The Ten Biggest Stories in West Penn Golf in 2024
By Josh Rowntree, Director of Communications • December 23, 2024
2024 was a banner year for golf in Western Pennsylvania.
On the local courses, the region saw immense growth in participation in both sanctioned competitions and in rounds played by golfers of all skill levels.
Golf in Western Pennsylvania also burst into the national spotlight several times, with even more to come in 2025.
Today, the WPGA looks back at the top ten stories in Western Pennsylvania golf in 2024:
10. Onufro, Morrissey make History with WPGA Leadership
On October 3, Carol Onufro was elected the 105th President of the WPGA’s Board of Directors.
In doing so, Onufro became the second woman to lead the Association’s Board in its 125-year history.
“It is an honor to accept this role with the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association,” said Onufro. “There is such a tremendous, storied history in the last 125 years of the WPGA, and I view it as a privilege to play a part in continuing and advancing the legacy of West Penn Golf.”
Mary Beth Morrissey was elevated to Onufro’s role of Vice President, becoming the first female duo to occupy the top two spots on the Board.
9. West Penn Golf Participation Continues to Rise
Participation numbers went in a strong upwards direction in 2024, including both WPGA competitions, USGA qualifiers and membership.
WPGA events saw a 27 percent increase in participation in 2024, including 44.3 percent growth in players for the 124th West Penn Amateur, 35.5 percent growth in the Junior Championship and 22.8 percent growth in the West Penn Open.
USGA qualifiers saw a 14.1% increase in participation, with the U.S. Amateur Champions Local Qualifying Round seeing the largest growth at 41.7 percent.
From an Association standpoint, the WPGA eclipsed the 40,000 member mark, including over 5,500 USGA/Western Pennsylvania GC members.
Those members posted 1,130,627 scores, helping Pennsylvania finish 9th in the country among scores posted by state.
For more information on becoming a WPGA member, click here.
8. Oakmont Readies to Welcome the World
While Pinehurst hosted a massively successful U.S. Open in 2024, Oakmont Country Club continued preparations for the 2025 U.S. Open.
Oakmont last hosted the U.S. Open in 2016, in which Dustin Johnson conquered one of the country’s most challenging courses.
The 125th U.S. Open will take place June 12-15.
Tickets for the U.S. Open are available here.
7. WPGA Adds Women’s Event in 2024
Due to demand and growth in women’s golf locally, the WPGA was pleased to add the Inaugural WPGA Women’s Triple Play in August.
Despite rainy conditions, the event was a massive success with 84 players participating at Grove City Country Club.
Pam Lamagna, Rebecca Winek, Jackie McKinney and Bridget Minnock were the champions, shooting a net adjusted 8-under score of 129 — a three-stroke victory.
“We dreamed of getting women from all over, women of all of Handicap Indexes, from private clubs and public links, to play in this event,” said Carol Onufro, then-Vice President of the WPGA’s Board of Directors. “I think we accomplished that today.”
6. The Dukes have Arrived
2024 was a strong year for college golf in Western Pennsylvania.
Highlighting the region’s success in the sport at the collegiate level was the debut of a new Division I program at Duquesne.
Led by coach Colleen Meyers, the Dukes performed well in their inaugural fall season, finishing as high as fourth in October’s Red Flash Invitational at Sunnehanna Country Club.
In that event, Western Pennsylvania native Sasha Petrochko (Hermitage, Pa.) won the individual competition, shooting a 4-over score for the two rounds.
Petrochko also finished 7th at the YSU Roseann Schwartz Invitational and 9th at the Bucknell Invitational in September.
Meyers, meanwhile, had her own individual success, winning the WPGA Women’s Senior Amateur Championship in July.
5. Nathan Piatt has Massive West Penn Summer
No men’s player looked as sharp this summer as Nathan Piatt.
The Oakmont member battled extreme heat to shoot an impressive 8-under at Chartiers Country Club, claiming the 124th West Penn Amateur in June.
He then finished as the low amateur at the West Penn Open in July, taking the fourth overall spot at Indiana Country Club.
For his efforts, the Radford grad was named the 2024 WPGA Men’s Player of the Year.
Piatt is now participating in the PGA Tour’s Q-School.
4. Stopperich Pulls off a Comeback for the Ages
Alec Stopperich saved his best for last at Indiana Country Club in July.
The Venetia, Pa. native rallied back from six strokes down entering the final round, claiming the 121st WPGA Open Championship.
“It’s an honor to be on this trophy with all of these great players,” said Stopperich, who finished runner-up to Neal Shipley in the WPGA Open two years ago. “The West Penn has always produced phenomenal golfers and this list (of winners) has a lot of really good ones on there. I’m really proud to add my name to this trophy.”
Stopperich shot 10-under over the three-day event, including a final round 63 to edge Jake Sollon and Mike VanSickle by a stroke.
3. Top Senior Women’s Players Take on Fox Chapel
In early August, the Pittsburgh region got an early taste of top-tier competition at Fox Chapel Golf Club, as it hosted the 6th U.S. Senior Women’s Open.
Patrons were treated to four days of superb golf with some of the all-time greats in the field, such as Annika Sörenstam and Juli Inkster.
Thanks to a dominant final round score of 64, Leta Lindley won the U.S. Senior Women’s Open by shooting 9-under for the week. Kaori Yamamoto finished second, with Nobuko Kizawa third and Sörenstam — who drew large crowds through the week — placing fourth.
A local amateur legend, Carol Semple-Thompson, received a special exemption into the event and played in the first two rounds at the club where she infamously buried a 27-foot putt to win the 2002 Curtis Cup in her hometown.
2. WPGA Celebrates 125th Anniversary
Founded in 1899, the WPGA recognized its 125th anniversary in 2024, with a number of events aimed at recognizing the rich history of West Penn golf.
Online, the WPGA looked back a the five founding clubs of the Association: Pittsburgh Field Club, Pittsburgh Golf Club, Edgewood Country Club, Edgeworth Club and Allegheny Country Club.
The Association also honored its past at its Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in November, when WPGA founder John Moorhead Jr. was posthumously inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame.
1. The Ship Sets Sail
No story in Western Pennsylvania golf gained as much national notoriety than the amazing summer by Pittsburgh native Neal Shipley.
The Central Catholic graduate, who played collegiately at James Madison and Ohio State, finished as the Low Amateur in both the Masters and the U.S. Open.
He became a viral sensation and received an immense amount of media recognition before turning a professional and making the cut in six of his eight events in 2024.
For a more detailed profile on Shipley’s 2024 season, 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 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.