Oct 14, 2014 5 min read

BLAIRSVILLE – Peters Township sophomore Mia Kness has never been the nervous type. Even when her game was off at the WPIAL Class AAA Golf Championships two weeks ago, she laughed off questions about her tee shots. After qualifying, she was solely focused on the PIAA Western Regional.

Even 25 mph winds could not deter Kness Tuesday afternoon at Tom’s Run Golf Course. She shot an even-par 72 on the 5,363-yard course to win the gold medal and earn a top seed at the PIAA Championships next Monday and Tuesday at Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York.

Kness defeated Canon-McMillan senior Lauren Waller, who has taken first place at the regional the past two years and is a two-time WPIAL champion, by five strokes. After taking second at last year’s regional then struggling at the state tournament, Kness took the top spot while playing her best round of the year.

“Everything was working today,” Kness said with a wide smile. “I got the ball down the fairway and I made some putts, which I usually don’t do. I’m excited to go back to states because it got me last year.”

The sophomore teed off on the Par-3, 149-yard No. 11 then made her shot of the day – using a sand wedge to chip from a greenside bunker for birdie. From there, Kness was on a roll. She had 10 pars and four birdies.

One of Kness’ most impressive holes was the Par-4, 428-yard No. 18, which she birdied. The dogleg right has 12 bunkers that golfers struggled with throughout the day.

“I really just came out and had a good mindset,” Kness said.

“I just wanted to have fun with it. The first hole I birdied, so that really boosted my confidence and I felt the momentum from there.”

Though the front nine proved to be tricky with fluxuating winds, Kness shot a 34 to put herself in position to challenge Waller for the title. For the past year, Kness has perfected her short game and had the benefit of facing top competition.

She finished just behind Waller at last year’s regional and instead of looking ahead to the state tournament, Kness kept her eye on Tom’s Run. Kness played a practice round Sunday to check the course’s layout and which clubs would work best.

None of that would have mattered if her tee shots were as shaky as they were at the WPIAL Championships. She also played the course last year and knew how fast the greens are, which caught some golfers by surprise. Everything came together for Kness.

One thing she could not plan for was the wind, but it did not phase her.

“You really have to be cautious because you don’t know what the wind is going to do and the hazards are very tough,” Kness said. “You don’t know what is going to happen, so you have to be conservative.”

On the other hand, Waller’s day was unconventional. It all began Monday night when she went to take out her one-a-day contacts. She went into her bag to grab a set, but there was nothing there. Panic set in, but waking up earlier Tuesday was the only option.

She took a trip to Walmart to buy contact solution and tried to get her contacts to last one more day. Twelve hours would do the trick, but when she took the first contact out, it snapped. Luckily, the second contact worked in her right eye.

The results showed as Waller double-bogeyed her third and eighth holes with erratic tee shots to blame. Putting required closing one eye. The result was a five-over-par 77 to take second place.

“It was a crazy morning. It was different because I couldn’t really see as much as I could. And on the putting green, I had to close my left eye to be able to see the putt” Waller said. “I’m just glad I had that one contact in because if I didn’t, I’d be as blind as a bat.”

With her score an unusual five-over-par 41 on her first nine holes, Waller sat down and took a deep breath. Focusing on her drives was necessary to qualify with a difficult field. She did that with four birdies on the back nine, including back-to-back to finish her round, which included an 18-foot putt and a chip shot from 75 yards .

“To finish strong today was a big motivator and it was really important,” Waller said. “I learned a big lesson today to always have stuff with you. There are things that happen and you have to play through it. Going forward, I need to focus on my game and not that 41 I had.”

Beth-Center senior Tyler Kuntz, Burgettstown junior Cody Dobbin and his Blue Devils teammate, senior Hunter Lecker, qualified in boys Class AA.

Kuntz finished second with a four-over 76 (37-39). It was a major accomplishment for the Bulldogs’ golf program, which was almost forced to co-op before the season when finding a coach became difficult.

“The wind was a big factor. There were times it would slow down then pick back up,” Kuntz said. “It was frustrating because every shot was different. It’s great to move on. I’m more focused this year and it’s beginning to show.”

Dobbin, who attends Avella, tied for fourth with a six-over 78 and Lecker made the cut by one stroke with an eight-over-par 80.

In boys Class AAA, Peters Township junior Alec Stopperich and senior Ben Morgret qualified for the PIAA Championships. Stopperich shot three-over 75 while Morgret shot 79.

“The course was playing straight forward and the wind obviously affected every shot you played,” Stopperich said. “There were times I’d swing at a ball and I’d have to back off because a huge gust would come in. I was just pleased with how it turned out in the end.”