Playing competitively in local amateur competitions has been a proven path to success when it comes to high school and even collegiate competitions, and 2026 was no different.
On Monday and Tuesday, players from throughout Western Pennsylvania — many with ties to the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association and Team Pennsylvania — performed at a high level during the WPIAL Golf Championships.
In the Class 3A Boys Golf Championship, held Monday at Sewickley Heights Golf Club, Team Pennsylvania member Nico Ward came away with his first district title, shooting a two-round score of 1-under.
“I’ve been grinding a lot and it’s finally paying off,” said Ward, a junior at West Allegheny. “I’ve had a great summer and put some past failures back. I’ve been staying focused on not making too many mistakes.”
Ward has had a banner year. He won the WPGA’s C.R. Miller Match Play Invitational and was medalist at U.S. Junior Amateur Qualifying, participating in the national championship this summer at Saucon Valley in Eastern Pennsylvania.
He also reached the second stage of U.S. Open qualifying, had multiple strong finishes in AJGA events and much more.
He’s faced some of the top players in the country — not just junior or amateur players — but even current professionals in U.S. Open qualifying. And he’s contended against them all.
“It just feels like, if you can take down a pro, you can take down basically anybody,” he said. “That’s kind of how I feel when I’m at my best. I can take down basically anybody.
“And those events were probably the best thing that could’ve happened for me. The pins in U.S. Open qualifying are pretty crazy. Then you come here and some of the dicey spots aren’t that dicey, which is nice.”
Michael Quallich, Bailey Donahue and 2025 WPIAL champion Carson Kittsley finished second and tied for third respectively behind Ward. All four players are members of Team Pennsylvania, while Quallich, Donahue and Kittsley have been members of the WPGA’s Williamson Cup team in the past.
Kittsley, this June, became the youngest champion in the history of the WPGA Amateur at just 17 years old, triumphing at Kahkwa Club in Erie. He is committed to Penn State, while Quallich is a Notre Dame commit.
Max Pirain, who played in the C.R. Miller Invitational, took fifth in the Class 3A Championship, while this year’s WPGA Junior champion, Camden Reyes, took sixth in the WPIAL.
Others who have played well in WPGA competitions, such as Jack Dixon and Luke Sikora, earned spots in the PIAA tournament with top ten finishes.
In the Class 2A Boys Golf finals, Shady Side Academy’s Alex Avi took home his first title with an 8-over score for the two rounds, winning his title thanks to a late birdie streak at Oakmont Country Club.
Avi played in the WPIAL Junior Championship this summer, finishing eighth overall, and was a semifinalist in the C.R. Miller Match Play.
Chris Faber, who finished top 20 in the WPGA Junior Championship, placed second in the WPIAL finals. Rocco Bautti, a longtime WPGA competitor, tied for third, while several others with West Penn Golf backgrounds reached the PIAA Championships.
On the girls side, Olivia DeGori of Moon capped off the Girls 3A Championship with a with an eagle and birdie in her last three holes to take the title.
DeGori this year reached the semifinals of the WPGA Girls Match Play Invitational, placed eighth at the WPGA Women’s Amateur Championship and fourth at the WGAWP Junior Girls’ Championship.
Betty Glyptis of Peters Township was second, Clara Koteski of Fox Chapel and Siena Smith of Pine-Richland rounded out the top four. All have experience in WPGA and/or WGAWP competitions.
In the Girls 2A Championship Monday at Valley Brook Country Club, Shady Side Academy senior and Team Pennsylvania member Alyssa Zhang became just the fourth player to win three straight WPIAL titles with an 8-over finish to her two rounds.
JoJo Jaskulski of Chartiers Houston was second and Addison Davis, who played against a predominantly male field at this summer’s WPGA Junior Championship, was third.
