Teenage Hampton golfer reaches national finals

Nearly 60,000 golfers participated this year in the PGA Jr. League and only 96 of them qualified for the 13-and-under national championship this month.

One of them is an eighth-grader from Hampton.

Rin Suyama will compete with the Westwood Golf Club team in its bid for a national title beginning Oct. 7 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. The event will be televised live on select ESPN networks.

“Obviously, there will be nerves,” Suyama said. “I’ve never really had an experience like this. So we will see how it turns out. But I’m hoping it won’t be too nerve-wracking.”

Qualifying rounds at the national championships will be pare the 12-team field down to four semifinalists. The finals are scheduled for Oct. 10.

“I have very high expectations for them,” Westwood coach Troy Williams said. “With players like Rin on the team, I don’t think winning this thing is out of reach.

“I think they compare against the best in the country for their age.”

Suyama, 13, joined the 24-golfer PGA Jr. League team at Westwood Golf Club in West Mifflin last year. He was among eight golfers selected by Williams to form an “all-star” team to compete in the national event. Westwood won the sectional title Aug. 19 at Treesdale and the regional championship Sept. 5 at Westfield Country Club in Westfield Center, Ohio, edging Columbus, Ohio, by one stroke in the second tiebreaker to secure a berth to nationals.

Suyama and his playing partner, Alex Eckstein of Youngstown, Ohio, helped a Pittsburgh-area team reach the national championship for the first time.

“Rin has really just matured and grown into a super golfer and a super nice kid,” Williams said. “He has a very solid all-around game.”

The PGA Jr. League national championships are just part of a busy summer for Suyama, who came within one spot of reaching the Drive, Chip and Putt national finals.

Suyama won the local qualifier at Butler Country Club in June and placed second at a sub-regional qualifier on Aug. 11 at Nemacolin Woodlands to advance to the regional qualifier at Oak Hill Country Club on Sept. 19 in Rochester, N.Y.

With a spot to the national finals April 3 at Augusta on the line, Suyama placed second behind Jason Park of Fulton, Md.

“I’ve never been that far and to be able to get second like that with a good score, I was very proud,” Suyama said.

Suyama also plays on the US Kids Pittsburgh tour and won a 14-golfer event at Lake Arthur on Sept. 12 in a playoff, shooting an 87.

Suyama began golfing at age 5 or 6 and quickly developed an attraction to the sport. He endured his fair share of struggles early on but kept patient and gradually improved.

“I wasn’t very naturally gifted with golf, but I did stick through some of the bad scores,” he said. “There is no point in wallowing in the past — oh, you got a 10 (on that hole). But thinking about it will only make it worse. Why care about it?”

Suyama grew 3-4 inches in the past year, providing some power off the tee to complement his short game.

“This summer has definitely been a very pivotal point,” the 5-foot-4, 110-pounder said. “I’ve gotten a lot better recently with my fairway play and definitely driving.”

Williams, a 33-year-old Penn Hills graduate, said Suyama’s improving drives combined with his quality short game are valuable during the scramble formats used in the the PGA Jr. League events.

“Last year, he had a very good short game, but he wasn’t one of the longer hitters on the team,” Williams said. “This past year, he has definitely gained some strength and height and he is putting it out there with some of the kids who are the bigger hitters on the team.

“I think that has really helped him because with some of these short holes, he is able to hit it so far that he is able to use his short game to help us score a lot of birdies and eagles.”