Frazier’s Erdely makes three-shot comeback to win title
Nixen Erdely has been on the cusp of winning the WPIAL Class 2A individual golf title each of the last two years.
In fact, the Frazier senior had the low round of the day at Oakmont a year ago on the second day of the 36-hole final only to finish in fourth place, five shots off the pace.
This time around, Erdely was once again hanging around the top of the leaderboard until disaster struck when he four-putted the first hole of the back nine at Butler Country Club. In a second, it seemed his chances of winning the title had died on his putter.
“It was crazy,” Erdely said. “I shot even on the front, went to the back and four-putted No. 10, so I was 2over.”
At that point, he was three shots behind Quaker Valley junior Ethan Dai, who came into the day leading by two strokes after firing a 3-under 69 at Willowbrook last week.
That was when everything changed.
Erdely and his flat-stick kissed and made up in a big way. He fired off four birdies on the final eight holes, including back-to-back red numbers at No 16 and No. 17, to finish with a 1-under 70 on the day and a 1-under 142 for the tournament to edge Dai by two strokes to capture his – and the school’s – first ever boys individual golf title.
Erdely and Dai were two of only four players to break 80 at Oakmont in 2022, so the final coming down to the two of them was somewhat apropos.
“It’s big. I like it. I like it a lot,” Erdely said. “I don’t really think I’ve taken it in 100 percent yet.”
Dai, who finished tied for fifth a year ago, was attempting to become the first Quaker Valley player to win the WPIAL title since Chris Tanabe in 2014. He had the lead coming around the turn, but things slipped away from him on the back nine as he shot a 2-over 38 coming home that cost him the tournament.
It also didn’t help that he was getting continuous updates on how Erdely was playing in front of him.
“I made a bogey at the par3 (No. 15) and then I was going into the last three holes and heard Nixen made a birdie on No. 16 and I ended up parring that hole,” Dai said. “Then he made a birdie on No. 17 and I ended up bogeying trying to go for the pin and ended up in the bunker and didn’t get upand-down.”
Erdely finished his round with a par at the final hole and waited to see what would happen to Dai, who was playing one group behind. Once he was unable to birdie, though, Erdely had it clinched.
“I wouldn’t really say I surprised myself. I was surprised at how many birdies I made, but I was also surprised that I four-putted,” Erdely said. “I also did that the last round at Willowbrook, but I got the job done.”