<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3eW8ae_0wKZCE8600" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3eW8ae_0wKZCE8600" width="1000" height="700" >Smack dab in the middle of the Nittany Valley, Penn State University’s two golf courses, the blue and the white, have been the host of the PIAA golf championships for the past three years. In previous years, fickle Central Pennsylvania weather in late October has yielded temps in the 40s and winds in the 20s for the state’s best high school golfers. Not so this year, as a large dome of high pressure parked itself over Happy Valley as clear skies, calm winds and temps in the 70s were the norm for two days of individual medal play, culminating on day three with the team championships. It’s a tournament that dates back to 1935, with hall of famer Arnold Palmer winning in 1946 and 1947, and Lancaster’s Jim Furyk, 2024 President’s Cup American captain, winning in 1987. Pennsylvania has long been home to outstanding players.Penn State’s golf courses date back to the 1920s, located on the southside of campus. Both courses have undergone significant re-designs, and the blue course was most notably reconfigured in 1994 by legendary Arnold Palmer who grew up about 70 miles west of State College. In 2005, both courses were again spruced up with added water hazards and bunkers to add difficulty to the layouts.The Class 2A competition is played on the blue course – the junior layout – as the white course was built first in 1922. Undulating quick greens guarded by more than 70 bunkers challenge players to hit accurate approach shots which, given the golf course is not tight and narrow, offers big hitters opportunities to attack. Also, no measurable rain has fallen in October in central Pennsylvania, so firm greens also gave the advantage to experienced players able to spin the ball.York Catholic’s Olivia Kury capped off a very successful high school career by placing fourth in the individual tournament by firing rounds of 76 and 72. Her +4 score earned her a medal which she added to her District 3 gold medal won two weeks ago at Honey Run Golf Course in York. York Catholic has long fielded outstanding players, and Kury’s stellar career ranks her as the best to ever don the Fighting Irish gold and green. Teammate Sam McKim, a junior, qualified for the boys’ tournament and he finished in the Top 10 with solid rounds of 78-75.Lourdes Regional’s Vivian Reiprish and Trinity’s Claire Grindle, both only sophomores, qualified and played well in the 36-hole tournament. Playing great golf under pressure on the big stage takes experience and learning, and both these excellent players clearly added big golf tournament exposure to strengthen their future competitive juices.In the team competition, the Trinity girls’ team, in only their second year of existence as a PIAA team, competed in the Class 2A championship where they placed a respectable tie for 6th place with Greensburg Central Catholic. Hickory High School, located just south of Erie, won the competition (best three scores) with a sizzling 234, which means every player averaged less than 80.That Trinity returns all four of its core players – Claire Grindle, Addy Hoover, Ella Brechbial and Veronica Maddux – speaks to Trinity’s bright future in girls’ golf. For such a young program to compete at the state’s highest level speaks volumes to the competitive drive and spirit this Lady ’Rocks team brings to the golf course.In his post tournament comments, Trinity first-year head coach Bill Brennan beamed as he spoke to the remarkable achievement of Trinity golf. “Being at states was quite an accomplishment, and having the top four returning next season is something that we can use as motivation going forward,” Coach Brennan said. “These girls have such a great team bond. They have really connected as a team, and it’s a great bond they have…. I could not have dreamed we could be here at the beginning of the season.”(Photos by Chris Heisey, The Catholic Witness.)By Chris Heisey, The Catholic Witness</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Diocesan Golfers Excel at Penn State Blue

Smack dab in the middle of the Nittany Valley, Penn State University’s two golf courses, the blue and the white, have been the host of the PIAA golf championships for the past three years. In previous years, fickle Central Pennsylvania weather in late October has yielded temps in the 40s and winds in the 20s for the state’s best high school golfers. Not so this year, as a large dome of high pressure parked itself over Happy Valley as clear skies, calm winds and temps in the 70s were the norm for two days of individual medal play, culminating on day three with the team championships. It’s a tournament that dates back to 1935, with hall of famer Arnold Palmer winning in 1946 and 1947, and Lancaster’s Jim Furyk, 2024 President’s Cup American captain, winning in 1987. Pennsylvania has long been home to outstanding players.