Del Franco, Sydnes lead strong Delco showing at Radnor Valley, Paxon Hollow

   The Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour, which started the week with an event at Llanerch Country Club, kept it in Delco Wednesday and Thursday with a two-day series at Radnor Valley Country Club and Paxon Hollow Country Country Club, respectively.

   And some of the county’s top junior golfers, obviously in familiar surroundings, took full advantage with some stellar results.

   Marple Newtown senior Joey Del Franco only teed it up Thursday at Paxon Hollow, but he put on a dazzling performance with a 5-under 66 that gave him top honors in the 16-to-18 division. Del Franco scorched the 5,417-yard, par-71 layout with a remarkable eight birdies to edge Zachary Barbin of Elkton, Md. by a shot.

   Radnor junior Michael Sydnes finished fifth at Paxon Hollow with a 73. Combined with the 76 he fired a day earlier at Radnor Valley, the home course during the scholastic season for the Raiders, Sydnes had the best total among 16-to-18 boys who played both days. His 149 total was three shots better than Eric Carlidge of Ambler.

   Other finishers in the division at Paxon Hollow included: Ryan Brennan (75, seventh) of Media: Luke Shevlin (76, eighth) of Thornton; and Joseph Dougherty (86, 16^th) of Drexel Hill.

   Sydnes’ 6-over total over the 6,527-yard, par-70 Radnor Valley layout was one shot better than Jack McKnight of Bryn Mawr and Andrew Simpson of Perkasie. Also in the 16-to-18 division at Radnor Valley, Jimmy Murray of Springfield finished eighth with an 82, Jake Stein of Villanova and Shevlin finished tied for ninth with 83s, Conor Rinehart of Radnor finished in a tie for 12^th with an 86, Brennan finished in a tie for 14^th with an 87, Marple Newtown senior Matt Deacon was 16^th with an 89, Daniel Bullock of Wayne finished in a tie for 17^th with a 91 and Peter Civitella Jr. of St. Davids finished in a tie for 19^th with a 95.

   Shevlin (159) finished tied for fourth and Brennan (162) was sixth among the players who played both days.

   It was a pretty solid two days for Strath Haven Middle School eighth-grader Kevin Smith in the 13-to-15 division.

   At Paxon Hollow, Smith matched par with a 71, including a sizzling 32 on the front nine, to finish in a tie for second behind Austin Barbin of Elkton, Md., who won division honors with a 2-under 69.

A day earlier at Radnor Valley, Smith carded a 78 to finish third behind Royersford’s Benjamin Pochet, who took top honors with a 73, and Cal Buonocore of Newtown Square and his 77.

   Smith’s 149 total among the players who teed it both days trailed only Pochet, who had a 144 total. Buonocore added a 79 at Paxon Hollow to his 77 at Radnor Valley to finish sixth in the two-day series at 156.

   Other finishers among the 13-to-15 players at Paxon Hollow included: Charlie Baker of Wayne, Matthew Barkann of Newtown Square and Blake Stephano of Radnor, all of whom shot 78 and were among four players tied for 11^th; Buonocore, whose 79 left him 15^th; Radnor’s D.J. Colleran (80, tied for 16^th); Glen Mills’ Aj Aivazoglou (84, tied for 19^th); St. Pius X eighth-grader Joseph Morganti (85, tied for 21^st); Villanova’s Cortie Fischer (87, tied for 26^th); Radnor’s Jackson Beers (89, 30^th); Radnor’s James Quinn (90, tied for 31^st); Swarthmore’s David Merz (92, 34^th); Havertown’s Hayden Smith and Broomall’s Aiden Voorhees, both of whom were among three players tied for 35^th with 94s; Haverford’s Joseph Dugery (96, 38^th); and Havertown’s Johnny Hally (97, 39^th).

   In addition to the strong showings by Buonocore and Smith at Radnor Valley, some other finishers in the 13-to-15 division included: Newtown Square’s David Hurly (79, tied for fourth); Radnor’s William Condran (82, tied for eighth); Colleran and Stephano, who were two of the three players tied for 10^th with 83s; Newtown Square’s Tyler Roland (86, tied for 16^th); Aivazoglou (89, tied for 21^st); Wayne’s Charlie Baker, Media’s Andrew Curran, Media’s Eric McLaughlin and Fischer, all of whom finished tied for 21^st with 89s; Bryn Mawr’s William Foxman and Barkann, who shared 25^th place with 92s; Quinn and Dugery, who were tied for 29^th with 95s; Newtown Square’s Jeffrey Bozzi (96, tied for 32^nd); Hally (98, 35^th); Merz (110, 37^th); and Voorhees (128, 38^th).

    Earning top-15 finishes overall for those who completed two days were Stephano (161, tied for eight); Colleran (163, 11^th); Baker (167, tied for 12^th); and Barkann (170, tied for 14^th).

   Olivia Traynor, the Inter-Ac League champion as a freshman at Notre Dame last spring, took top honors in the 13-to-15 division at Radnor Valley with an 82, highlighted by a birdie at the 10^th. Nina Kouchi of New Hope won the 16-to-18 division with an 83.

   Only the Cho sisters of Mount Laurel, N.J. teed it up at Paxon Hollow among the girls as Andrea won the 13-to-15 division with a 92 and Gabrielle capture the 16-to-18 division with a 102.

   Alex Mulrooney dominated the nine-holers as he won top honors at Radnor Valley with a 37 and at Paxon Hollow with a 41 for a two-day total of 78.

   Luke Kelly of Wayne finished tied for third behind Mulrooney at Radnor with a 44 and Chase Stephano finished fifth with a 46. Other top finishers in the division at Radnor Valley included: Media’s Liam Buckley (54, 11^th); Media’s Charlie Bastien (56, 12^th); and Media’s Matthew Buckley (65, 15^th).

Liam Buckley (51), Kelly (52) and Garnet Valley’s Kristof Kopecky (54) went seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively, at Paxon Hollow. Rounding out the top finishers at Paxon Hollow were: Media’s Ryan Garvey (56, tied for 10^th); Ardmore’s Sean Walker and Bastien, who were tied for 12^th with 64s; Wallingford’s Charlie Hurchalla and Matthew Buckley, who were tied for 14^th with 65s; Aston’s Anthony Ferretti (67, 16^th); Media’s Will Reger (68, 17^th); and Wallingford’s Matthew Hurchalla (73, 18^th).

   Among the top finishers of those who competed both days were Kelly (96) in fifth, Liam Buckley (105) in sixth, Bastien (120) in seventh, and Matthew Buckley (130) in eighth.