When Natalie Welsh was 10, her father gave her a kids golf club set to play with.

Welsh took to the game quickly.

Now 14 and a freshman on the Mars’ girls golf team, Welsh is one of the best female golfers in the WPIAL.

She proved that Wednesday at Black Hawk Golf Course, firing a 2-underpar 70 to win the Section 1-AAA championship.

Her teammate, junior Bridget Merten, finished third with a 2-over par 74.

“It’s crazy,” Welsh said. “It’s just been great because of Bridget. We push each other a lot. Our averages right now are pretty even. She’s kind of like my big sister.”

Both have played well before at Black Hawk Golf Course.

Earlier this month, Merten shot a 3-under 33 and Welsh shot an even-par 36 there in a match against Blackhawk.

Then Welsh recently shot another 70 to place first and Merten a 73 to finish third at the Mid-Atlantic Conference Tournament at the course.

“I usually play really well there,” Welsh said. “Everyone is teasing me, saying we should play there more often.”

Mars girls golf coach Ralph Jockel said he wasn’t surprised about the success of his top two golfers at the sectional tournament.

He said the key to both golfers’ development has been each other.

“Bridget last year was getting complacent with her game,” Jockel said. “She was shooting in the 40s, and I knew she was much better than that. Natalie this year has really pushed her and Bridget’s average has gone down.”

The two are very similar in their approach to the game, solid from the tee to the fairway to the green with no discernible weakness.

That’s not where the similarities end.

“I took a video of each of their swings and put them side by side,” Jockel said. “They are identical.”

That’s not a coincidence. Both have the same swing coach, Jim Chichra, who is a golf professional at the RMU Island Sports Center.

Merten, though, lamented about some of the shots she left out on the course Wednesday.

“I always learned that you can have a good score, but you can never have a perfect round,” Merten said.

She has valued the competition with Welsh this season.

Last fall, Merten tied for ninth place at the PIAA Class AAA Girls’ Golf Championships.

She hopes to get there again — with Welsh by her side.

Their final step to get there will come at the WPIAL Championships at Willowbook Country Club Sept. 29.

“I learned last year that there are a lot of good players,” Merten said. “I also learned that hard work will get you somewhere. Just because you don’t see improvement immediately doesn’t mean that hard work isn’t worth it. It will show up eventually.”

Clawson second in Section 1-AA — Freeport’s Aubrey Clawson shot a 76 at Norvelt Golf Club to finish second at the Section 1-AA qualifier.

Clawson will also compete in the WPIAL Championships at Willowbrook Country Club Sept. 29.