Oct 22, 2013 2 min read

YORK – Lauren Waller knew that she needed a scorecard marked with a few birdies to win a PIAA Golf Championship Tuesday.

Surprisingly, the junior from Canon-McMillan was unable to produce any in the final of this two-day event.

Waller shot 3-over on the front and back nines, finished at 6-over 78 for the day and 7-over for the tournament for a tie for third place in the girls Class AAA competition at the Heritage Country Club.

Waller tied defending champion Erica Herr of Council Rock North, and the two were three strokes back of Isabella DiLisio of Council Rock North, who shot a 1-over 73 and finished at 4-over-par 146.

“I didn’t play as well as I did yesterday,” Waller said. “It’s unusual for me not to make birdies. There have been very few rounds where I didn’t have a birdie.”

Waller, the WPIAL Class AAA champion and West Region champ, was one of seven local golfers competing in the PIAA finals.

Burgettstown’s Owen Miller finished tied for third place in boys Class AA after shooting a 1-over-72 to finish at 3-over 145. Cody Dobbin, who is competing for Burgettstown in a co-op agreement with Avella, shaved 11 strokes off his first round to finish at 8-over 79. Dobbin finished tied for 30th. Miller tied Roland Massimino from New Hope-Solebury and was six back of the winner Isaiah Logue of Fairfield.

Also in Double-A, Gunnar Riley of Charleroi missed matching his first-round score of 79 by four strokes, finishing with an 83 and tied for 19th with a 162.

Mia Kness of Peters Township shot a second-round 83 to go with her 85 on the first day and finished tied for 13th at 168 in Class AAA.

Corey Long of South Fayette, the WPIAL Class AAA champion, was consistent, going 80-82 for a two-day total of 162 and 26th-place finish. Grant Engel of Upper St. Clair took first with a 5-over 147.

And Gillian Anderson of Jefferson-Morgan finished with a 169 and in sixth place, one spot from a medal.

Waller opened with four straight pars but bogeyed the par-3 fifth and the par-4 sixth. She also bogeyed the par-4 ninth. Bogeys on the back nine came on the par-4 13th, the par-3 15th and the par-4 17th.

“I had a couple three-putts,” Waller said. “I had one or two from bad approach shots. I could have done better, but I’m happy.”