On Sept. 30 at 9:30 a.m., the Waynesburg men’s golf team hosted the Waynesburg Invitational at Nemacolin Country Club, but the event was canceled due to unplayable course conditions after rain persisted throughout the morning and afternoon.

The official cancellation was announced on the morning of Oct. 1. 

“The event will be considered canceled due to weather. In some cases, you might be able to count a nine-hole match, but we didn’t even get nine holes in, as we did a shotgun start,” coach Mike Cipoletti said. “I don’t believe this will affect PAC seeding, and I doubt the golfers’ average round scores will be impacted.” 

According to Cipoletti and Waynesburg Sports Information Director Andrew Stanko, the course conditions continued to worsen with no end in sight. 

“Players got through six to eight holes before they were told the remainder of the tournament had been canceled,” Stanko said. “With water pooling on the greens, it became clear that it was unplayable on the day of the tournament. I heard from several golfers that they got off to solid starts, but others thought the conditions made things very difficult.”

Images of the competitors have been shared on Instagram (@wujackets) showing the harsh conditions players faced in the early holes.

On Oct. 3, the Waynesburg men’s team will travel to Grove City Country Club for the Grove City Invitational, with tee time at 9:30 a.m.

“There’s an old golf saying that if you didn’t bring it with you, you’re not going to find it on the course. At this point in the season, the men need to settle into playing with and maximizing what they’ve got,” Cipoletti said. “Two weeks is too short a time to make any major improvements, but we will focus most of our practice on the short game. Championship round success usually hinges on how well you chip and putt.”

The men’s team continues to improve, having won the Golden Eagles Invitational on Sept. 20, with Alan Tarolli and Matthew Karpeal earning medalist honors. Stanko expressed his enjoyment in watching this group of young men in his first season as SID.

“This Waynesburg men’s golf team is an exciting group to cover. With Karpeal and Tarolli, you have two players who can win any tournament they enter,” Stanko said. “From a PAC perspective, they’re both all-conference contenders. In college’s five-player format with four scores counting, having two consistent players puts the team in a strong position to compete for a title.”

The men’s golf PAC championship will be held Oct. 14 and 15 at Avalon Lakes in Warren, Ohio.