Willowbrook to host final West Penn Open Qualifier
By Jennifer Todd, P.J. Boatwright Intern • June 25, 2024
APOLLO — The second of two WPGA Open Championship qualifying rounds is set for Wednesday at Willowbrook Country Club.
The competition is 18 holes of stroke play, as 25 qualifying and two alternate spots will be earned. The first qualifying round took place on June 11th at Treesdale Golf and Country Club. Matt Mattioli was the top qualifier, shooting a 2-under 70.
Mattioli is a rising senior at Miami (Ohio) and a graduate of Fox Chapel High School. He was the only player to shoot under par at Treesdale. On Monday, Mattioli finished tied for first in the U.S. Amateur Local Qualifying round at Sunnehanna Country Club, shooting 4-under.
Qualifiers will advance to the West Penn Open July 22-24 at Indiana Country Club, joining exempt players for the competition.
The West Penn Open is the second-longest running championship in the region. It has been played continuously since its inception in 1899, with the exception of two years during World War I (1917-1918) and World War II (1943-1945).
Past champions include Fred Brand, Sr., Eben Byers, W.C. Fownes, Jock Hutchinson, Ed Furgol, Ted Luther, Sam Parks, Jim Masserio, Lew Worsham and Arnold Palmer.
The reigning champion of the West Penn Open is Beau Titsworth, who shot a commanding 9-under to win the competition by six strokes at Edgewood Country Club last year.
Winners of the WPGA Open Championship have gone on to claim 13 USGA National Championships and six Major Championships at the professional level.
The competition has been won five times by three men: Roy Vucinich, Perry DelVecchio and Jock Hutchinson.
The Open Championship is 54 holes of stroke play over three days. The qualifying rounds will help narrow a field of 144 players down to 78.
For more information on the 121st WPGA Open qualifying rounds, click here.
For media inquiries, please contact WPGA Director of Communications Josh Rowntree.
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.