A Unionville scrimmage breaks out in Junior Tour stop at Kennett Square

   The Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour held one of its events at Kennett Square Golf & Country Club Tuesday and a preseason intra-squad scrimmage for reigning PIAA Class AAA team champion Unionville broke out.

   Three of the top four finishers over the 6,205-yard Kennett Square layout were in the lineup when Unionville captured the first state crown in the history of a program with a strong links legacy last fall at the Heritage Hills Golf Resort.

   Nobody was hotter than William Bennink, who made four of his six birdies on the back nine on his way to a sizzling 3-under 68 that gave him the top spot in the 16-to-18 division.

   Another member of the state championship team, Richard Kline III finished third with a 1-over 72 and Bennink’s brother, Connor Bennink, was another shot behind Kline in fourth with a 2-over 73. All three are seniors this fall, so I feel pretty safe in installing the Indians as the preseason favorite to repeat as the District One Class AAA team champion. Pretty sure the Benninks and Kline are members at Kennett Square.

   Connor Bennink played really well at Heritage Hills, finishing tied for fourth in the Class AAA individual competition and coming back the next day with his third straight 73 that helped Unionville capture the team crown. I’m guessing the Benninks are twins, but I’m only guessing at this point. I’ll have to do some intelligence gathering on the high school postseason trail in a couple of months.

   A fourth Kennett Square resident, Christopher Skean, was the runnerup to William Bennink in the 16-to-18 division with a sparkling 1-under 70.

   Finishing fifth, a shot behind Connor Bennink at 3-over 74, was Charlie Baker, who helped The Haverford School claim the Inter-Ac League team crown as a sophomore last fall. Wesley Saunders of Chadds Ford finished sixth with an 80 and Owen Schlegel of Wilmington, Del. was seventh with an 81.

   Rounding out the top 10 were three players – Nicholas Schnur of Lafayette Hill, coming off a victory in a Junior Tour stop at Bluestone Country Club a day earlier, Ryan Firman of Glenside and Radnor senior Blake Stephano – who finished tied for eighth, each carding an 82.

   Win Thomas of Unionville made five straight pars to open his round on his way to an even-par 71 that gave him the top spot in the 13-to-15 division. Matthew Homer of the Wilmington, Del. Homer crew that has been showing up on Junior Tour leaderboards all summer was the runnerup with a 6-over 77.

   Another of Radnor High’s Stephano brothers, Chase Stephano, an incoming freshman, shared third place with Luke Watson of Royersford, each posting a 78. Noah Sim of Ambler and Garnet Valley junior Jacob Sokalsky finished tied for fifth at 79.

   Another member of Team Homer out of Wilmington, Del., Jeffrey Homer, finished tied for seventh with Roy Anderson of Chadds Ford and Jack Davis of Newtown Square, each carding an 80. Henry Stone of Kennett Square rounded out the top 10 with an 81 that left him alone in 10^th place.

   Abigail Han of Hummelstown was the only entry in the girls 16-to-18 division and carded a 90.

   Mary Grace Dunigan of Kennett Square emerged from a tight battle with Julia Li of Hockessin, Del. with a victory in the 13-to-15 division. Dunigan’s 92 edged Li by a shot. Niosha Parvizi of Gladwyne finished third with a 104.

   Nicholas Gross of Downingtown has been dominating the nine-holers of late, but he got a challenge from little brother Evan Gross at Kennett Square. Nicholas Gross carded a 3-over 39 and edged Evan Gross by a shot in the Junior Tour version of “Family Feud.”

   Michael Maslanka of Taylor was a shot behind Evan Gross in third with a 41, Samuel Feeney of West Chester took fourth with a 45, Joseph Ciconte of Wilmington, Del. was fifth with a 47 and Jax Puskar of Kennett Square was sixth with a 50.

   Joshua Baker of West Chester and Griffin Gaughan of Avondale finished tied for seventh, each posting a 51. Sawyer Brockstedt of Rehoboth Beach, Del. finished ninth with a 52, another member of Wilmington’s Team Homer, Jack Homer, was 10^th with a 54, Mia Pace of Exton was 11^th with a 60 and Emily Mayo of Boothwyn was 12^th with a 66.