Nick Turowski didn’t have to play in the Westmoreland County Golf Association Junior Amateur tournament Thursday.
He wanted to, and that impressed tournament director Bob Allshouse.
“Considering all the prestigious tournaments he has scheduled this summer, I wouldn’t have blamed him if he wanted to miss this event,” Allshouse said. “When I called him earlier this week, he told me he was looking forward to the tournament.”
Turowski, who recently graduated from Penn-Trafford, played in the West Penn Amateur on Monday and Tuesday and was in the final pairing. He ended up finishing fifth.
Next week, Turowski is entered in the Pennsylvania Junior at Hershey. He has many other events scheduled.
Turowski won the county tournament for the second time by shooting a tournament-record 3-under-par 69 at Latrobe Country Club. He still feels the first time he won in 2021 was bigger because of the strong field.
“I believe I was the youngest to win,” Turowski said. “That has special meaning. That win was a huge confidence builder.”
The previous low score to win the tournament was a 1-under 71 by Mark Goetz in 2017.
Turowski started fast. He birdied Nos. 2, 4 and 6 to go to 3-under. He bogeyed 7 and 8 before he birdied No. 9 and then No. 18.
“I stayed aggressive,” Turowski said. “I credit my caddie (Nolan Shilling) for helping me out. It was a lot of fun playing.”
Shilling was last year’s champion.
“I had a stressful first hole, needing to make a 15-foot putt to save par,” Turowski said. “I told Nolan I didn’t want that to happen again.”
Latrobe’s P.J. Germano was second with a 77, and Kiski Area’s Trey Roberts was third with a 79.
Kiski Area’s Max Mottura and Frazier’s Nixen Erdely shot 80. River Valley’s Jeremy Reed and Greensburg Central Catholic’s Braden Riley finished at 81, and Belle Vernon’s Jordan Mocello, Norwin’s Dom Cerilli and Greensburg Central Catholic’s Sean Walker shot 82.
Landon Stoner of Norwin was the 13-15 division winner.
Penn-Trafford was the team champion, Kiski Area was second and Latrobe was third.
