Quaker Valley's Dai, OLSH's Schollaert finish second, third in WPIAL golf championships
BUTLER – When Nixen Erdely made the one hour and 20 minute trip from his home in Fayette County to Butler Country Club on Monday morning, he slept most of the way.
With his father driving, Erdely didn’t spend any time thinking about the opportunity that awaited him for the second and final round of the WPIAL Class 2A Boys Individual Golf Championships.
Upon arriving at Butler C.C., Erdely, a senior at Frazier High School, said he rubbed his eyes for a few minutes as he woke up and then went to the driving range to hit a few practice balls.
Moments later, he stepped onto the first tee, starting the day in fourth place, three strokes behind the leader, Ethan Dai, a junior from Quaker Valley.
“I knew Ethan would be hard to beat,” Erdely said. “But if I would hit some greens and make some putts, I’d have a chance.”
Erdely did just that.
With birdies on four of the last seven holes, including clutch birdies on 16 and 17, he shot a 1-under 70, easily the best round carded by any of the 37 contestants in the field.
Combined with the 72 Erdely shot last week in the first round at Willowbrook Country Club in Apollo, he finished with a 142 total.
That was good enough to edge Dai, who shot a final round 75 after shooting a first-round low 69 at Willowbrook. Dai, who bogeyed three of his last four holes, settled for a 144 total and a second-place finish.
“Nixen made the best comeback I’ve ever seen,” said Jonah Schollaert, a sophomore from Our Lady of the Sacred Heart who finished third with a 73-73_146.
Along with Belle Vernon’s Jordan Mocello, Schollaert played in a threesome with Erdely. So he saw first-hand how well Erdely played down the homestretch.
“I thought I had a chance to win today,” Schollaert, who started the day tied for fifth place. "But I also knew Ethan had a good chance of winning.”
After all, Schollaert knows first-hand what a strong player Dai is. They both have junior memberships at Shannopin Country Club in the Pittsburgh suburb of Ben Avon Heights.
Obviously, Dai, who played in the final threesome to tee off Monday, was disappointed that he didn’t win. After all, he held the lead until the 16th and 17th holes. There was a three-stroke swing at that juncture as Erdley recorded two birdies while Dai carded a bogey and a par.
Then on the par-4 18th, Erdely clinched victory with a par while Dai had another bogey.
“Yes, I'm disappointed, but I mean, I did finish in second place,” Dai said. “I lost to a good golfer. So, I can’t complain.”
By finishing with gold, silver and bronze medals, respectively, Erdley, Dai and Schollaert each finished better than they did last year at the WPIAL Championships.
In the 2022 finals held at Oakmont Country Club, Erdley placed fourth, while Dai tied for fifth with Schollaert tying for 13th.
Next up for Erdley, Dai and Schollaert will be the PIAA 2A Boys Championship at Penn State University on Oct. 16-17. The 2A boys two-round final will be played at Penn State’s White Course.
The low 18 finishers and ties at the WPIAL Championships advance to Penn State.
Beside Dai and Schollaert, one other boy from the Beaver County Times coverage area advanced to states. That would be Sewickley Academy’s Severin Harmon, a junior who tied for ninth with a 75-83_158.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Quaker Valley's Dai, OLSH's Schollaert finish second, third in WPIAL golf championships
