Sean Knapp claims record-tying eighth West Penn Amateur

Sean Knapp watched the film, “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” before settling in Sunday night.

He likes to tease fellow golfers by way of text messages around tournament times — good-hearted ribbings — so he pulled a quote from the movie, typed it into his phone and sent it to another player in the West Penn Amateur field. “There are two kinds of people my friend,” Knapp texted. “Those who dig and those who bring the loaded guns.”

LOL.

Kind of.

Knapp always seems to bring out the big guns, even when the young guns seem to have the advantage — especially when the event is the West Penn Amateur. As the players get younger, the 56-year-old gunslinger seems to get better.

Knapp owns the tournament. They can’t rub his finger prints off the trophy. He is in the hunt every year.

The timeless and tireless veteran from Oakmont charged to his eighth West Penn Amateur championship Monday at still-soft Fox Chapel Golf Club to tie W.C. Fownes for the most wins in the event.

Like the 118th annual tournament itself, Knapp has aged well.

“You start to get to a point in your life, at least from a golf standpoint, that it’s the final chapter,” Knapp said. “I know there aren’t many pages left to this golf story.”

He started the long-delayed event a shot off the lead but rallied with a 1-under-par 69 for a 4-under total to edge past Latrobe senior Brady Pevarnik by one stroke. Darin Kowalski of South Hills Country Club finished two back, and Carey Bina of Beaver Valley Golf Club and Palmer Jackson of Murrysville tied at 1-under. Bina tied Knapp and Pevarnik for the round of the day with 69.

Jackson is a senior at Franklin Regional. He and Knapp played last week in the U.S. Amateur.

First-round leader Adam Hofmann of Fox Chapel, a former WPIAL champion, finished alone in sixth place at even. Hoffman posted a 4-under 66 on July 2 before torrential rain and storms wiped out the second round and forced officials to shorten the tournament to 36 holes, while also being placed at the mercy of the club’s schedule for an open date to resume play.

Forty-eight days after play began, Knapp pieced together what he called his “most meaningful” West Penn Amateur win his in 15 years. Last year, he had a two-shot lead with nine holes to play but could not get the job done.

“I was able to be patient enough to allow it happen,” Knapp said.

This time, he made a 20-footer for birdie on No. 11, then curled in another birdie putt on No. 13 to get to 4-under and move to within one of Perarnik. He barely missed a short, downhill birdie putt on No. 15 but played steady to stay in the hunt.

“It went from, ‘I might have a chance’ to, ‘I have a chance,’ ” Knapp said. “I sacrifice a lot of time after work to play this game. From 5 to 8 (p.m.), I’m getting in at 8:30, and it’s dark. I remember in my 40s, I stopped and asked myself, ‘What am I doing? Is it worth it?’ But like I told my players when I coached basketball, nothing great is ever achieved without passion.

“Little things done well become big things.”

To put his string of longevity on local golf in perspective: Knapp won his first title 30 years ago. The reigning U.S. Senior Amateur champion who will try to defend his title starting Saturday in Eugene, Ore., won six consecutive West Penn titles from 1998-2003.

Knapp, who had five birdies and four bogeys, said the win was extra pleasing because he won an a “historic” venue and did so “among friends.”

“I have kind of followed a formula all my life, in terms of winning,” said Knapp, who cracked his driver when he hit his tee shot on 18. “Just get yourself into a position (to win). I’m not one of these guys who says, ‘This is what I gotta do… .’ I just knew today that nobody else had won this, and I had.”

Knapp has played in the final group in the West Penn the last three times and, remarkably, never has missed a cut or finished outside the top 11.

Pevarnik, a Penn State recruit, led by two after 15 holes at 5-under but bogeyed two of his final three — with a birdie at the par-3 17th in between — to swerve off line and give Knapp an opening.

“This one will sting for awhile,” Pevarnik said. “It was right there for the taking. I knew in the back of my mind I’m still two back at the West Penn Amateur, so when we go back I have to treat it like a first round, where it’s going to be a horse race and whoever goes low is going to win. That’s how I tried to think.”

Jackson made birdies on Nos. 16 and 17. His chances darkened earlier when he made a triple bogey at the ninth.

“I went completely under two balls in the high grass on a chip,” said Jackson, who did not make a bogey after that. “I made the two birdies, but I knew even if I made eagle I probably wasn’t going to win.”

Jackson and Knapp have become friends. One of the area’s rising players even recruited the elder statesman to join Hannastown Golf Club.

“Sean is such an accomplished player,” Jackson said. “If pro golf doesn’t work out for me, I want to be just like him and follow a similar path.We can all learn so much from him.”

Knapp’s daughter, Kensey, caddied for the first 15 holes Monday, but she had to leave to go to Penn State. Bill Wolfe, a friend of Knapp’s, carried his bag for the final three holes.

Bill Beckner is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Bill at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.