The second of six state-wide qualifiers for the 92nd West Virginia Open Championship, hosted by the West Virginia Golf Association (WVGA), took place on Tuesday at The Pines Country Club in Morgantown. Over 50 golfers teed off in hopes of obtaining one of 16 qualifying and two alternate spots available today for the final field of the West Virginia Open which will take place at Sleepy Hollow Golf Course in Hurricane on July 23-25. Mainly, they battled the weather, including a 90-minute rain delay.
“We’re always excited to be a host course for a qualifier for a WVGA or USGA event,” said The Pines’ Head Golf Professional Russell Reid. “This opportunity to host people from across the state brings a lot of pride to our members, our staff and the Morgantown community. We hosted the Tri-State PGA Pro-Am Monday, so the golf course was in fabulous shape, but we wish Mother Nature had been somewhat kinder to us.”
Earning Medalist Honors was Gavin Goodrich of Wheeling, finishing at even par (E) 71. Other qualifiers were:
- Ethan Cook of Glen Dale, (+3) 74;
- Drew Kane of Bridgeport, (+3) 74;
- Justin Doerr of Wheeling, (+3) 74;
- Caleb Young of Fairmont, (+3) 74;
- Chad Griffith of Morgantown, (+4) 75;
- John Kingora of Morgantown, (+4) 75;
- Gabriel Watson of Morgantown, (+5) 76;
- Matt Gissy of Weston, (+6) 77;
- Adam Ware of Grafton, (+6) 77;
- Buck Gower of Grafton, (+6) 77;
- Mario Saludes of Wheeling, (+7) 78;
- Mark Walker (professional) of Bridgeport, (+7) 78;
- Drew Cartright of Morgantown, (+7) 78;
- Matthew Moore of Morgantown, (+7) 78; and
- Andrew Sheets of Morgantown, (+7) 78.
Alternates are Luke Marsh of Wheeling and professional Justin Estep of Morgantown.
“This Championship showcases the very best golfers and courses in our state,” said WVGA Executive Director Chris Slack. “Our second qualifier at The Pines was a bit of a battle with the weather for our golfers.”
The WV Open Championship has a rich 91-year history. Legendary professional golfer Sam Snead holds the record for the most WV Open victories at 17. The defending champion is Todd Duncan of Daniels. The WV Open features the best amateur and professional golfers in West Virginia.
For today’s leaderboard, visit WV Open Qualifier – The Pines Country Club.
The third WV Open Qualifier is Thursday, July 10, at The Resort at Glade Springs in Daniels.