GREENSBURG — Nick Turowski stood on the fifth tee at Hannastown Golf Club Monday, reading over the names on the Jack Benson Trophy, awarded annually to the winner of the WPGA Spring Stroke Play Championship.
“Wow,” said Turowski. “Neal Shipley, Nathan Smith, Sean Knapp. A lot of good ones on here.”
While Turowski hasn’t yet constructed the resumé or the legacy of those local amateur greats, the West Virginia University sophomore showed his potential and, just a few hours later, added his name to that star-studded trophy.
Propelled by a 5-under opening round score of 65, Turowski shot 7-under overall, claiming the 33rd WPGA Spring Stroke Play on his home course of Hannastown Golf Club.
“I still can't believe it,” said Turowski, who picked up his fifth win in a WPGA competition in his career. “Neal Shipley now being on the PGA TOUR…. How many Nathan Smith’s there are on there? The Sean Knapp’s, (2022 Spring Stroke Play champion) Amani D’ambrosio is an incredible player. It's very, very, very, very special. And, honestly, to do it at Hannastown, it's a dream come true.”
The Harrison City native’s scorecard was relatively flawless in the opening round, with five birdies and no bogeys, as he took a three-shot lead to the clubhouse.
“When I would hit it to 20 feet, I would two-putt, and then when I hit it close, I took advantage of those little five-footers,” Turowski said. “I didn't really miss any putts that I should have made. And tee-to-green was just very, very smart golf, just trying to limit mistakes.”
In the afternoon, Turowski’s round was a bit more up-and-down as clouds and periodic wind rolled through Westmoreland County. He carded four bogeys, but combated those with six birdies — five coming in his final seven holes.
“I was really lucky to start on (the 10th hole) in the first round, because I was able to have the back nine as my last nine holes of the tournament,” said Turowski, who had a comfortable lead reduced to just two strokes in the second round. “I made a bogey and a birdie on the front nine. And I literally just told myself that I have the easier nine holes coming in.
“I didn't look at a leaderboard and that was probably a good thing, because if I saw that lead creeping, I probably would have gotten a little nervous. I just reminded myself of how well I can play the back nine and how gettable the back nine is.”
Turowski’s strong play should come as little surprise. In addition to the friendly confines of Hannastown, the Penn-Trafford High School graduate has been surging on the college scene of late.
With the Mountaineers, the 2024 WPGA Junior Player of the Year competed last week at the NCAA Championship Regional in Arizona, producing a 6-under score and placing 18th overall. His third round score of 5-under was good for fourth-best in that round.
“It was huge,” said Turowski. “I had some good tournaments and I had some bad tournaments this spring. But to cap it off with a bogey-free round felt really, really good. And it honestly gave me a lot of confidence coming back home.
“Being at WVU for nine months and playing that college schedule and playing with the team, I feel like a completely different player than I was last summer. And I felt like a completely different player than I was the summer prior.
“It’s just that constant development of always wanting to improve.”
In second place Monday, Matthew Mattioli of the Pittsburgh Field Club shot 4-under, the only other player to finish the two-round competition under par. Mattioli orchestrated consecutive rounds of 68.
Amani D’Ambrosio, Ravi Desai and Jack Sacriponte — another Hannastown member — tied for third at 2-over.
Sacriponte, also a member of Team Pennsylvania, was electric in the afternoon, beginning his second round on the back nine and posting a 5-under mark of 30, one stroke off of Hannastown’s nine-hole record.
“You can show up to Hannastown any day, and you can find a really, really good game,” Turowski said of the strong play of he and his fellow members on their home course. “You have kids like Luke Sikora, Jack Sacriponte, and then you have Kevin Fajt, Brian Fajt. Plus, Mark Getz, Palmer Jackson, Gregor Meyer, when he's home, and Sean Knapp. I'm forgetting people, but the list goes on and on.
“And when you're not playing in tournaments, I think it's really, really important to still keep that really high competitiveness. That's kinda what Hannastown’s all about, for people who want to play to a really high level. That's what you have here.”
Up next, Turowski will chase his second WPGA major championship, having won the West Penn Junior title in 2024. The 126th WPGA Amateur Championship is set for next Monday and Tuesday at The Kahkwa Club in Erie.
“I am so excited,” said Turowski. “I’ve never been to Kahkwa, but I've heard it's an absolute gem.”
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