2024 PA Open Round 1

Sollon, Van Sickle, and Hughes Lead After First Round

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The 108^th Pennsylvania Open Championship teed off on Monday at St. Clair Country Club, with golfers competing in three divisions – Overall, Amateur, and Professional. A trio of professionals and former PA Open champions can be found hovering around the top of the Overall leaderboard, including a pair tied for first place after shooting a five-under-par 67: Valley Brook Country Club’s Jake Sollon and Mike Van Sickle. Sollon carded four birdies (on holes No. 3, 6, 10, and 17) as well as an eagle on 14 as he attempts to win his second Open in three years. 

“I won in 2022 at Longue Vue for my first professional win,” said Sollon. “But to win here local, just 15 minutes away, with my family here – it’d be awesome. Today felt pretty good and I hit it great all day.” 

Van Sickle, who was PA Open champion back in 2007 and 2008, totaled seven birdies and just two bogeys on the day. 

“It’s been a while since my last Open win,” said Van Sickle. “If I were to win this week it might be the longest drought in the history of the championship between wins, so we’ll see! I drove the ball wall and was in the fairway a lot today, but I just kind of made a lot of putts. The greens out here are rolling so pure and quick but I did a good job keeping the ball below the hole most of the day and even made one or two when I was above it. I was in good spots and all of a sudden made a couple of 15 to 30 footers and they just kind of added up.” 

A third competitor, JD Hughes, also shot a five-under 67 to join Sollon and Van Sickle in a tie at the top of the leaderboard. 

"I played really clean on the front," said Hughes. "You just really have to be careful about where you place it, so I felt I did a good job with that. I got a little loose in the middle of the round but I managed my misses and did well leaving it in the right spots to still make par, so it was a good round." 

Hughes won the PA Amateur back in 2017 and has a shot to "do the double" if he can put together another solid couple of rounds. 

"That'd be so cool," said Hughes. "I've played in this event when I can the last three or four years and I've always thought about that. You can't do it unless you get off to a decent start so I'm excited for the next two days." 

The third former PA Open titlist in contention after the first round is Alex Blickle, who was champ in 2021 and is currently tied for fourth place. Blickle started on the back nine and bogeyed hole No. 11, but got locked-in after that, with an eagle on 14 and birdies on 16 and 18. On the front, he birdied 2 and 6 with bogeys on 4 and 7 before ending his day on a high note with a birdie on the par-four ninth hole. 

“It was a comfortable tee shot in the sense that I can just rip driver and know that the bunkers aren’t really in play,” said Blickle. “I know it’s just a wedge from the rough if you miss the fairway and that’s exactly what I had, about 75 yards in from the right rough. I was actually hitting back into the breeze a little bit and was able to hold the green a lot easier that way. I hit it close and made the putt. It was a solid round from start to finish. Definitely the biggest key all day was that I drove the ball well, so I was able to turn otherwise pretty difficult holes into scorable opportunities and took advantage of some good ones. 

Blickle is trying to join a list of just 14 other players to win multiple PA Open titles, which includes Van Sickle as well as defending champion Kevin Kraft (2^nd Swing Golf), who shot an even-par 72 on Monday and is tied for 18th place. 

“I actually checked a couple weeks ago to see how many had done it,” said Blickle. “It’s an impressive list of winners and it’d be awesome to get back there but I’m just trying to enjoy the week and get back into contention.” 

A group of five golfers round out the top 10 of the Overall division, all who shot a two-under 70 in the first round: Devin Gee, Easton Renwick, Tom Nettles (St. Clair Country Club), Gregor Meyer (Hannastown GC), and Kyle Vance (Cedarbrook CC) 

Over in the Amateur Division, Austin Lemieux (The Club at Nevillewood) leads the field by two strokes after shooting a four-under 68. A bogey on hole No. 12 was the only mistake in a round that included an eagle on 14 as well as birdies on 2, 3, and 17. Lemieux is also still a factor in the overall standings, tied in fourth place with Blickle. 

Chasing Lemieux is the aforementioned St. Clair Country Club member Nettles with his two-under 70 on his home course, Jordan Scott (PAGA Individual Member) with a 71 (-1), then a group of three tied for fourth place at even-par 72: Tanner Johnson (Nemacolin CC), Nicholas Turowski (Hannastown GC), and Benjamin Smith (Carlisle CC). 

Play continues tomorrow with the second round of the 54-hole event, with tee times beginning at 8:00 a.m. 

The Pennsylvania Golf Association would like to thank the staff and membership of St. Clair Country Club for the hospitality shown during today’s rounds. Additional thanks, as always, also go to DICK’S Sporting Goods for sponsorship of the event.