Roberts

CLARION — About two years ago, Larissa Roberts decided to turn her hobby of golf into a passion.

Roberts, a junior at Union High, struck up a friendship with Jewel Selgar and Rhonda Smith, two women from Strattanville who are members at Clarion Oaks Golf Club.

Selgar and Smith took Roberts under their wings, improving her game markedly over a short period of time.

So did Union golf coach Jeff Hepler

"I would make a bad shot and have no idea what I was doing," Roberts said. "They always had a way of fixing things for me."

Now, there is little about her game that needs fixing.

Roberts fired a 92 on a cold and rainy day last week at the District 9 Girls Golf Championships at Bavarian Hills Golf Course in St. Marys to place second.

The strong finish put Roberts in the PIAA Girls Golf Regional, which will be held Monday at Tom's Run Golf Course in Blairsville.

Last year, she shot a 117 to finish 15th at the District 9 event.

"I played golf the whole summer," Roberts said. "That's all I did: practice. I played as much as I could, and I felt really good."

Since Union doesn't have a girls golf team, Roberts is a member of the boys squad.

She tees off from the boys tees, but that's had little effect on her game because of her prodigious drives, which often fly as long as 230 yards.

Roberts said playing on a boys team also has helped her mentally.

"I think it actually helps me step up my game," Roberts said. "When I compete against boys, I try to play up to their level."

Roberts has shown she can exceed that level. She often is the medalist on her team.

Her nine-hole average is 44.5 — tops on the team. Her 18-hole average is 93.6.

That's a score Roberts hopes to improve upon. Nothing would please her more than a trip to the PIAA Girls Golf Championships.

"One of my main goals this season was to shoot in the 30s," Roberts said. "That hasn't happened yet."

Roberts is hoping it will.

Better play around and on the green, something she has struggled with from time to time, will be a big help.

Her favorite pastime is replacing a putter that has let her down.

"I've been switching putters a lot," said Roberts, who is waiting for her latest putter to arrive in the mail. "I had to borrow one (at the District 9 Championships)."