Shattuck shows some grit at White Manor

 Expanding quite a bit on the one paragraph that we had room for in the Wednesday, April 3 print edition of the Daily Times on the Wildcat Invitational.

   Braden Shattuck, the 2011-12 Daily Times Player of the Year as a senior at Sun Valley, had them searching the record books at the University of Delaware to see if they could find a Blue Hen freshman ever winning an individual tournament title. They’re still looking.

   Shattuck survived brutally cold conditions Tuesday  at White Manor Country Club to earn a three-shot victory in the Wildcat Invitational, an event that featured a number of All-Delcos and players with Delco ties.

   Shattuck built a two-shot edge in Monday’s balmy conditions, firing rounds of 68 and 72 over the demanding 7,055-yard, par-71 White Manor layout to stand at 2-under 140.

   The temperature started to drop as Monday’s double-round concluded and the cold-weather gear was out in force on a Tuesday during which the thermometer never got close to the 50-degree mark and howling winds often produced wind chills in the 30s.

   All Shattuck did was hang tough, firing a 3-over 74 for a 1-over 214 total that bested Villanova senior co-captain Steve Skurla by three shots. Skurla had steady rounds of 73, 71 and 73 for a 4-over 217 total.

   Shattuck was particularly gritty on the back nine with seven pars and a birdie at the 11^th as an inward even-par finish was more than good enough to finish the individual victory. It was the first tournament title for a Blue Hen player since Greg Matthias finished first at the CAA Tournament last spring.

   It was also a very solid showing for the homestanding Wildcats. Led by Skurla’s outstanding effort, Villanova’s A team finished in a tie for third at 905, just five shots back of Big 5 rival Temple, which used a final-round 296 to leapfrog half the field and win the team title with a 900 total.

  Villanova’s Haverford School connection figured prominently in its A team’s high finish, led by sophomore Ted Brennan, who put together rounds of 76, 74 and 77 for an outstanding 227 total that left him in a tie for 11^th.

   Brennan finished a shot better that senior co-captain Michael Kania, the two-time Haverford School All-Delco who had rounds of 77, 73 and 78 to finish in a tie for 13^th. Senior Derek Jones (80-76-78) and grad student Cory Siegfried (81-77-77), another Haverford School All-Delco, rounded out Villanova’s A team scorers in a tie for 35^th and a tie for 42^nd, respectively.

   Villanova’s A team had rounds of 306,294 and 305 for its 905 total.

   Leading the way for Villanova’s B team were juniors Vince Boyle (78-79-80), a Catholic League champion at Archbishop Ryan, and Robby Meador (79-80-78), both of whom landed in a tie for 48^th at 237.

   Rounding out the B team scorers were freshman Luke Waggoner (85-75-80—240, 58^th), senior Jimmy Johnston (77-83-81—241, tied 59^th), a Wayne resident and Malvern Prep product, and sophomore Scott Miller (87-84-78—249, tied 68^th).

   Villanova’s B team posted rounds of 319, 317 and 316 for a 952 total that left it last in the field of 13

   Freshman Jesse Stephens competed as an individual and had rounds of 83, 88 and 82 for a 253 total that left him in 71^st place.

   Among those tied with Villanova’s Miller in 68^th place at 249 was La Salle junior Tommy Horgan, the former Radnor High standout who had rounds of 84, 80 and 85.

   In winning the team title, Temple was led by its outstanding freshman, Brandon Matthews, who won the 2010 PIAA championship as a junior at Pittston.

   After a blistering 2-under 69 to open the event,  Matthews fell back an little with rounds of 77 and 74 to finish in a tie for sixth at 7-over 220.

    The Owls had rounds of 297 and 307 before that outstanding final-round 296, the low round of the day by five shots, gave them a 900 total. Rhode Island (298-297-308) was second at 903. Villanova shared third place with Big East rival Georgetown (299-303-303) at 295.

   Shattuck’s heroics led Delaware (299-301-307) to a fifth-place finish at 907.

  One other name of note was that of Bucknell senior Dan Bernard, an Aronimink Golf Club member and  Malvern Prep product. Bernard had rounds of 74, 81 and 73 for a 228 total that got him into the group that was tied for 13^th that included Villanova’s Kania.

   Bernard helped the Bison (314-311-303) finish ninth in the team standings at 928.

   There’s a short report in the Daily Times Monday (April 8) print edition on Villanova taking the team title in the Yale Spring Opener tourney over the weekend. I’ll try to expand on that later this week.

It’s Masters week

   When the best players in the world descend on the Ardmore section of Haverford Township and Merion Golf Club’s historic East Course for the 2013 U.S. Open (the countdown is at 67 days as spring finally made an appearance around these parts this weekend), only one player will be capable of winning the calendar Grand Slam and that’s whoever wins the Masters this week.

  There’s a pretty good chance that player will be Tiger Woods, who came the closest to the Grand Slam when he held all four trophies after winning the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA in 2000 and the Masters in 2001.

   Tiger has certainly proven he’s back when it comes to winning PGA Tour events, particularly ones at his favorite golf courses, like Torrey Pines and Bay Hill. And Augusta National, where he has won four times, certainly qualifies as one of his favorites.

   But he has not won there since 2005 and he remains stuck on 14 majors, a figure he reached when he beat Rocco Mediate in a playoff and on one leg at the 2008 U.S. Open.

   But there are plenty of players who can win at Augusta, including defending champion Bubba Watson and Rory McIlroy, whom Woods recently displaced as the No. 1 player in the world. That little 66 McIlroy closed with Sunday in the Texas Open would seem to indicate all systems are go for the holder of two major championships from Northern Ireland.

   For golfers, this is the true start of spring and the true start of golf season. And this year, those of us in this region will be showing a particularly keen interest in the 2013 Masters champion. Because the next major he tees it up in will be the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion.

   Speaking of Merion, the USGA announced last week that tickets for the four rounds of the 2013 U.S. Open are officially sold out.

  Some tickets remain for the practice rounds Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (June 10, 11 and 12). Prices of available daily practice-round tickets start at $50 for grounds tickets and range up to $250 for 1895 club tickets. Cameras are permitted during the practice rounds.

   Junior tickets are available at Will Call and at all admission gates during the championship. Juniors, ages 12 and younger, will be admitted free any day when  accompanied by an adult ticket holder. Tickets for juniors, ages 13 to 17, will be available for purchase at a reduced rate of $15 for practice rounds and $35 for championship rounds. There is a  maximum of two junior tickets per adult ticket holder. Junior tickets permit Trophy Club access only when accompanied by an adult Trophy Club ticket holder.

  For information about tickets or to purchase tickets online while supplies last, visit www.usopen.com or www.usga.org/tickets

   The release on tickets also drops a couple of hints about parking. There will be remote parking at PPL Park (Blue lot) in Chester and Rose Tree Park (Red lot) in Upper Providence with shuttle buses running continuously to and from the East Course.

   The USGA also suggests taking SEPTA’s Paoli/Thorndale Regional Rail Line to the Rosemont station, from which shuttles will run or the Norristown High Speed Line (the P&W for us old-timers)  to the Ardmore Avenue station, which is gripped-down 8-iron away from the 12^th green at the East Course.

   A certain guy who was living way up in Chester County (the suburban Phoenixville side of Chester Springs) who managed to get a bag for the 1981 U.S. Open (it was Jay Cudd and no, we did not make the cut) jumped on the Norristown High Speed Line at Gulph Mills to get to Merion and was never late for my appointed rounds, practice or otherwise. So the old P&W is a viable option, although parking at a lot of those little stations isn’t great either.

Kim in the swing on Junior Tour

   The Philadelphia PGA Junior Tour had a stop Saturday at Middletown Country Club in Bucks County and Gabriella Kim of Wayne took top honors in the 13-to-15 age group.

   The last I heard, Kim will be bidding to join the roster of the reigning PIAA Class AAA team champion Radnor girls team next fall. Conditions were still a little brisk at Middletown, which played at 5,489 yards for the girls, and Kim had two birdies while carding a 95 that was six shots better than any of the other girls in her group.

   In the 16-to-18 boys division, Nick Calabrese of Newtown Square fired a 3-over 73 to share the top spot with Bradley Frank of  Newtown. Frank took the title based on a stronger back nine.

   A couple of Delco’s top scholastic performers from last fall also were on the leaderboard in the 16-to-18 division.

   Springfield senior Kyle Hakun, who won the Central League Tournament and earned a trip to the PIAA Tournament, finished in a tie for fourth with an 84. Radnor sophomore Paul Yun, who led the District One Tournament after the opening round and was an East Regional qualifier, was a shot back of Hakun in a tie for sixth at 85.

  Looks like Gabriella Kim brought along a little sister for the day as June Kim of Wayne, listed as high school Class of 2020, finished 13^th among the nine-holers with a 66.