Fox Chapel's David Fuhrer II birdies final hole to win 125th West Penn Amateur

JOHNSTOWN — Chalk up another golfing victory for the Fuhrer family.

David Fuhrer II, the youngest in a line of successful golfers to hit the region’s storied golf scene, sank a short birdie putt on the final hole Tuesday to break a three-way tie and capture the championship of the 125th West Penn Amateur at Sunnehanna Country Club.

“I can’t really process it right now,” said the 19-year-old George Mason sophomore, who was one of the top WPIAL golfers while at Fox Chapel High School from 2021-24.

Following the examples of his late influential grandfather, golf mogul Frank Fuhrer Jr., and uncle, Frank Fuhrer III, one of the area’s top amateur players of all time, 19-year-old David took nothing for granted after securing the win on No. 18 with a tough, downhill putt of about 4 feet.

“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “My uncle (Frank Fuhrer III), won this (tournament) a couple times (in 1978 and ‘79). My family has always been deeply tied to golf, and it’s awesome that I can continue that legacy.”

His grandfather, Frank Fuhrer Jr., who died in 2022 at age 96, also was visible in the area’s golf scene for much of his life.

He staged the Family House Invitational for 14 years, which brought PGA Tour players to a two-day event to help expand Family House, a facility in Pittsburgh’s East End neighborhood that houses families of cancer and transplant patients.

In 1997, he started the Frank B. Fuhrer Jr. Invitational, which was held until 2023 and brought in local professionals from the Tri-State Section PGA, mini-tour players and many of the area’s top amateurs.

The field of 40 would play a four-round event with a $40,000 prize.

On Tuesday, Fuhrer II, representing Oakmont Country Club, entered the final round with a three-stroke lead but briefly fell behind.

But he rallied to win on the last shot, surviving an even-par 70 on the second and final day and giving him a 54-hole total of 8-under-par 202.

Oakmont rival and former Fox Chapel teammate Carson Kittsley finished in a second-place tie with South Hills’ Darin Kowalski at 7-under 203 after both settled for even par on No. 18.

Kittsley, 16, narrowly missed becoming the youngest winner of the tournament, one of the country’s longest-running amateur golf events.

“I didn’t know that until now,” Kittsley said moments after signing his official scorecard. “It’s super cool to hear.”

Arnold Palmer and William Miller both won the tournament at age 17.

Kittsley, who trailed by six strokes entering the final round, turned in the best score of the day, a 5-under 65.

Kowalski and Hannastown’s Nicholas Turowski were a stroke back at 66, but Turowski couldn’t overcome a slow start on Monday’s first day and finished tied for sixth with Matthew Mattioli, representing Pittsburgh Field Club, at 4-under 206.

Fuhrer II began the day by making birdie on No. 1 to stretch his lead to four strokes over Allegheny’s J.F. Aber and Southpointe’s Scott Jordan.

But he ran into several rough patches, making double bogey on No. 4 and bogey on No. 12 and fell behind late in the round before managing to finish on top.

Furher still managed to birdie four holes in the final round after doing so on five of the first eight during Monday’s first round, when he shot 7-under 63.

He finished with a total of 11 birdies through the first two rounds.

Aber wound up fourth overall at 6-under 204 after a final-round 69. Olde Stonewall’s Hunter Swidzinski shot 2-under 68 to round out the top five with a two-day total of 5-under 205.

Defending champion Nathan Piatt of Oakmont shot 2-over 72 on the final day to wind up in a tie for 10th place overall with Montour Heights’ Ian Bangor at 1-under 209.

Nine-time winner Sean Knapp of Hannastown withdrew after soaring to a first-round score of 85 on the first day.

Knapp, who last won the championship in 2023 to set a record for victories in the event, was playing with what officials said was a broken toe and was unable to continue.

As Fuhrer stood holding the trophy with past winners’ names etched on it, he shook his head and smiled as he glanced at the list.

“One name on here that really sticks out to me is Arnold Palmer,” he said. “He was one of my role models growing up in Pennsylvania. It’s really cool.”

Fuhrer conceded that when he approached No. 18, he wasn’t certain of where he stood on the leaderboard, though he figured he was back in first place.

But his caddie informed him that, with Kittsley and Kowalski already having completed the round, he would need to make birdie to avoid a three-way playoff.

“I hit a great drive (on No. 18), probably one of my best of the tournament,” he said.

The ball landed just short of the green. He chipped within about 4 feet of the hole, then made the winning putt.

“It’s hard to get it out of your head,” Fuhrer said, referring to the thought of missing the putt. “A downhill 4-footer is not an easy putt to make under pressure. I just tried to block everything out as much as I could and step up. I’ve hit a million of those in my life, so I focused and trusted it.”

And just like that, the Fuhrer family’s winning tradition continues.