Phoenixville’s Kayley Roberts dominates the field to win her second PAC Individual Championship

Kayley Roberts continued a familiar pattern Tuesday at the Pioneer Athletic Conference Individual Girls Golf Championship; she will need to start a new trend to defend her title next season under the Roberts family roof.

Roberts shot a 1-under 71 at Turtle Creek Golf Course and finished 10 strokes ahead of her nearest rival to win the league’s individual title for the second time in three years. The Phoenixville junior won the event as a freshman in 2022, while her older sister Kate, who now plays collegiate golf at San Jose State University, won the league title in 2021 and 2023.

With no other siblings to follow suit, Kayley Roberts will attempt three championships in four years in 2025. But for now, she was happy to keep the title in the family for another year.

“I always go into a tournament trying to win to see what happens, playing my best,” Kayley said by phone Tuesday after completing her 18-hole round. “To this day, I’ve tried to do my best to make sure I hit my best shots. I can’t control what the other girls do, but I can control my preparation to the best of my ability.”

Fourteen PAC golfers, including Roberts, qualified for the Region One Tournament at Turtle Creek on Oct. 14-15. Perkiomen Valley’s Nadia Yackanicz was next closest to Roberts on the leaderboard, shooting an 81, further showing how dominant Roberts is over the rest of the field.

Kate and Kayley Roberts finished second and fourth, respectively, at last year’s PIAA 3A individual championships, and the sisters helped Phoenixville win the PIAA 3A team title in 2022. Kate Roberts also won the District 1-3A title in 2023, so the Roberts sisters have plenty of hardware to show for their efforts over the past few seasons.

Still, for Kayley, Tuesday’s individual title held extra meaning because it was her first without her older sister cheering her on.

“My driver and approach shots were working well, and I gave myself good looks for birdie,” Kayley said. “My putts weren’t the best, but I was able to convert two putts to keep myself from bogeying and going over par.

“I would say it definitely helps my confidence. The girls here are really good, so I keep pushing myself and also reminding myself that I’m a good golfer. It motivates me to keep working hard so I can get to regionals and hopefully win there.”

While Phoenixville head girls golf coach Sandy Waltz is used to a Roberts sister winning this event, Tuesday was also a special day for her and the Phantoms’ program. Every time Kate or Kayley has success on the course, it has further fueled interest in girls golf at the school.

“I’ve known them for four or five years, and the Roberts girls are hard workers,” Waltz said. “I knew I had lightning in a bottle, but I didn’t know where it would take me. Kayley is the epitome of hard work. She puts in the time and loves golf. When she puts those scores in, it’s impressive, and I couldn’t be more proud of her and her sister. I’m very fortunate.

“This is the first year they’ve been apart and now it’s Kayley’s time to shine. It’s great for our program and the Robertses have been instrumental in bringing in new people. It’s been a grassroots effort to get girls to play and they’ve both supported golf with their dedication. We hope to continue to build on that in the years to come.”

Waltz said she wants Kayley to win the “triple crown” in the playoffs this year and hopes to replicate her sister’s success at districts and then win an individual state title. At this point, it would be foolish to doubt what these sisters have accomplished and what they can accomplish.

Of course, winning these tough events never gets old for Kayley. However, she’ll need to win next year without Kate by her side to take the baton back from Kayley in 2025.

“It feels really good to come out here on our home court and get a good score,” Kayley said. “The PAC championship has been in my family for four years now, and I’m going to focus on what’s in front of me and not look too far ahead so I’m not mentally stressed going into districts. I’m going to take it one hole at a time and one shot at a time and see what happens from there.”

2024 PAC Girls Individual Golf Championship Results/Regional Qualifiers:

Kayley Roberts, PHX-71

Nadia Yackanicz, PV-81

Saloni Patel, PV – 84

Amala Villivalam, UM – 87

Riley Pier, BT – 88

Lauren Springman, MT-94

Brianna King, PV-95

Devon Armor, SF – 95

Hailey Schildt, BT-96

Ashley Minder, PV-96

Alyssa Schuebel, UM-98

Ella Drewes, PHX-100

Jenna Fox, IT-101

Julia Minder, PV-101

Original Release Date: September 25, 2024, 13:33