Mason Peart didn’t mind playing another two holes.
The Littlestown sophomore wasn’t concerned as he walked up to the 9th hole at Honey Run Golf Club to start his playoff round. He and his opponent, Annville-Cleona’s Benjamin Allwein, had played together all morning and throughout the afternoon in the same grouping.
Although Peart trailed most of the day, a birdie and par to close out his initial 18-hole round forced a playoff to determine whether the sophomore could snag the first District 3 championship of his career.
“When I was walking up to 9-tee, I was just trying to put one up there on the green and give myself a chance at birdie,” Peart said. “If it drops, it drops, but don’t lose to a par and have fun while I’m doing it.”
Peart’s gamble paid off. Through two playoff holes, the sophomore edged out Allwein to take first in the Class 2A individual district tournament on Saturday, Oct. 4, with a combined score of 143 through two rounds.
The sophomore didn’t stress himself out during his second round. His double bogey on the 9th hole and bogey on the 11th were offset by his pair of birdies on the 6th and 17th holes. Plus, he’d already played here before. Littlestown played Honey Run during the regular season, a match Peart considered a blessing for the course knowledge it provided beforehand.
Even following his first round on Friday, Peart was taking in every note he could. He didn’t care about how the rest of the field played out. He was focused solely on his own game.
“Last night, I was just thinking, ‘One shot at a time,'” Peart said. “Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. Just keep myself in my own little bubble and just play golf.”
While Peart earned the YAIAA’s only district gold, Dover’s Lawson Leeper and Fairfield’s Isabelle Studli placed second in the Class 3A boys and Class 2A girls individual tournaments respectively.
For Leeper, the course is almost home. He’s played on it since he was a kid. Each round gets a little bit easier, especially for a golfer who led YAIAA’s Division II in scoring averages and won all five individual competitions throughout the season. Saturday’s round was just another mark of success for the senior.
Leeper’s 140 through his two rounds was the second-lowest score throughout the tournament, second only to fellow Class 3A golfer Chase Yenser from Daniel Boone, who scored a combined 135. Plus, he was one of only four golfers to end the weekend below par.
“I hit every driver pretty much perfect,” Leeper said. “I only had to chip one time today, and I hit almost every green. Putting was iffy. When I got inside of five feet I couldn’t make it, so it was a struggle. It plays towards me because I’m a shorter hitter. So, everyone else is laying up and I’m just hitting my normal shot straight out there.”
Studli, meanwhile, improved on her first round by a stroke to end her weekend with a combined score of 165. She finished four strokes shy of first behind Schuylkill Valley’s Abby McCaffrey and was buoyed late after shooting a 39 with only three bogeys on the back nine.
“The first day wasn’t the greatest, but I try to keep my head high,” Studli said. “I would say I played better than yesterday. Got to keep the confidence up. I was reading the greens better and having better speed with it.”
The PIAA state tournament will be held Oct. 20-22 at the Penn State Golf Courses in State College.
Teams
3A boys: 1. Hershey (293), 2. Cedar Crest (296), 3. Central York (302), 4. Wilson (316), 5. Millersburg (408).
2A Boys: 1. York Catholic (318, playoff), 2. Annville-Cleona (318), 3. Camp Hill (323), 4. Berks Catholic (326), 5. High Point Baptist (352), 6. Newport (417)
Singles
BOYS CLASS 3A | State qualifiers: 2. Lawson Leeper, Dover, 140; 7. Jayden Ferrell, Spring Grove, 146; 8. Jacob Gerrick, Central York, 148; 10. Dallas Inch, Central York, 151; T19. Patrick Knaub, Dover, 155 (playoff).
BOYS CLASS 2A | State qualifiers: 1. Mason Peart, Littlestown, 143 (playoff); T6, Kyle Salko, York Catholic, 157; T6. Sam McKim, York Catholic, 157 (playoff).
GIRLS CLASS 3A | State qualifier: 5. Vivienne Powers, York Suburban ,157.
GIRLS CLASS 2A | State qualifier: 2. Isabelle Studli, Fairfield, 165.
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