WPIAL senior stars take last shot at titles
Palmer Jackson and Caroline Wrigley have come close to winning their first PIAA Class 3A individual golf championships.
Down to their final attempt, the two seniors’ chances of closing out their high school careers with state titles are within their grasps.
Wrigley, a three-time WPIAL Class 3A champion from North Allegheny, was ready to take a three-shot lead into the final round and would have been the only player to hit par. That was until she hit the water on No. 9 — her finishing hole — and ended up with a double-bogey-6 that left her with a 3over 75 for a one-shot lead over Mary Kate Norcross of Chambersburg and two shots over Uniontown senior Danae Rugola at Heritage Hill Golf Resort in York, Pa.
“The double on No. 9, I didn’t really hit many bad shots and my drive just took a bad bounce and kicked in the water,” Wrigley said. “I wouldn’t really change the way I approach the hole and [Tuesday] I think I’ll just play smarter shots, hit to the middle of the green and fix my targets off the tee and try to play my game.”
Wrigley played her first nine in par-36, helped by an eagle on the par-5 18th.
“It was cool because it wasn’t long and it was a 9iron and I made it to within 10 feet and I made a good putt,” Wrigley said. “It was a good hole.”
Palmer, a Franklin Regional standout, finished the first day of the PIAA Class 3A individual finals at Heritage Hills Golf Resort, with a 2-over 73 that has him in a three-way tie for first with Patrick Sheehan of Central Bucks East and Andrew Wallace of Harriton.
And there’s no guarantee any of the three current leaders will be atop the leader board Tuesday after day two. Reigning WPIAL champion Jimmy Meyers of Central Catholic is only one shot back, defending state champion Liam Hart of Holy Ghost Prep is two behind and Latrobe’s Brady Pevarnik is three back.
Riverside junior Skyler Fox is in a three-way tie for third, two shots off the lead, in Class 2A boys. Fox shot a 4-over 75 and trails William Mirams of Notre Dame East Stroudsburg.