Michael Hootman got off to a sizzling start at the inaugural Butler County Junior Amateur Open Monday.

That start was good enough to help carry him through the back nine en route to the championship title in the boys 16-to-18 division at Oakview Golf Club.

Hootman, 17, fired 3-over par 73, which was good enough to top Geordie Cassoff (76) and Ted Marron (77).

Hootman opened the front nine by shooting a par 34.

"I had birdies on the No. 1 and 3 holes, so I was 2-under after three holes," said Hootman of Butler. "I stepped back at No. 14 and wondered where do I go from here?

"I didn't have a 6 on the card. I had only one bogey on the front. My putter was very hot on that side."

Hootman, who will be a senior at Shady Side Academy this fall, started the back nine with a little trouble.

"On No. 10, I hit a 50-yard wedge shot over the green. After that shot, it was like a smack in the face. I had to try and settle down," he said.

With their scores, Cassoff and Marron were models of consistency. Cassoff fired a 38-38 and Marron a 39-38.

"I wasn't hitting the ball well, but my putting was working," said Cassoff, who will be a senior at The Linsly School in Wheeling, W.Va.

"I was thinking I needed to shoot a 72 or 71. I wanted to finish with birdies, but I was a little too aggressive on 17," he added.

Cassoff finished with a 6 on No. 17 and a 5 on No. 18, but played a solid round to edge out Marron.

Even Hootman admitted the back nine was a bit difficult.

"I had trouble personally on the par 3s on the back side," said Hootman. "There were some tough greens.

"If you hit the greens, you had a good chance for your birdies or pars," he added.

Cameron Peterson of Grove City fired a 35-38-73 to wrap up the boys 14-to-15 crown ahead of Brian Routhieaux and Ryan Fichter, who each shot 79. Routhieaux finished second by virtue of his par on the No. 6 hole, which was the first handicap hole.

"I got off to a steady start," said Peterson, who will be a sophomore at Grove City High School. "I tried not to make bogeys."

Ryan Prokay won the boys 12-to-13 division with a 45-43-88, six strokes ahead of Josh Dunch and seven ahead of Jim Davis.

Brian Giesler (46 for nine holes) won the boys 10-to-11 division ahead of John Matune (48) and Nikko Giangiuli (49).

In the 9-and-under division, Mikey McGilton carded a 45 while Brett Rinker and Hogan Cuny finished second and third respectively, each with a 51.

While 65 males teed off in all divisions, there were just four girls overall.

Shayla Benninger, 16, of Butler was the top girl in the 16-to-18 division with a 52-50-102, Alisha Slomers won the 12-to-13 bracket with a 60-51-111 and Maria McGilton won the 10-to-11 division with a 47.

The event was Benninger's first tournament.

"I would have liked to have broken 100, but I just wanted to try and do my best," she said.

Benninger had just one difficult hole, the No. 5, on which she carded a 10.

"I was using a sand wedge and it just kept catching and rolling back," she said.

"I thought I did OK. I had a couple of good holes out there," she added.

The tournament drew raves from those who participated, much to the delight of Oakview general manager Jeff Cuny.

"There was nothing in the area for the kids to compete in," said Cuny. "We made up some fliers and distributed them to all the courses in the county and in the North Hills.

"Things just snowballed from there. I thought we could get 50 the first year since we got it out late," Cuny added.

The date for next year's event is Aug. 1 at the club

"Now, we can start over the winter, get more fliers out and these kids can spread the word," said Cuny. "Next year, my goal is to have a Monday qualifier, then come back Tuesday and play. We've heard from a lot of high schools in Allegheny, Westmoreland and Butler counties."

With the first Butler County Junior Amateur Open in the books, the future looks great for the tournament, as well as for up-and-coming young players.

"It's definitely an honor," said Hootman. "Golf is getting stronger in this area and I know there are a lot of younger golfers stronger than me.

"It'll be nice that they'll see my name on the trophy first, so it's an honor."