Shannopin to host first WPGA major of 2024 season
By Josh Rowntree, Director of Communications • June 6, 2024
PITTSBURGH — The first major of the 125th year of the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association is set for Shannopin Country Club Monday with the 103rd WPGA Junior Championship.
The Junior Championship has a long and prestigious history since its beginning in 1921.
Among the winners of the event over the years are future U.S. Open Champions Sam Parks Jr. and Arnold Palmer, who claimed back-to-back victories in the Junior Championship in 1947 and 1948 and is the only player to have ever won the West Penn Amateur and Junior Championship in the same year, doing so in 1947.
Throughout its history, 11 players have won the competition twice, including William Miller, who claimed three straight titles from 2003-2005, becoming the lone player to pull off that feat.
Included in this year’s Junior Championship is Hunter Swidzinski, who has already qualified for the 124th WPGA Amateur Championship after finishing in the top spot at May 15’s qualifying round at Green Oaks Country Club.
Last year’s Junior champion, Griffin Hansberry, is also in the field after shooting a commanding 4-under to win the 2023 Junior Championship by four strokes over Nolan Shilling and Nicholas Turowski, who is also in this season’s field.
Colton Lusk, who placed fourth in 2023, will compete at Shannopin, as well.
Monday marks the first time since 1988 that Shannopin Country Club will play host to the WPGA Junior Championship. It has also hosted the competition in 1982, 1949, 1944 and 1928.
The Junior Championship is open to players 18 years of age and under and is 36 holes of stroke play. Contestants are required to walk for the championship and are allowed to have caddies. However, parents, stepparents and guardians are not allowed to serve as caddies for this competition.
For more information on the WPGA Junior Championship, please click here.
Click here (GGID: 24WPGAJRCHAMP) for the Live Leaderboard.
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 nearly 37,000 members. The WPGA conducts 14 individual competitions and 10 team events, and administers the WPGA Scholarship Fund and Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame.