Peters Township’s Reyes wins WPGA Junior Championship
EXPORT – Camden Reyes came up clutch when it mattered most.
Reyes, who will be a junior this fall at Peters Township, made a long putt on the 18th hole and birdied the first hole of a playoff to take the 106th WPGA Junior Championship Monday at Westmoreland Country Club.
“It’s nuts,” said Reyes, who defeated Vandergrift native Max Mottura in the playoff. “It’s surreal. I don’t think it’s kicked in yet.”
For Reyes to get to his championship moment, he needed a dose of patience and some clutch putting.
The tournament, originally scheduled for 36 holes, was reduced to 18 because of inclement weather throughout the day. A line of storms resulted in three suspensions of play, with each lasting over an hour.
Reyes held a one-stroke lead when play was suspended for a second time. Having started his round on the back nine, that suspension hit while he was on the 7th hole, with just three holes to play.
When play resumed, Reyes posted bogey on each of his next two holes, slipping behind Mottura, who was already in the clubhouse at 1-over.
“I really didn’t pay attention to the leaderboard until the second delay,” Reyes said. “And then people started coming up to me and saying ‘good playing.’
“I was like, ‘I wonder where I’m at?’ And then I saw the leaderboard on the big TV in there. Once I came out, after a little food, I made two bogeys in a row, which was not my best showing. I kind of had to make up for myself on 18.”
Reyes did just that on the par 3, hitting his tee shot to 20 feet and sliding a lengthy putt into the cup to force the playoff.
“My caddie, Austin (Malley), gave me a great read,” said Reyes, who picked up a top 20 finish in the WPGA Amateur Championship earlier this month. “It was just weird. We were talking, coming up to the green, and were just going to put a good stroke on it and leave it in God’s hands.
“We just had the inner peace. And we rolled a good rock and it went in. So that was fun.”
In the playoff, on the par 5 opening hole, both Reyes and Mottura had short approach shots into the green. Reyes hit his to eight feet, while Mottura’s went long, over the green. Mottura’s chip fell short, giving Reyes a look at a birdie and the victory.
“I came out, after the delays, and I just wanted to put a couple of good shots together,” he said. “I wanted to give myself a birdie look to finish it on (the first hole). It was fun. It was exhilarating.
“I was shaking a little bit over the putt, but I just wanted to drain it in there so I didn’t have to make a comebacker. It was a good last hole.”
Benson wins Tri-State
Peters Township grad Ellie Benson had a sensational Tuesday at South Hills Country club to run away with the Tri-State Women’s Junior PGA Championship.
Benson shot seven-under par to win the 36-hole qualifier and by 16 strokes.
With the win, Benson qualified The Women’s Junior PGA Championship, which will be held at Fields Ranch East & West in Frisco, Texas July 28-31.
Sewickley native Addy Davis also qualified.
Benson, who will play collegiately at Gardner-Webb, was the only player under par. She shot three-under in the morning session and closed her day with a four-under 67.
It’s the second week in a row that Benson has qualified for a big junior tournament. She shot two-under at Shanopin Country Club last week at a qualifier to clinch a spot in the 77th U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship, which is set for Old Chatham Golf Club in Durham, N.C. July 13-18.