ross.
Titsworth, who won the 2019 West Penn Open at Valley Brook Golf Club, had not seen much of Edgewood Country Club. But once he did, experience this classic layout, Titsworth was impressed.
He made three birdies on the front nine, at 7, 8 and 9. He said he had opportunities for birdies on 10 and 11, but putts didn’t fall. And then he went on another streak: birdie, bogey, birdie, birdie.
“Honestly, it could have been three or four strokes lower,” Titsworth said. He made four birdies on the front, three more on the back. We’ll try again tomorrow.”
Meyers knows his way around Edgewood a bit. He’s played a bunch of little golfer three-hole at the club when his family had a membership there.
“Yeah, I grew up playing here,” Meyers said. “I went to school at Pittsburgh Central Catholic and we played our home matches here. I played pretty well today (made birdies on 10, 15, 17, 3, 8). An errant tee shot on 18 kept the round from being a little better.”
Six birdies, a bogey and a double bogey highlighted Lasher’s first round and puts him in the middle of the fray that gets underway at 8:30 on the first tee and 8:40 on the 10th tee.
The field will be cut to 32 & ties following the completion of the second round.
Only nine players were able to finish the first round under par.
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 34,000 members. The WPGA conducts 14 individual competitions and 10 team events, and administers the WPGA Scholarship Fund and Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame.