Fox Chapel golfer Aidan Oehrle commits to Lehigh

By: Greg Macafee
Tuesday, June 23, 2020 | 9:21 PM

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Fox Chapel’s Aidan Oehrle has been playing golf since he could walk.

He followed in the footsteps of his dad and his grandfather, and when Oehrle became a freshman, he started to dream of playing golf at the next level. Just a few weeks ago, Oehrle achieved that dream when he verbally committed to continue his athletic and academic career at Lehigh.

“It’s definitely been a big goal of mine,” Oehrle said with a laugh. “It’s kind of crazy to think about.”

The lone junior in the Fox Chapel starting lineup said that he was able to make a visit to Lehigh before the coronavirus pandemic shut down recruiting trips for most high school athletes. He also got to build a connection with Lehigh’s coaching staff and a few of the players that helped seal the deal.

“Their course, Saucon Valley, is a pretty special to have. I don’t know many other colleges that have a course like that,” Oehrle said. “I got to know the assistant coach Billy Johnson really well, and he’s a really good guy, and I felt like really connected with him. But the night before I committed, I had a zoom call with some of the players and I felt like I really fit in with them.”

Oehrle’s commitment comes after a successful junior season that saw him help the Foxes win WPIAL and PIAA team titles as one of Fox Chapel’s five starters. The rising senior tied teammate Scott Bitar at the state championship with a 2-under 69 at Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York.

The future Mountain Hawk also tied for third in the individual WPIAL Class AAA tournament in October when he shot a 3-over 73. After a solid year where he was able to accomplish a lot, Oehrle was excited about getting his college decision out of the way.

“It’s a big stress reliever, and it feels great knowing where I’m going and having it all set and done, pretty much before my summer even started,” Oehrle said. “It’s pretty cool.”

Oehrle said he isn’t done either. After a busy summer, in which he plans to play in a few different tournaments, he said he’s hoping to go out on top as a senior with another successful season.

“We lost five seniors, but we are going to try and go out and defend that title,” Oehrle said. “But a big goal of mine is to win individual WPIALs especially. Then if I can make it to states, it would be amazing to finish through with that.”

Greg Macafee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Greg by email at gmacafee@triblive.com or via Twitter .

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