ADAMS TWP — Like father, like daughter.

That's how Casey Morrow learned to play golf. The Shady Side Academy senior and Adams Township resident has been producing high-quality play for quite a while now.

“I started playing when I was 8 years old,” Morrow said. “My dad was a golfer and I wanted to learn, so I started playing with him.”

He must have been a good teacher.

Morrow wound up being the No. 1 golfer in Shady Side Academy's lineup throughout her four-year prep career. She was named team MVP in three of those four years.

Team captain since her sophomore year, Morrow led the Indians to the PIAA championship last fall, upsetting North Allegheny at that tournament.

“We only have about 500 kids in our school, but we've got a strong golf team, so we play up (in the bigger school classification),” Morrow said. “Winning that state title was pretty exhilarating.

“We were heavy underdogs at the state meet. It was a great way to end the season.”

But Morrow's golf career is far from over.

Carrying a 3.8 grade point average, she recently accepted a scholarship to play at Bucknell University. Morrow plans to major in biology there.

She considered a number of other schools, including Allegheny, Wooster, South Florida and Tampa.

“For what I want to study, choosing Bucknell was a no-brainer for me,” Morrow said.

At 5-foot-3, Morrow does not stand very tall. Shady Side golf coach Helene Gosse said she brings a total game to the golf course, however.

“She's just a good golfer,” Gosse said. “She hits off the tee well, has an excellent short game and is a good putter.

“Casey is a consistent player. She doesn't make many mistakes out there.”

And she took her captain's role quite seriously.

“She knows how to elevate and lift her teammates,” Gosse said. “I wasn't in on her college choice, but she would be a tremendous gift to any team.”

Morrow averaged 39 for nine holes this season. She's never had a hole-in-one, but has produced nine eagles during her young career. Fox Chapel Country Club is Shady Side's home course.

Her best 18-hole round was 78 — which she saved for the state championships last fall.

“As a senior captain, I tried to lead by example,” Morrow said. “All season, I tried not to let our team lose sight of what we were practicing for — to win the state championship.”

While the coaches select the team MVP every year, the team votes on its captain.

“It was very flattering to be chosen three times. I'll never forget that,” Morrow said.

Now she's turning her attention toward her college career.

“I'm going to play in a lot of junior tournaments this summer to get ready,” Morrow said. “My first goal is to start on the (Bucknell) team. I want to continue to play the best I can, to keep working on my game to get better.

“We had good golfers at Shady Side and we pushed each other to get better.”

Morrow played basketball for the Indians her freshman and sophomore year before leaving that sport to concentrate on golf.

“I wanted to spend as much time as I could to polish my game,” she said.

That game appears to be shining.

“Casey is one of the best young golfers around here,” Gosse said. “She always does well. The way she's focused ... She'll always do well.”