Penn State has named West Chester native Billy Covert, a Rustin High School graduate, as the recipient of the 2019 Stanley Zontek Memorial Scholarship, writes Guy Cipriano for Golf Course Industry.

This fall, Covert will start his junior year at Penn State following an internship at Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey. Before that, he interned at the famed Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square.

The scholarship is an unrestricted $2,500 grant that supports a turf student who has a passion for the game. It also honors Stanley J. Zontek, the former director of the USGA Green Section’s Mid-Atlantic Region who died at age 63 in 2012.

During his research for a school essay, Covert examined Zontek’s life and his work to improve playing conditions in the golf-rich Philadelphia region.

“I learned he’s very hard-working and he loved his craft,” said Covert.

A turfgrass science major with a 3.73 GPA, Covert is looking forward to delving into the turfgrass science portion of Penn State’s curriculum after spending the first two academic years completing core courses.

“I’m going to try to work at the research, learning more of the science behind what we’re doing,” he said.

Read more about Billy Covert in Golf Course Industry here.