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Elizabeth Forward’s Mya Morgan blasts past field to win WPIAL golf championship

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Wednesday, October 4, 2023 | 6:50 PM

Sophomore Mya Morgan had to miss a tryout for a school musical because she was competing in the WPIAL girls golf championship.

Instead, Morgan landed the starring role on the golf course Wednesday.

The musical is “Big Fish.”

Her performance was more like something out of “Jaws.”

Morgan, a sophomore at Elizabeth Forward, devoured the Class 3A field to become her school’s first golf champion, using 300-yard drives and a hot putter to shoot a 1-under-par 71 in the final round for a 12-shot victory at Diamond Run Golf Club in Sewickley.

Morgan, who finished at 2-over 146, overcame a two-shot deficit with ease, hitting some drives 80 to 90 yards past opponents and making four birdies on fast greens to take the title.

“This was my best-ever round in a tournament,” said Morgan, who tied for fifth last year as a freshman. “I had five three-putts last week (in a first-round 75), so there was some redemption work with my putter.

“My goal is to chase par. For me, the farther distance I am ahead, the less I have to worry about. The added 400 yards (to the total yardage for the second round) really helped me. I honestly expected to win by a lot.”

Morgan, the daughter of former Plum football standout lineman Tony Morgan, birdied three of the four par 3s, playing those holes in 2-under. She also birdied the par-5 16th.

“She had a look in her eye this morning,” Elizabeth Forward coach Justin Korona said. “She was walking the ball in. That is the best 18 holes I have seen her play.”

Morgan recently broke her school record in a nine-hole match with a 4-under 32 at Butler’s Golf Course.

She once shot a 60 for 18 holes in a noncompetitive round at Butler’s.

Peters Township sophomore Ellie Benson, who began the day at 1-over but closed with an 85 to finish at 14-over, played with Morgan in the first group out.

“She’s insane,” said Benson, who has been playing junior golf with Morgan for years. “You try to play your own game and focus, but it’s tough when she’s playing like that. Nobody’s perfect. I gave myself a fighting chance.”

Morgan said she spent the eight-day wait between rounds of the 36-hole tournament preparing.

“My swing coach, Dave Kuhn, helped me with my putting,” she said. “I also had a great stretching session. The week in between didn’t bother me.”

Seneca Valley senior Lihini Ranaweera finished third at 15-over, and Oakland Catholic senior Grace Windfelder was fourth at plus-17.

With four-time champion Eva Bulger of Quaker Valley graduating and Greensburg Central Catholic senior Izzy Aigner not playing in the WPIAL postseason due to another golf-related commitment, the seven-girl Class 2A field was wide open.

Neshannock senior Sophia Covelli won the 2A championship, closing with an 89 for a 30-over total of 174.

She is the first girls golf champion from her school since Julee Sovesky in 1996.

A member of the Lancers’ two-time state champion competitive cheer team, Covelli rallied from two down to edge first-round leader Pearl Lundgren, a sophomore from Eden Christian, by one stroke.

“Me and her battled all day,” Covelli said after a final round that lasted nearly six hours. “After the fourth hole, I was down by four. I didn’t think I played well enough to win, to be honest. I thought maybe I’d come in fifth.”

Covelli plays on the Neshannock boys team.

“This is the first golf tournament I have won,” Covelli said. “And I have probably played hundreds. I’ve been second many times and last many times but never won. At Neshannock, I think they look at team sports more, not individuals, so this is nice to win.”

Lundgren had a scoring issue brought before the WPIAL committee. She believed she made a 10 on the par-4 seventh hole, but official scorers had her with an 11.

Had she signed for a 10, she would have been disqualified and missed the PIAA tournament.

The top seven girls in 3A advance to the PIAA championships Oct. 16-17 at Penn State. The other qualifiers are senior Paige Meyers of Oakland Catholic (plus-23), sophomore Angelina Schild of Moon (plus-24) and North Allegheny senior Megan Manesiotis (plus-25).

The top six players from 2A also advanced to the state tournament. The girls had to break 200 over two rounds to qualify.

Others girls to advance: junior Emily Obara of Seton LaSalle (plus-33), senior Lillie Snow of Freeport (plus-44), sophomore Alayna Stawovy of Greensburg Central Catholic (plus-46) and sophomore Savanna Stile of Lincoln Park (plus-50).

Penn-Trafford senior Antolena D’Amico withdrew after nine holes of the 3A tournament because of illness.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

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