Scott headed to national tourney
BUTLER TWP — Ask Paige Scott where she's played golf this summer and you'll get a foggy answer.
“I kind of lost track,” the incoming Butler senior said. “I've been all over the place.”
Count on this, though. Wherever she has played, she's played well.
“I've been playing in tournaments since I was 6,” Scott said. “I have a lot of experience that way. When I'm playing against girls who are new to tournaments and they seem a little nervous ... I feel like that puts me ahead of the game.”
Scott competed in a Notah Begay regional tournament over the weekend in Galloway, N.J. She placed second out of 19 girls in the age 14-18 division at Seaview Golf Club.
Scott shot a 75 the first day, a 77 the second day to finish 10-over par for the 36-hole event. She finished three strokes behind the winner.
The top two golfers in each regional across the country qualify for the Notah Begay National Championship, slated for Coushatta, La., Nov. 13-15. The event will be televised by The Golf Channel.
“I actually play better in the bigger tournaments because I'm so competitive,” Scott said. “When I'm against the really good players, I want to out-do them.
“On a par 3, if their drive winds up 10 feet from the hole, I want to get my shot within six feet, just inside of them.”
Seaview Golf Club is the site of the LPGA Shoprite Classic. Scott said the course has a 75% rate of difficulty, “which is really hard.”
“Winds were at 30 miles per hour during the tournament,” she continued. “I was very satisfied with my score under those conditions on that course.
“I've been working on everything (with her golf game), but have really been practicing my lower shots. That came in handy with the wind out there.”
A member at Slippery Rock Golf Club, Scott plays golf every day. She plans to compete in the Pa. Amateur, near Philadelphia, the first week of August.
She plays in a lot of local events, along with the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour and American Junior Golf Association.
“Her maturity on the course is the biggest thing right now,” Paige's father, Gene Scott, said. “The competitiveness has always been there. I've stepped away ... it's all her now. She works on her game on her own.”
Scott qualified for the PIAA Tournament last fall for the Butler High School girls golf team. She plans to play collegiate golf.
Her college destination has yet to be determined.
“She's gotten a few offers so far,” her father said. “No decision has been made yet. The COVID situation has set back the recruiting process. Only recently have kids even been allowed to visit schools.”
Scott is considering playing in a tournament in Detroit later this summer. She will play in the Butler Eagle County Amateur tourney Aug. 8 at Slippery Rock Golf Club.
“I'm pondering a couple of other tournaments,” she said. “Just undecided right now.
“That (Notah Begay) tournament will be my first national event. I'm pretty excited about it.”
