RAY SWANSON | Keystoner Fish doing job on Hickory golf course

They are called algae-eating fish and they can do wonders in small lakes and ponds, especially ones that can be found on golf courses.
The Hickory VFW Public Golf Course in Hermitage stocked eight of the species called white amur last year. I caught a glimpse of them recently in the lake located near the No. 5 hole. The water is utilized for irrigation purposes on the course.
According to course manager Tom Wilson, the amur are doing their job.
"The fish are great for algae and weeds," Wilson said. "They are also sterile so we will be stocking another eight next year. We have 17 now. The fish can reach weights in excess of 25 pounds and can grow to about 2 feet in length. They have a life expectancy of only eight years."
According to some information we acquired, the amur is related to both the common carp and gold fish but do not have barbels around the mouth as common carp do.
The fish, as far as I'm concerned, may also be living on golf balls. I've deposited a few balls in the lake on errant shots as have quite a few other golfers.
Amur are native to East Asian rivers, including their namesake, the Amur River on the Chinese-Siberian border.
Steelhead mania
Much colder temperatures last week may have turned the trick for steelhead anglers at Lake Erie. The earlier warm weather this month delayed any major activity.
Drought conditions that have plagued the Northeast this year may have contributed somewhat to the late start. In past years, we have decided that mid-October is perhaps the time to journey to Erie for the best fishing. The worse the weather, it seems, the better the fishing.
Fabulous freshman
He's only a freshman but he can play golf with the big boys.
Matt Kurtz, of Westminster College, fired an even-par 34-38-72 to capture medalist honors and lead the Titans to a one-sided triumph over a 14-team field in the 2002 Titan Fall Invitational staged recently at New Castle Country Club.
Kurtz, from DuBois High School, finished five strokes better than second-place finisher Dave Wozny of Merchyurst with a 77.
Westminster's A team posted a 311, 12 strokes better than second-place W & amp;J with a 323.
Two other members of the Titan "A" Team posted top 10 individual finishes. Senior Drew Aufderheide (North Allegheny) fired a 38-40-78 to tie for third place, while freshman John Matuen (Hermitage and Kennedy Catholic High) tied for eighth place with a 40-39-79.
Other Titan "A" Team scores were: Scott Voelker (McGuffey High School) and only a sophomore, with a 44-38-82 and freshman Scott Thomas (Twinsburg, Ohio High School) with a 43-51-94.
Two other area players competing with the Titan "B" Team which logged a fifth-place tie with a 332 were Kevin McCreary (Grove City High School), who finished in a tie for 10th place with a 39-41-80, and sophomore Dan Wellman (Union High School) who fired a 45-41-86.
Needless to say, the future of the Westminster program is in good hands with so many young golfers showing surprising potential.
Wolverines lauded
Steve Brown and Janna Sallade, members of the Grove City College men's and women's cross country teams, were recently named Runners of the Week by the PAC. Brown placed 15th in a 133-runner field at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational (27:42), while Sallade placed 12th out of 116 runners in the C-M Invitational (19:21).