York County golfer wins elusive state title with record-breaking effort

Carson Bacha arrived at Heritage Hills Golf Resort Tuesday and did the same thing he's done for the past year. 

He took out his phone and opened up the article about his disappointing performance in last year's state tournament. 

He knew it would be the last time he would have to do so. 

"Walking to the first tee I closed it out because I wanted to forget about that," Bacha said. "And create a new article today."

Well, Bacha got his wish. 

The Central York senior closed out his outstanding career by winning his first PIAA title Tuesday. The Auburn commit shot 4-under par (67) Tuesday to finish with a two-day score of 8-under par. The course has a par-71 layout. 

The mark gives him a PIAA tournament record. Bacha is the first Central York golfer to win a state title and the first golfer from York County to win a state title since Eastern York's Rod Crumbling in 1984. Farfield's Isaiah Logue was the last YAIAA golfer to win a PIAA championship with back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013. 

Bacha already owned three YAIAA titles and two District 3 crowns. He's competed well at national tournaments, and qualified for the prestigious U.S. Amateur Championship this summer. 

But this was the championship he really wanted. 

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Especially after finishing 12th last season when a severe lack of sleep the night before due to traveling back from tournament in South Carolina threw him off his game. 

He finished fifth as a freshman and elected not to compete in the PIAA postseason as a sophomore so he could play in an American Junior Golf Association tournament in Georgia. 

"This was the last thing I thought I had to win to check off all the boxes on my high school career," Bacha said. "It's pretty awesome looking back to see how I developed from freshman to senior year and how my game evolved."

Bacha entered Tuesday with a one-stroke lead after shooting 4-under par Monday. But he fell two strokes behind Shady Side Academy's Adam Lauer after a few holes Tuesday. 

He never wavered, and made five birdies on the back-nine to wrap up the title. Meadville's Ryan Ferry finished second after shooting 5-under par over the two days. 

"From all my experience, I knew I had to stay patient," Bacha said. "Everyone is going to make mistakes at some point, and (Lauer) made his (with a triple bogey) on nine. Once the opportunity arose, I wanted to advantage of it and I thought I did that pretty well." 

An excellent putt to make par on the 17th put him two strokes ahead and earned him a strong ovation from his cheering section at the York course. Bacha pumped his fist after that shot, but said he didn't allow himself to think about victory in the moment. 

But when he ripped a tee shot on the 18th and — most importantly — avoided hooking the ball into the water next to the fairway, he knew he was in good shape. 

He didn't need to birdie the final hole, but he still did to finish his career in fitting fashion. 

"I definitely tried to stay in the moment," Bacha said. "After the tee shot on 18 I felt settled because I had two shots to deal with and 130 yards. Once I avoided (the water) I knew I had taken trouble out of play."

The senior said it certainly helped be playing in York in front of family and supporters. Bacha also has plenty of experience competing at Heritage Hills. 

As for the light rain that started falling toward the end of the day, Bacha said that's something he's constantly prepared for. 

"My dad and I always talk about playing in conditions like these and how when players see rain in the forecast, half the field is already done," Bacha said. "I've learned to love playing in the rain."

Staying confident and motivated 

Central York head coach Sean Guerin admitted it takes a different approach when motivating Bacha. 

As Guerin put it, Bacha has "literally had a golf club in his hand every day of his life the past four or five years." The senior already has the work ethic and desire to be great on a regular basis. 

So when his star pupil needs an extra push, Guerin brings up goals that no other competitor would have. 

"Yesterday we talked about, 'What's the state record?,'" Guerin said. "Stuff like that to get him thinking. He shot 4-under yesterday and I said, 'Let's do 4 more today and get it to 8. That's a state record.' He's just on a different level."

Tuesday was the second time this postseason Bacha has a set a record, having claimed the District 3 tournament mark by shooting 10-under par. Guerin added that Bacha was striving to get under par by double digits again this week. 

Still, Bacha didn't go into states on the highest note, finishing tied for fifth (1-under par 71) at the East Regional tournament last week. Bacha said he was sick that day, but was still happy with the way he struck the ball and the fact he finished under par. 

So going into states — and with a final chance to accomplish his biggest goal — he still felt confident. 

"It wasn't like it was anything bad, just a mediocre round," Bacha said of the regional. "Knowing I had some time to work on my putting, I could get it back to where I wanted to and figured things would be good for states." 

According to Guerin, Bacha shot under par every round this season and finished "in the 60s" under par for the entire year.

While Bacha will enjoy accomplishing this feat, he's not taking too much time off. He's going to Florida for a tournament in about a month and then to Georgia for another one in the weeks after that. He's planning to spend the winter training in Florida with swing coach Ray Carazo, which he's done the past few seasons. 

As he looks back on his high school career, Bacha is thankful for all the support his parents, Kevin and Kerri, have given him. After sinking his final putt Tuesday, he shook hands with his competitors, then embraced his mother and father. 

All that's left now is to pull up a more positive article on his phone. 

"They were really happy with how I stayed patient," he said of the interaction with his parents. "They were just really happy I hung in there, didn't give up, kept fighting and was able to get the job done."

Added Guerin: "He's so passionate about what he does. He wanted this all year. This is what we've been talking about. To see him accomplish it and in the fashion he did it was incredible."