From his freshman to sophomore season, Solas Chiin-Kreiner displayed considerable improvement on the Morgantown High School golf team.
Never was that more evident than in Chiin-Kreiner’s two-round performance at the WVSSAC State Golf Championships where he finished solo sixth among all Class AAA competitors with a two-day total of 157 after rounds of 76-81.
Only a year earlier, playing the Jones Course at Oglebay Resort to conclude his freshman campaign, Chiin-Kreiner opened with a respectable 83 that left him tied for eighth in AAA, only to fall back to 24th after a 100 in the second round.
If Chiin-Kreiner has his way, more notable improvement will be displayed in the months ahead, when he looks to lead the Mohigans’ golf team as a junior.
“I’ve been working on my swing to get some speed, but I really want to work on my wedge play and dial in those numbers better so I can be more confident in those,” said Chiin-Kreiner.
The early returns have been favorable. He nearly made the cut at the West Virginia Amateur six weeks ago at The Greenbrier, shooting an 80 at The Meadows and then a 75 on Old White to make a late charge that enabled him to come within two shots of playing all four rounds.
This week, playing the West Virginia Junior Amateur at Canaan Valley Resort, Chiin-Kreiner finished in a two-way tie for 12th in the boys championship at 6-over par. A pair of double bogeys during a second-round 76 proved costly. Otherwise, Chiin-Kreiner, who shot 73 in the first and final rounds of the 54-hole event, played the remaining 52 holes at 2-over par.
“It’s fun to play in these events,” Chiin-Kreiner said. “I get to see these guys a lot in other events, so you know them well and it’s a lot of fun. The other events are great, too, because they kind of feel a little bigger, but you do feel a little smaller sometimes, because you’re not the same age.”
Nearly one year ago, Chiin-Kreiner may have felt smaller, but his confidence grew in a big way when an opening-round 75 at Berry Hills Country Club was instrumental in allowing him to make the cut at the 90th West Virginia Open.
Chiin-Kreiner was 13-over par through two rounds and finished the three-round event at 20-over (75-78-77) to tie for 49th.
The experience was invaluable for someone, who at the time, was two months removed from completing his freshman year of high school.
“The amateur was really fun and the state open was awesome, because there were pros there,” Chiin-Kreiner said. “That was great.”
Having moved to Morgantown from Lansing, Michigan when he was 9, Chiin-Kreiner’s interest in golf has peaked as a West Virginia resident. He was born north of the border in Edmonton, Alberta, but spent limited time in Canada and moved to Michigan at the age of 1.
Both the move to Michigan and West Virginia came about as a result of his dad’s job.
Dr. Steve Chhin currently serves as an associate professor in the Forest Resources Management program in the Division of Forestry and Natural Resources at West Virginia University.
If Chiin-Kreiner, who also plays tennis for the Mohigans, continues on the trajectory he’s followed throughout his first two years at MHS, there’s little reason to think he won’t be on the short list of the state’s top high school golfers in 2024.
“I played baseball until I was 12 and that was really my main sport before I switched to golf,” Chiin-Kriener said. “A lot of work since then, but it’s been worth it.”
He regularly plays The Pines Country Club to fine-tune his game, and both Steve and Solas are part of the field for a West Virginia Open qualifier July 23 at that course.
“That’ll be great,” Chiin-Kreiner said. “Hopefully I can make it back in and it’s always fun playing in those events with some good golfers. It helps you play better seeing other people make birdies. It kind of pushes you.”