CRANBERRY TWP — She won two PIAA girls championships at North Catholic. She’s also been part of a Horizon League women’s title with Youngstown State University.

But Cranberry Township resident Madie Smithco’s biggest golf victory occurred last week at Oakmont.

Smithco sank a 7-foot putt on No. 18 to complete a late comeback and force a playoff, then defeated Katie Miller Gee on the first playoff hole Wednesday to win the Women’s Golf Association of Western Pa. Championship. Gee is the Hempfield Area High School girls golf coach and a former WGAWP champion.

This is WGAWP’s centennial season.

“This win has to be No. 1 for me,” Smithco said. “First off, it was at Oakmont. Secondly, Katie Miller is one of the top women’s golfers in the state. To defeat her straight up like that was a thrill.”

The way she did it made it particularly thrilling.

The three-day tournament featured 18 holes of golf each day. Smithco found herself with a one-stroke lead on the 104-golfer field with nine holes to play in the final round. But with four holes to play, Smithco found herself three strokes behind Gee.

She parred No. 15 while Gee bogeyed. Both bogeyed No. 16, but Smithco shot par on No. 17 while Gee bogeyed, pulling the former within a stroke entering the final hole, which was a par-5.

“I was staring at a 7-foot birdie putt and Katie was inside (that distannce) on a par putt, so I had to go first,” Smithco said of No. 18. “I had to make that shot to force the playoff ... It was a little nerve-wracking.”

But it went in.

And Smithco saved her best for last.

The first playoff hole in the sudden-death format was the same No. 18 hole “and I hit my best drive of the day,” she said.

Smithco’s drive came to rest 144 yards out. Her second shot sailed toward the green.

“I lost sight of it, but I heard a bunch of people clapping, so I figured I was OK,” she said. “I got to the green and saw my ball sitting three feet from the hole.”

Smithco sank the putt for an eagle and the championship was hers. She shot a 7-over-par 233 for the three days, putting together rounds of 78, 75 and 80. Gee and Smithco ended regulation 10 strokes in front of third-place golfer Taylor Waller.

Admitted to struggling with her game in the spring, Smithco — a member at Sewickley Heights — had been on the course daily for weeks, leading up to the WGAWP Championship.

“About three hours every day, I worked hard on my game,” she said. “It was nice to see all of that hard work pay off.”

She won PIAA championships in 2017 and 2018. Her chance for a high school three-peat ended in 2019 when she took ill during the WPIAL tourney. Now golfing for Youngstown State, Smithco was part of the Penguins’ Horizon League championship team her freshman season.

This past spring, “we didn’t do so well,” she said. “But we’ve got a good team, coming back and I’m excited about next year. I haven’t won a college tournament myself yet. That’s something I’d like to do before I’m through.”

The day after winning the WGAWP, Smithco was back on a golf course — caddying for a men’s invitational at Sewickley Heights.

“I love being around the game,” she said. “And there’s no better way for a young golfer to make money than caddying. It’s a great job.”

A basketball and softball player as a youngster, Smithco gave up those sports after sustaining concussions from “just being a kid.” Her father and brother were golfers, so she joined them one day at the driving range.

“I was 11 and just took to the sport,” she said.

Clearly, she hasn’t let it go yet.

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