When No. 2 will do
By Sam Tallarico
Eagle Staff Writer
WHITEHALL — Marissa DeCola had no idea what was happening to the rest of the
field at Thursday's WPIAL Girls Golf Championship.
That probably turned out to be a good thing.
The Butler High sophomore carded a 79 at South Hills Country Club, which left
her in second place, one stroke behind Fox Chapel's Nadia Luttner, who nabbed
the WPIAL crown for the second consecutive year.
"I was just hoping to make the cut," said DeCola. "I was better
off not knowing."
Of the 24 golfers, the top 12 finishers advance to the PIAA Western Regional
Oct. 21 at Tom's Run Golf Course at Chestnut Ridge in Blairsville.
Joining DeCola will be teammate Mara Shingleton, who grabbed the 12th
qualifying spot with a 93.
Two
DeCola had a shot at the title, but bogeys on the No. 17 and 18 holes curtailed
those chances.
"The holes were a little bit longer for me," said DeCola. "I had
two errant shots. My approaches were not good, but I got two good scores off them.
I was happy with that."
"Marissa is a wonderful golfer, just an amazing player," said
Looking back at the 18 holes, DeCola, who won her semifinal round with a 74 last
week, wouldn't change a thing.
"I just wanted to move on. I didn't think about that a little bit. I'll
take that score on that course any day," DeCola added.
For Shingleton, she knew she would be in a battle for the final spot. She just
didn't know how tough it was going to be.
"I'd probably say I was the only one whose spot was not sealed," said
the
"It was nerve-racking. I've never been in that situation. I knew the
scores would be high," Shingleton added.
Her score wasn't as good as Shingleton would have liked, but moving on is what
mattered most.
"As my dad would say, 'You have to take your medicine.' I knew there were
a lot of shots I got lucky and some I didn't. I just had a 46 on the front
nine, but that doesn't mean you're going to get it on the back.
"In the end, it was consistent. I'd rather be consistent than all over the
place," Shingleton added.
With DeCola and Shingleton both advancing to the state regional, the duo will
have each other to lean on for support.
"It will really be fun, a lot better than last year," said DeCola,
who reached the state championship as a freshman last season. "It will be
different but great."
"I think my nerves will be cut by half," said Shingleton.
"Marissa and I are best friends. It's awesome we get to go together."
The