Greater Latrobe alum Pevarnik wins West Penn Amateur

Brady Pevarnik finished 3 under to win the championship at Butler Country Club

Thu Jul 28, 2022 - 12:17PM

Sean Meyers Sean Meyers
After beginning his career at Penn State, Brady Pevarnik now golfs at Bowling Green University.After beginning his career at Penn State, Brady Pevarnik now golfs at Bowling Green University.

Last Updated: Thu Jul 28, 2022 - 5:34PM

During his time at Greater Latrobe, Brady Pevarnik ranked among the very best golfers in the WPIAL. Following his graduation in 2019, however, Pevarnik struggled to find the right fit collegiately, while also suffering a significant injury that hindered his game for more than a year.

Finally back happy and healthy, Pevarnik showed his immense talent last week, as he captured the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association’s Amateur Championship at Butler Country Club. Over three rounds, Pevarnik carded a 3-under 207, finishing four strokes better than runners up Darin Kowalski and J.F. Aber.

The heralded event, in its 122nd year, is one in which Pevarnik has played for nearly a decade.

“It was the first big event that I ever qualified for, so it was pretty cool for it to come full circle and win it,” he said.

After playing 36 holes on Monday and compiling rounds of 66 and 74, Pevarnik shot a 67 in his final round on Tuesday to secure first place.

“It’s a really difficult course. The fairways are fairly small out there,” he said of Butler County Club. “The rough’s very long. The greens are pretty undulated, pretty slopy, and they’re very fast.”

It was a long road back for Pevarnik, whose struggles began towards the end of his freshman college campaign. During that year, he started at Penn State University, but transferred to the College of Charleston for the spring semester.

That semester was interrupted, though, both by the arrival of COVID and Pevarnik’s broken wrist that sidelined him for an extended period of time.

Although his wrist healed, the flexibility of it did not immediately return, preventing Pevarnik from playing anywhere close to his high standards. The physical problems eventually led to mental struggles, as well.

Pevarnik seemingly found a home this past season, as he joined the team at Bowling Green State University, where he played 24 rounds, averaging a score of 75.3. With his senior season with the Falcons on the horizon, Pevarnik’s victory this week seemingly signals that he’s back at his best.

“It’s been a lot of hard work to get back to a point where I’m contending and now even winning tournaments,” he revealed.