2026 PA Amateur Rond 2 Recap

OAKMONT, Pa. – Oakmont Country Club is proving to be a challenge for the field at the Pennsylvania Golf Association’s (PAGA) 113^th Amateur Championship, with only one player remaining under par after two rounds complete (along with one at even par). As luck would have it, both of those players, leader Carson Kittsley at -1 (69-72–141) and second place Dave Fuhrer (73-69–142) play out of Oakmont, as do five of the top 11 players on the leaderboard. Even with all that familiarity, the course can still sneak up and cause problems for even the most prepared competitors.

Kittsley was +2 on the front nine after bogeys on 1 and 3, but rattled off birdies on 10, 13, and 14 to erase some of the damage and help him shoot a +1 (72) in the round.

Fuhrer, starting on the back nine, birdied 11 but bogeyed the par-five 12^th and carded a double on 13 – until buckling down and adding six birdies after that, on 17, 18, 3, 4, 6, and 9. His -2 (69) tied for the lowest round of the day and the tournament.

“I got off to a slower start and was missing some spots that I really can’t,” said Fuhrer. “I got ‘Oakmont’ed’ but hung in there and all around, this place can get you on any single hole. You really have to stay patient and just avoid a big number. I did a pretty good job of that today and fought back after being over after the first few holes. I started putting really well and it started going in the hole, I just had to stay patient.

As the field has now been cut to 40 players, Wednesday’s tee times feature twosomes on the final day, with Fuhrer and Kittsley scheduled to hit the course at 9:48 a.m.

“It’s awesome to have a shot to win,” said Fuhrer, who has claimed a previous state title with his win at the 2024 PAGA Junior Boys’ Championship. “Any PAGA event is so huge, the state has so many good players and it’s super competitive. And it’d be really special to get it done tomorrow on my home course. I’ll just have to go shot-by-shot, it’s super easy to get ahead of yourself but I’m feeling confident heading into the final round. I’ve won big events before so I think I’m in a good spot mentally and preparation-wise. I play with Carson (Kittsley) a lot out here in the evenings, we play some one-versus-one matches. We went to the same highschool so I was almost like a big brother. He’s extremely talented, a great kid, so we’ll have a great time tomorrow in the final group. I’m super pumped about it.”

A group of four players tied for third place are only two strokes behind the leaders with a two-day total of +1 (143), as round one co-leaders Joshua Ryan (The 1912 Club) and Matthew Mattioli (Pittsburgh Field Club) are joined by Andrew Friend (Oakmont CC) and Breckin Taylor (Kahkwa Club). Friend fired a -2 (69) on his home course that included an eagle on 9 and birdies on 13 and 17, while Breckin finished a solid round at -1 (70) with birdies on 2, 8, and 17.

Chase Yenser (Rivercrest), who defeated Kittsley earlier this summer to win his second consecutive PAGA Junior Boys’ Championship, sits in sole possession of seventh place at +2 (72-72–144).

Also still within reach heading into Wednesday's final round are four players tied for eighth place at +3 (145): Evan Eichenlaub (Saucon Valley CC), Austin Lemieux (Allegheny CC), Daniel Donahue (Oakmont CC), and Tom Nettles (Oakmont CC).

Complete results from this week’s Championship can be found here: https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/12370414035559034451

The Pennsylvania Golf Association would like to thank the staff and membership of Oakmont Country Club for the hospitality shown during today’s rounds. Additional thanks go to DICK’S Sporting Goods for sponsorship of the event as the title sponsor of the PAGA.