By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, November 11, 2025 | 10:28 PM
Christopher Horner | TribLive Christopher Horner | TribLive
Fox Chapel’s Carson Kittsley watches his putt on number 14 during the WPIAL Class 3A boys golf championship Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, at Butler Country Club.
Christopher Horner | TribLive
Elizabeth Forward’s Mya Morgan watches her tee shot on No. 13 during the WPIAL Class 3A girls golf championship on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, at Sewickley Heights Golf Club.
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There is a new junior golf development program in Pennsylvania and some of the area’s top rising players will be a part of it.
Twelve boys and 12 girls were selected to the inaugural Team Pennsylvania, the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association announced Tuesday.
The program (ages 13-18) is geared toward opening doors for aspiring pro and college talent, through opportunistic and financial and means.
Most of the players were chosen through a point-based system, while eight others were picked by a committee.
What are the benefits of making the team?
The U.S. National Development Program, which identifies the players, vows to “identify, train, develop, fund and support the nation’s most talented junior players.”
One of the reasons the USGA formed the developmental program was because golf was the only major U.S. sport in the Olympics that did not have a national player development program and “a clear pathway to elite competition.”
The top two boys in the points standings will earn an exemption into the 2026 Sunnehanna Amateur at Sunnehanna Country Club in Johnstown.
Player benefits may also include promotion on the USNDP website and social media, exemptions into AJGA tournaments, coaching and other resources.
Among the players selected are two-time PIAA champions Carson Kittsley of Fox Chapel and Mya Morgan of Elizabeth Forward, Jack Sacriponte of Latrobe, Michael Quallich of Baldwin, two-time WPIAL champion Alyssa Zhang of Shady Side Academy, and others.
Scott Nye, who is Merion Golf Club’s Director of Championships, is the captain of Team Pennsylvania.
Here are all the Team Pennsylvania members for 2026, with their hometown, graduating class and club affiliation:
Boys
Charlie Barrickman, West Chester, 2026, Radley Run Country Club
Sean Curran, Newtown Square, 2026, Merion Golf Club
Bailey Donahue, Pittsburgh, 2028, Oakmont Country Club
Carson Kittsley, Pittsburgh, 2027, Oakmont Country Club
Colby Komancheck, Royersford, 2027, RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve
Ian Larsen, Glenmoore, 2027, Honeybrook Golf Club
Luke McGraw, Boalsburg, 2027, Toftrees Golf Resort
Nicky Nemo, Bryn Mawr, 2026, Merion Golf Club
Michael Quallich, Pittsburgh, 2027, South Hills Country Club
Jack Sacriponte, Greensburg, 2026, Hannastown Golf Club
Nico Ward, Coraopolis, 2028, Montour Heights Country Club
Chase Yenser, Douglassville, 2026, Reading Country Club
Girls
Ellie Benson, Venetia, 2026, Valley Brook Country Club
Kiersten Bodge, West Chester, 2027, Overbrook Golf Club
Jillian Burks, Paoli, 2027, White Manor Country Club
Alaina Carson, Broomall, 2028, Youth on Course
Cora Hirz, Fairview, 2026, Lake Shore Country Club
Madison Koshko, State College, 2026, Centre Hills Country Club
Mya Morgan, Elizabeth, 2026, Nemacolin Country Club
Kayley Roberts, Phoenixville, 2026, Phoenixville Country Club
Piper Smith, Lancaster, 2026, Conestoga Country Club
Kate Sowers, West Middlesex, 2026, Tam O’Shanter Golf Course
Myra Tomer, Newtown, 2030, Youth on Course
Alyssa Zhang, Pittsburgh, 2028, Wildwood Golf Club
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Baldwin, Elizabeth Forward, Fox Chapel, Latrobe