Lees tied for girls' lead, Curran the boys' leader at Pennsylvania Junior

   Kaitlyn Lees, a junior at Agnes Irwin, opened defense of her Pennsylvania Junior Girls’ Championship, presented by Allegheny Health Network, Monday with a 4-over 75 at Hershey Country Club’s East Course to claim a share of the lead at the halfway mark of the 36-hole event.

   Julianne Lee of the Heritage Hills Golf Resort is tied at the top with Lees as Lee matched Lees’ 4-over 75. Lees, playing out of Philadelphia Country Club, is coming off a runnerup finish at the Inter-Ac League Tournament at Gulph Mills Golf Club this spring.

   Radnor senior Gabby Kim, who captured the PIAA Class AAA East Regional title last fall, is among a group of four players tied for third at 5-over 76. Caroline Wrigley of Shannopin Country Club, Katie James of Fox Chapel Golf Club and Alexandra Voight-Shelley of Centre Hills Country Club, joined Kim, who plays out of Applecross Country Club, at 76.

   Another Applecross player, Esther Park, is alone in seventh place after a 6-over 77. Olivia Traynor, the Academy of Notre Dame junior who won the 2015 Inter-Ac title, and Conestoga sophomore Samantha Yao are tied for eighth at 7-over 78.  Traynor plays out of Overbrook Golf Club and Yao is a member at White Manor Country Club.

   Merion Golf Club’s Meghan Fahey, a Notre Dame senior who claimed this year’s Inter-Ac title at Gulph Mills, carded an 81 and is tied for 16^th.

   On the boys side at Hershey, Inter-Ac League champion Malvern Prep is well-represented at the top of the leaderboard.

   Andrew Curran, a sophomore who plays out of Overbrook, grabbed the lead with a 1-under 70. John Updike, who, like Curran, was one of the fabulous freshmen on the Friars’ title team last fall, is a shot behind his Malvern Prep teammate following an even-par 71. Updike plays out of Aronimink Golf Club.

   Radnor Valley Country Club’s Billy Civitella is tied for seventh with a 3-over 74. The Haverford School’s Sam Walker is tied for 12^th with a 75.

   Among the group tied for 27^th at 6-over 77 are Haverford School sophomore Peter Garno, Strath Haven freshman Kevin Smith and Episcopal Academy freshman Case Hummer. Garno is a member at Merion, Smith plays out of The Springhaven Club and Hummer is a member at Aronimink.

   Matthew Davis, another member of Malvern Prep’s Inter-Ac champions, is among a group tied for 39^th at 78 that includes a couple of Episcopal standouts, Cole Kemmerer and Matt Marino. Davis, a junior, plays out of Aronimink and Kemmerer and Marino are members at Waynesborough Country Club.

   Overbrook’s Tyler Roland of The Haverford School and Talamore Country Club’s Mike Sydnes, who helped Radnor claim the District One and PIAA Class AAA team titles last fall, are among a group tied for 52^nd at 79.

   Sydnes’ Radnor teammate Jake Calamaro, playing out of Rolling Green Golf Club, and Penn Charter junior Brian Isztwan, a member at Huntingdon Valley Country Club, are among a group tied for 59^th at 80.

   Isztwan’s younger brother Patrick grabbed the lead in the Boys Junior/Junior division with a sparkling 2-under 34. He is a shot ahead of Pennsylvania Golf Association individual member Joshua Ryan, who has been dominating the nine-holers in Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour events this year.