Oct 9, 2002 By Jim Downey 4 min read

GIBSONIA – The day was ending when Jordan Craig was finishing her round of golf Tuesday in the WPIAL Girls Golf Championship. A two-hour delay pushed Craig’s threesome to the edge of darkness as the final group of the day. When she signed her card, the Connellsville junior was unaware she had secured the final of eight berths into the PIAA Championship at Heritage Hills Golf Course in York on Oct. 21-22. Seven players were at 84 or better with only three golfers left, and Craig was the only one of those three to make the grade by posting an 84.

A trip to her first state tournament seemed out of the question after posting a 9-over-par 45 on the front nine. Craig gathered herself and finished strong with a 3-over on the final nine holes.

“I wasn’t striking the ball well on the front nine and I got myself in trouble,” the three-time WPIAL finalist said. “I was disappointed with my front nine. I told myself ‘Keep with it. You’ll be okay.

“I became more gutsy on the back nine. I decided to go for the pins. I made it interesting. I missed two 2-foot par putts. I had six pars and three bogeys on the back.”

The WPIAL medal adds to what has already been a solid 2002 season for Craig. She had a strong tournament season in the summer and looked to that confidence on the back nine.

“I wasn’t worried about what everyone else was doing. I’m still in it. Don’t give up.”

With the regular season over for the Falcons, Craig will use the next week or so to fine-tune her game.

“I’ll still work on my swing. My mental game is coming along. I’m looking to do well at states.”

Hempfield’s Katie Miller finally won the title she had been so close to winning by carding a 6-over-par 78 to edge Upper St. Clair’s Kelly MacWhinnie by one stroke. The Hempfield senior lost a playoff for the title to Uniontown’s Lauren George as a freshman and to Bethel Park’s Jordyn Wells last year.

She lost a playoff for the bronze medal to George as a sophomore.

“I had three bad holes in the middle. I had one bad shot after another. I couldn’t recover off of it,” Miller said. “I knew if I kept up my bad holes, no way (would I win). I just had to suck it up and play like I can.”

Miller mentioned in the past her first priority was to advance to the PIAA tournament, but this year was a little different.

“In the back of my mind, I wanted to win. It’s really hard to have a strategy to win it. It’s only one day, 18 holes.”

Laurel Highlands’ Sara Bonchosky wasn’t able to get anything rolling. The senior shot a 95 going out in 48 and closing with a 47.

“It was up-and-down with more downs than ups. I was trying to get my act together on every single hole,” the 2001 WPIAL finalist said. “My tempo wasn’t there. My irons were okay and my putter was the best part of my game. I only three-putted two greens. That’s unusual for me.”

Southmoreland’s Emily Morrison finished with a 107 in her first trip to the WPIAL tournament. The junior opened with a 46, but ballooned on the back with a 60.

“The greens were fast. I’m not used to that,” Morrison said. “I was striking the ball well for the most part. I was a little bit nervous. It was definitely a good learning experience for me.”

Morrison’s season isn’t over because the Lady Scots have two matches remaining this week for a chance at the team playoffs next week. Wells, last year’s gold medallist, won the bronze with an 81. Center’s Samantha Milosh and Upper St. Clair’s Katie Trotter both shot 83. Blackhawk’s Natalie Lueck and Upper St. Clair’s Katie Trachok joined Craig for the final berths at 84.