Jun 3, 2014 By Mike Dudurich for The 3 min read

NEW CASTLE — It’s been a good year for Greensburg’s Ryan Sikora.

At the beginning of year, he was named the women’s golf coach at Seton Hill University in Greensburg.

That’s a very nice gig for a young man who possesses loads of talent as well as a great personality. Sounds like a perfect place for him to be: a college setting with the ability to pass on his knowledge of the game.

He also gives lessons at Totteridge Golf Club near Greensburg and helps out at Hannastown Golf Club as well. And if you happen to be at Dick’s Sporting Goods near the Westmoreland Mall on a Saturday, he’ll most likely be there.

And when he finds time to play golf, he’s doing that pretty well, too.

He put together a four-birdie, no-bogey round of 68 Monday in the first round of the Tri-State Open at New Castle Country Club and takes a one-shot lead into Tuesday’s final round over Brett Carman of Dogwood Hills Golf Course and two amateurs, Justin Miller and Kevin O’Brien.

“I’ve really been playing good all year,” Sikora said. “I was hitting it pretty good today and it was definitely out there.”

It may have been out there, but not many players were able to get it. Only nine players were able to record rounds under par and only four of those were in the 60s.

On the other hand, 29 players shot 75 or worse.

Take Treesdale Country Club assistant Dennis Munko. He found the old A.J. Tillinghast layout very gettable. Munko had six birdies, but he also double-bogeyed the eighth and a quadruple 9 on the par-five 16th.

That worked out to a nifty even-par round of 72. A couple tee shots off trees and out of bounds and, before you know it, Munko had a quad.

Sikora has placed second in the Club Car Classic and teamed with Butler Country Club professional Rob McClellan to win the Pro-Pro Championship.

He made birdies on 3, 11, 15, 18, two-putting on the two par-fives, the third and 15th, and making putts of four feet on 11 and a 20-footer on 18.

“I think I missed just two greens and even on those it was easy up and downs,” Sikora said. “It was an easy day all around. The greens were a little easier than we’re used to normally playing them.”

Carman, who had a hot streak in the Tri-State PGA last summer, put together nines of 37-32 and had four birdies on the back nine. He also had three bogeys on the front side, 3, 6, 8.

Uniontown Country Club golf professional Tom Bummer had an interesting round Monday. He had five bogeys, two birdies and an eagle on the 15th, all of which added up to a 73.

“It’s tough to play when you play once a week,” Bummer said. “It’s been a tough spring for everyone and we’ve all had to do what we had to do.”

O’Brien and Miller held up well in the pressure of playing in the Tri-State’s biggest event. O’Brien went to North Allegheny and is now a sophomore at Seton Hall University. He posted seven birdies, a pair of bogeys and one double bogey.

Miller is a graduate of Riverview High School and is now a senior at Brown University. Miller had five birdies and two bogeys in his first round.

Sixty-one players made the cut of 77 and advance to the final 18 holes today. That round will get underway at 8 a.m. off both the first and 10th tees, weather permitting.