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Penn-Trafford’s Nick Turowski wins duel to claim WPIAL Class 3A golf title

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Tuesday, October 5, 2021 | 7:26 PM

The WPIAL Class 3A golf championship was shaping up for a great finish Tuesday at Nemacolin Country Club in Beallsville.

Penn-Trafford sophomore Nick Turowski and Central Catholic’s Rocco Salvitti were tied heading to No. 15, two shots up on the field.

They were batting head-to-head along with Shady Side Academy’s Wes Warden as they hit their tee shots on No. 15.

That’s when the match turned. Turowski was able to sink a 25-foot birdie putt, and Salvitti settled for a bogey from the greenside sand trap, leaving Turowski up two with three holes left.

A par by Turowski on No. 16 and yet another bogey by Salvitti pretty much sealed the title.

Turowski finished the 18-hole round by shooting an even-par 70, four shots better than Fox Chapel senior Eli Yofan and Peters Township senior Kyle McClintock, who each finished with a 4-over 74.

Salvitti ended up tied for fourth with Mars junior Blake Bertolo and Mt. Lebanon senior Zach Dyke, who each shot a 5-over 75.

They were among 14 golfers to qualify for the PIAA individual championship Oct. 18-19 at Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York. The others to advance were Central Catholic junior Aiden Burchanti (76), South Fayette senior James Cavark (76), Central Catholic senior Carter Pitcairn (77), Belle Vernon senior Tyler Mocello (77), Franklin Regional seniors Jeff Anderchak (77) and Zach Abdallah (77), Franklin Regional junior Nolan Shilling (77) and Butler sophomore Wyatt Kos (78).

“I knew that Nick wasn’t going to bogey Nos. 17 and 18,” Salvitti said. “I needed to chip in for birdie on No. 16 to have a chance.”

Turowski said he didn’t realize how well he played on the back nine until we was in the scoring tent. He shot a 2-over 38 on the front nine and a 2-under 32 on the back.

“I just tried to give 100% on every shot,” Turowski said, relaxing in a rocking chair near the clubhouse. “This is really big for me. Winning WPIALs is really big, but the job isn’t finished. I still have states. Hopefully, I can play well there.”

Things didn’t start well for Turowski as he bogeyed his first hole. But he immediately bounced back to birdie No. 2 and its tricky green.

“They were a lot like Hannastown,” said Turowski, who is a member at the Greensburg course. “The greens are crazy, very fast and very undulating. If you know the course, it’s a big benefit. I got the speed down and felt it all day.

“I always felt after you make a bogey, try to make two birdies and get it back. I bogeyed one, birdied two and almost drove No. 3. I stuck to my gameplan all day and got the job done.”

Turowski finished with three birdies during his round. The three bogeys came on the front nine.

Salvitti, who qualified for the PIAA tournament for the third consecutive season, said winning the WPIAL would have been nice, but his focus is being a state champion.

“I caught a bad lie on No. 15,” Salvitti said. “My tee shot landed near a root, and I wasn’t able to reach the green. This would have been a great tournament to win, but at the end of the day, the top 14 qualify for states. I’m hoping my experience helps me there.”

Turowski became the first Penn-Trafford golfer to win a WPIAL title. Now his eye is on the next prize.

“I’m definitely excited to win. It’s cool to get the first one at Penn-Trafford,” Turowski said. “I hope I can do it again next year.”

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

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