The season has been a case of déjà vu in the best possible way for the boys golf team. Not only did the Foxes capture the WPIAL Class 3A Section 7 title with an undefeated record; the entire starting lineup also qualified for the WPIAL individual playoffs. Those players are seniors Matt Begg and Davis Kittsley, juniors David DiGregory and Grady Johnson, sophomore Carson Kittsley, and freshman Barron Bitar.
Carson, ranked second in Pennsylvania for his age group by the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA), was the gold medalist among 36 section 7 competitors. He shot a remarkable 4 under par 68 that day to win the title.
“If Carson continues as he has all season, he will break (alumnus) David Fuhrer’s school record for low scoring that was set last season,” coach Farrell says. David Fuhrer’s mark surpassed the previous record set by Adam Hoffman in 2006.
“It means a lot to me because (after all of my hard work), it proves that I am one of the best in the section,” says Carson, who played in a number of very competitive AJGA events this summer. “This was also my first bogey-free round, which was exciting.
“This season, I feel more confident in my course management and in my mental game as compared to last year. Also, I am feeling more confident with my putting, which is essential.”
Teammate David DiGregory also delivered a solid game and enjoyed the team’s shared success.
“I just wanted to go out, have fun, and play the best that I could,” David DiGregory says. “Finding out the whole team made the cut was pretty crazy. We figured out that we shot the best combined team score out of any team that played in a qualifier out of all the sections, which meant a lot to the team. It was just a great overall experience for everyone.”
Throughout the offseason, nearly every team member was dedicated to improving his game. David DiGregory says his tournament experience helped him to improve his swing.
“Playing smart and working on my mental game were my main goals this summer,” David DiGregory notes. “It has significantly impacted my scoring this season and continues to improve.”
Coach Farrell also praised Grady’s improvement, calling it “phenomenal.”
In a humble, yet accurate description, Grady says, “The jump in my game since last year has been both physical and mental and has been massive. Competing in various Hurricane and Isaly’s junior tour events taught me valuable lessons that have helped me play my best golf.”
Grady reveals that one of his toughest challenges has been tackling the mental aspect of the game. He shares, “My mental game has been key to my improvement. Learning to trust the process and never giving up on a round has made all the difference.”
Barron’s debut in the high school postseason has been somewhat of a déjà vu with family ties. His brother Scott was the last Fox Chapel Area male golfer to win the WPIAL individual championship (2019), the same year the squad won the WPIAL title and the school’s first PIAA championship. Barron’s sister Baustin is a senior member of the girls golf team. She was a member of the team that won the WPIAL team championship when she was a freshman. And then there is London, Barron’s twin, who is a freshman on the girls team that just won gold of their own with their section championship.
In what has probably been his biggest stage yet, Barron acknowledges he had some jitters that day.
“I did have some nerves, but I always say nerves are a good thing because that means you care,” Barron states. “The way I stay calm when hitting a bad shot is by just counting my breaths and saying to myself ‘Next shot, next shot’ because there’s nothing I can do to change the last shot.”
Looking ahead, Barron says the chance to play with all of his teammates in both the team and individual events is very special. He notes, “It means a lot for all my teammates to make it because the team and our morale if going to be through the roof at WPIALs. We have such an advantage because we all qualified for singles, and we have a lot of momentum going into the team championships.”
David DiGregory agrees with Barron.
“We better each other every day and push ourselves to be the best teammates and players we can be for the team,” David DiGregory says. “We’ve improved a lot on how we manage courses and we’re really playing smart, thanks to our coaches who have been a huge help guiding us.”
As the postseason progresses, the golfers know they will face tough competition, especially from rival Peters Township, the reigning WPIAL and state champions.
“We have a lot of team chemistry, and I think we’ll have a good chance of bringing home wins based on the way we’ve all been playing,” David DiGregory adds.
The WPIAL Class 3A Individual Championships will begin Tuesday, September 24, at Southpoint Golf Club. The finals are set for October 1 at Oakmont Country Club.
The Class 3A team semifinals begin October 8, at Indian Run Golf Club in Avella, Pa. The finals will be held October 10 at Cedarbrook Gold Golf Course in Belle Vernon.