Beek completes weekend sweep with win at Sea Oaks

   Elizabeth Beek was the best player in the girls 13-to-15 age group on the Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour in 2016 and it looks like it’s going to be more of the same in 2017.

   Beek, a sixth-grader at Wissahickon Middle School, capped a solid opening weekend of the Junior Tour schedule with a 4-over-par 76 over the 5,505-yard (for girls), par-72 Sea Oaks Golf Club Sunday in Little Egg Harbor Township, N.J. to give her a victory in the 13-to-15 division.

   Beek birdied the opening hole and added another birdie on the par-3 fourth in warmer, but still windy conditions as she added a victory at Sea Oaks to the one she recorded Saturday at The Vineyards in cold and occasionally rainy weather.

   The weekend was a Junior Golf Scoreboard event and Beek’s 76 at Sea Oaks, combined with her 84 at The Vineyards, gave her the JGS title at 160.

   Kyle Gutierrez of Little Egg Harbor, N.J. was the runnerup at Sea Oaks with an 87. That also made her the runnerup to Beek for the JGS weekend at 178. Gutierrez had a 91 at The Vineyards.

   It was also a winning weekend for Nikita Romanov of Wilmington, Del. Romanov couldn’t duplicate the amazing 3-under 69 he shot in those tough conditions to take the boys 16-to-18 title at The Vineyards Saturday. But he was the winner at Sea Oaks in a scorecard playoff after his 5-over 77 was matched by Kyle Hayes of Oceanport, N.J.

   Romanov’s 38 on the back nine proved to be decisive in the match of cards with Hayes.

   Troy Kelleher of Clarks Summit finished third with an 81, Alec Ryden of Moorestown, N.J. was fourth with an 84, Connor Kelleher, also of Clarks Summit, was fifth with an 85 and Caleb Rossi of Cedar Run, N.J. took sixth with an 86 over a Sea Oaks layout that measured 6,410 yards for the boys.

   Hung Dao of Elkins Park finished seventh with an 88, Christopher D’Alessandro of Waretown,  N.J. was eighth with an 89 and Michael Festa of Ambler rounded out the top 10 with a 94 to finish 10^th.

   Romanov, the 2016 Junior Tour Player of the Year in the 13-to-15 age group, easily won the JGS weekend title in the 16-to-18 division with his 69 at The Vineyards and his 77 at Sea Oaks giving him a  146 total.

   Rossi and Troy Kelleher were tied for second for the weekend at 165, Ryden took fourth at 166 and Dao was fifth at 167.

   Justin Dougherty of Wyndmoor completed a weekend sweep in the 13-to-15 division with a 78 that included a birdie on each nine. Jack Cooley of Chadds Ford was the runnerup with an 80.

   Kevin McGill of Sewell, N.J. finished third with an 85, Dylan Gooneratne of Plymouth Meeting was fourth with an 87, Elijah Ruppert of Fleetwood was fifth with an 88 and Clay Breidenstine of Hummelstown placed sixth with a 92.

   Saul Kosloff of Merion Station finished seventh with a 101, Sean Maguire of Wayne was eighth with a 104 and Quinn Bookbinder of Wayne was ninth with a 106.

   Dougherty’s 78 at Sea Oaks, combined with his 78 at The Vineyards, gave him the JGS title with a 156 total. Cooley was the runnerup at 168 and Ruppert took third at 170.

   Among the nine-holers, Nicholas Gross of Downingtown had six pars in a 3-over 39 to claim the victory. Angelina Tolentino of Mount Laurel, N.J. was the runnerup with a 6-over 42.

   Hunter Pabst of Bear Creek and Sydney Yermish of Wynnewood shared third place, each carding a 47. Gwendolyn Powell of Madison Township and Brendan Tyhanic of Little Egg Harbor finished in a tie for fifth at 49. Andrew Donahue of Collegeville placed seventh with a 75.

   Gross’ 39, combined with a 41 at The Vineyards, gave him the JGS win for the nine-holers with a total of 80. Tolentino was the runnerup at 89.