WPIAL Champions toughened for high school season during WPGA summer
By Josh Rowntree, Director of Communications • October 3, 2025
Carson Kittsley left the 2024 WPIAL Golf Championships utterly disappointed in his performance on his home course of Oakmont Country Club.
One year later, fueled by a summer of strong, competitive golf against top players both locally and nationally, Kittsley made sure he left no doubt when given a second chance.
Kittsley, a junior at Fox Chapel who surged this summer during WPGA and USGA competitions, shot a two-round score 8-under to claim Monday’s WPIAL 3A Boys Golf Championship at Butler Country Club, avenging a fourth place finish a year prior.
“This meant a lot, to bounce back from that,” said Kittsley, who posted the lowest 36-hole score since the WPIAL adopted that format three years ago. “I’m proud of that. I hit a lot of good shots, but the putts weren’t dropping for a while. On 10, I got one to drop and built up some confidence. I made a bunch of pars, which helped.”
For Kittsley, who rallied last year to win the PIAA state title at Penn State’s White Course, the victory symbolized a clear step forward in his game.
“My mental came has really come a long way,” he said. “I’m focusing on what I can control and not getting caught up with what other people are doing. It’s definitely helping out a lot.”
During the summer, the 16-year-old finished runner-up at the 125th Amateur Championship — nearly becoming the youngest player to win the event in its history, topping Arnold Palmer’s mark of 17 years old.
He went on to tie for fifth in the prestigious Williamson Cup in Laval, Quebec in August, representing Team WPGA in the regional competition that pits many of the top junior players in the northeastern United States and Eastern Canada against one another in a team setting. He also competed nationally, qualifying at Totteridge Golf Course for the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship and was a participant in the PGA Junior Championship in Indiana, as well.
“Playing in a bunch of events like the West Penn Am, the U.S. Junior Am, the PGA Junior Championship, that really helps out a lot,” he added. “You see how the great players play. I gained a ton of valuable information and experience from those three events.”
But Kittsley was far from alone among players using their summer experience to their benefit during the high school golf season.
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart’s Jonah Schollaert shot a combined score of 1-over to win the WPIAL Boys 2A title Tuesday at Valley Brook Country Club, putting together a final round that felt was a bit underwhelming in the moment, but was ultimately pleased with when he saw the final leaderboard.
“I was shaking on the final putt,” said Schollaert, who claimed his first district championship in the senior’s last chance. “It was only like two inches, but I was thinking, ‘don’t three-putt this.’ It was a rollercoaster of a round. I didn’t hit it great, but it wasn’t terrible. I was able to shoot a couple over and call it a day.”
Schollaert, the first ever golf champion from OLSH, competed in the 105th WPGA Junior Championship this summer, finishing 11th. He also participated in qualifying events for the West Penn Am and WPGA Open Championships and, like Kittsley, played in the qualifying round for the U.S. Junior Championship.
“My short game has gotten a lot better,” he said. “The beginning of the season, I was really bad with chipping and putting. I’ve worked on it a lot over the summer and now it’s saving me.”
For Schollaert, the summer golf season has been one that has truly readied him for the high school season.
“It’s benefitted me a lot,” he said. “I’m usually not the best at summer golf for some reason. I probably should be ranked better. But it seems to warm me up for high school golf. I seem to play pretty well in WPIALs and states.”
Perhaps no one feels they have benefitted from West Penn events as much as the WPIAL Girls 3A champion, Mya Morgan, who shot a two-round score of even-par to claim Wednesday’s title at Sewickley Heights Golf Club.
“It was surreal, because it was my last one,” she said of the victory. “I can’t ever do this again. I was able to stick with my game plan and stick it out through everything.”
Morgan, an Elizabeth Forward senior, is the reigning WPGA Girls Junior Player of the Year and has been a mainstay in West Penn women’s and junior girls events over the last couple of years, finishing runner-up at the WPGA Girls Match Play Championship twice and placing third at the WPGA Women’s Amateur Championship this summer at Fox Chapel Golf Club.
“Playing the difficult courses, getting into difficult positions of the tee, or in second shots or in bunkers, it really helps out,” said Morgan, a Central Michigan recruit. “I can get a bit uncomfortable there, so when I come to high school events, I’m past all of the trouble and don’t have to worry about it.
“Against all of the amateurs and collegiate players, being able to say that I took third in the (WPGA Women’s Amateur Championship), especially at Fox Chapel Golf Club and in those conditions, it was one of my proudest moments of the summer. It was probably the toughest course and conditions I played all summer, and I excelled in those conditions.”
The WPGA offers numerous events for junior players of varying skill levels throughout the spring and summer. The overwhelming majority of WPIAL champions and top finishers are players who participate in West Penn events, as well as USGA qualifying rounds administered by the WPGA, which have become excellent sources of competitive training for the high school season.
“It helps out a lot,” said Kittsley, who — like Morgan — will look for a second straight state title in a couple of weeks. “The West Penn runs great events and there’s always great competition in there. It’s always great to play in them.”
For any 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.