Girls take their swings
PENN TWP — Marissa DeCola and Alexa Glew couldn't pass up the chance to play in this year's Pennsylvania State Girls Junior Golf Championship.
After all, it's being played in their own back yard.
The annual three-day event, consisting of 54 holes and open to girls under 19 who have a registered handicap with USGA, began Monday at Butler Country Club.
DeCola and Glew, both 16, will be juniors at Butler and Mars High, respectively.
Both had played the course twice before Monday.
"The fact that it's being played here, I thought that could be a big advantage for me," said DeCola. "I know that the greens are tricky and you have to be able to read them."
Monday's round began at 7:30 a.m. in pouring rain. DeCola managed an 81 and is tied for seventh place, and Glew shot a 94.
Kendall Allen of Pittsburgh and Emily Gimpel of Lafayette Hills lead the pack after both shot a 77.
"It's a pretty flat course, so I knew if I just hit it straight, I'd be OK," said Glew, a member of the Planets girls golf team for the last two years. "But the weather has affected what I was hoping to shoot today. You definitely can't take as many chances with the rain and wind."
DeCola's caddie for the tournament is Jenna Rinker, a Slippery Rock High graduate and current member of the Robert Morris University women's golf team."Marissa knows what she is doing, I'm just helping her read putts and yardage," said Rinker."Even with the weather, I was hoping to shoot in the 70s today," said DeCola, who lives in Center Township. "I had a couple of bad shots at the end, but, overall, I thought I played OK."With two rounds left to play, DeCola is still within striking distance."I just need to golf better over the next two days," added DeCola. "I still have a shot.""She had a couple of bad breaks, but we had a lot of fun today," said Rinker.DeCola was scheduled to tee off at 10:18 a.m. today and will be playing with Ann Colligan (80) and Kelly Moylan (82).Glew was slated to begin at 10:54 and will be alongside Sarah Easton (102) and Penny Person (105).n The Pennsylvania Junior-Junior Championship (27 holes) for girls younger than 14 also is being held at Butler Country Club and runs through Wednesday.This year's field includes four girls, with Julia Curley owning the lead with a 48 after nine holes. Wexford's Megan Leto is in second place with a 52.
