Gallery • 6 Photos

Photo courtesy of Mike Funicelli

Assistant Coach Steve Miksich, RJ Royer, Luke Brooks, Cassidy Miksich, Cyrus Alhert, Head Coach Mike Funicelli

Tyrone has had a number of standout golfers in the past decade, including several individuals who placed at the district, regional, and even state level, so it is somewhat surprising that Tyrone has not won a team distinct championship in 18 years. 

But that changed on Tuesday as the Tyrone Golf Team took the Team District Championship medal in dramatic fashion by just one stroke (345-346) over the Central Dragons at Scotch Valley Country Club.

Tyrone was led by Williamsburg’s RJ Royer, who shot an impressive 82 on a tough course and finished fifth overall. Junior Cassidy Miksich was next for Tyrone with an 83, followed by senior Luke Brooks with an 89, and junior Cyrus Ahlert carded a 91 to round out the championship foursome. 

“The match went back and forth all day between us and Central,” said Tyrone head coach Mike Funicelli, “With two holes left we had a five-stroke lead, then suddenly with one hole left we were down by two strokes.”

But in the end, Tyrone was able to hold on to bring its first district championship to Tyrone since 2003. 

The top four teams at sectionals qualified for the District Championship Match. In addition to Tyrone and Central, the other schools that qualified were St. Joseph’s Academy and Westmont Hilltop.

Funicelli and his team felt good going into the match. Scotch Valley is always a challenge because the fairways are narrow with a lot of twists to them.

“Every year I dread having to play at this course because I know it will test my physical and mental golf game harder than any other course. If you don’t hit the ball straight you have no chance of scoring well. You have to be focused and disciplined in order to be a medalist,” said Tyrone senior Luke Brooks.

Tyrone put up a 345 which was their worst score of the year, but it was good enough to win as all the golfer’s scores were up due to the tough course and conditions.

With two holes to play for each Tyrone player, the Golden Eagles were in the lead by 5 strokes. But as Tyrone struggled on the last two holes, the tension rose for both teams.

“I was honestly pacing back and forth hitting refresh on the live leaderboard on my phone so much that my battery died,” said Funicelli. “Thankfully we played hard on the last hole collectively and won by one stroke. It still seems unreal but I’m so proud of how we battled it out. We played on a tough course in tough conditions and our hard work paid off.”

Tyrone’s next match will be on October 13 when they face the District 5 champions.

The winner of that match will qualify for the state championship on October 25 at the Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York.