Todd claims 49th C.R. Miller Memorial Match Play Invitational
By Mike Dudurich • July 18, 2023
INDIANA – Remember the television commercial that used to run after the Super Bowl that featured winning Super Bowl team members being asked, “You just won the Super Bowl. Where are you going now?”
They all responded, “To Disney World!”
Fast forward to Tuesday when Trevor Todd was asked how he was going to celebrate his just-completed victory in the C.R. Miller Match Play Invitational at his home club, Indiana Country Club.
“I’m going to the beach tomorrow!” he said with a huge smile.
It sounded like the perfect way to celebrate the first big victory in a career that could be the portent of bigger things to come. He had just turned what seemed to have the potential of being a great finals matchup with Nick Turowski of Hannastown Golf Club.
Turowski made birdies on two of the first four holes and held a one-up lead in the match when the duo arrived at the fifth tee. As well as he had played to that point, suddenly things went sideways with the Penn-Trafford senior-to-be.
Three straight bogeys suddenly appeared on his portion scorecard and the day suddenly turned.
“Something strange happened as I was standing on the fourth green,” Turowski said. “I was 1-up and a really bad thought came to my mind. The thought was that I had already won the tournament. He won the next three holes, and I fought like crazy to get my focus back, but it just didn’t happen.”
Turowski chipped away at that 3-up advantage Todd held to get back to 1-up, but the senior-to-be at Indiana, hit him with another three birdies on 10-11-12 and he led 4-up and Turowski’s door to winning that title began to close quickly.
Pars on 13 and 14 cut down his chances even more and even though Turowski made a birdie on 15, but the two made 4s on the 16th hole to close out the match, 3 & 2.
“Certainly, playing here every day was an advantage,” Todd admitted. “I’ve played in this event the last two years. I was on a team that won a partner-partner event here at the club, but this is my first big event win.”
For Turowski, the runner-up finish continued what has been an outstanding run. He has now finished second in four consecutive events, having done so previously in the West Penn Junior, the Westmoreland County Junior and U.S. Junior event.
Next up, a trip to the U.S. Junior Amateur next week at the Daniel Island Club in Charleston, S.C.
In the morning semifinals at Indiana Country Club, Todd defeated Wes Lorish, 3 & 2, and Turowski knocked off Nolan Shilling of Oakmont, 1-up to advance to the finals.
About the WPGA
Founded in 1899, the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association is the steward of amateur golf in the region. Started by five Member Clubs, the association now has nearly 200 Member Clubs and 34,000 members. The WPGA conducts 14 individual competitions and 10 team events, and administers the WPGA Scholarship Fund and Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame.