Central Catholic sophomore-to-be leads Tri-State Open

There is a surprise leader after Round 1 of the Tri-State Open on Monday.

Rocco Salvitti, who just finished his freshman year at Central Catholic, is leading at Williams Golf and Country Club.

Salvitti shot a 5-under par 67 that included six birdies. He soared into the lead by making birdie on four of the final five holes (Nos. 14, 15, 16 and 18). He had one bogey during the round on the Weirton, W.Va. course.

Salvitti, 15, is the youngest first-round leader in the tournament’s history. The Canonsburg native had a solid high school season. He tied for third at the WPIAL Championship and PIAA West Regional and seventh in the PIAA Championship.

Rocco Salvitti (a) leads after round 1 of the E-Z-GO Tri-State Open with a round of 67 (-5)! Stay tuned to see who’s crowned champion tomorrow afternoon! pic.twitter.com/Mzah0kHrnQ

— Tri-State PGA (@TriStatePGA) June 15, 2020

Riverside Golf Club pro Ty Roush from Mason, W.Va. is a shot back at 4-under 68, thanks to four birdies.

There are four golfers tied for third at 3-under: Brett Carmen, John Aber, Devin Gee and Rick Stimmel. Tied for seventh are Joseph Kalaskey, Kevin Shields, Erik Bertrand and Chris Daily.

The field of 116 was cut down to 61.

Among the three father-son combinations in the field, only the Mankins advanced to the final round on Tuesday. Hannastown pro Craig Mankins finished with a 3-over 75 and his son Jeff a 2-over 74.

Lindenwood pro Brent Johnson finished with a 4-over 76 and missed the cut by one. His son Tanner shot a 1-under 71 to advance, but his other son, Parker, also shot a 4-over 76. While John Aber is near the top of the leaderboard, his son J.F. just missed the cut with a 5-over 77.

The cut was 3-over.

Joe Boros had a rollercoaster round. He finished with seven birdies, the most of the round, but also had five bogeys and a double bogey.

Stimmel also carded six birdies while John Aber, Gee and Shields had five each. Brian DePaul had four birdies and an eagle.