Gross collects three birdies in nine holes in Junior Tour win at Mahoning Valley

   It’s not often I lead off a post from a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour event with the nine-holers, but Nicholas Gross of Downingtown has been so good lately, he deserved to bat leadoff in this post.

   It was a bit of a road trip to Mahoning Valley Country Club in Lehighton Wednesday for Gross, but he birdied the 10^th, 14^th and 15^th holes on his way to a 1-under 35 that gave him the top spot. A day earlier, Gross bested the field of nine-holers with a 3-over 39 at Kennett Square Golf & Country Club.

   Michael Maslanka of Taylor has been chasing Gross all season and did so again at Mahoning Valley, making a birdie at the 16^th on his way to a 5-over 41 that gave him runnerup honors. Hunter Probst of Bear Creek took third with a 46.

   Another member of Downingtown’s Team Gross, Evan Gross, finished fourth with a 53. Evan Gross had given his big brother a run for his money at Kennett Square, finishing a shot behind Nicholas Gross with a solid 40.

   Jordan Pick of Sugarloaf had four straight pars on the back nine on his way to a steady 84 over the 6,562-yard, par-73 Mahoning Valley layout that gave him a victory in the boys 16-to-18 division.

   Ryan Woelfling of Myerstown was the runnerup with an 86 that featured a birdie on the fifth hole.  Nathaniel Wheeler of Northampton finished third with a 91 and Connor Nelson of Schnecksville was fourth with a 101.

   The best 18-hole round of the day among the guys was an 83 carded by Sean Kelly of Lewisburg that  earned him the top spot in the 13-to-15 division and his first Junior Tour win of 2018. Kelly made a birdie at the fifth hole to give him some early momentum.

   Jake Shmonov of Harrisburg was the runnerup with an 88. Connor Gherghel of Orwigsburg and Quinn Marett of Lansdale shared third place, each carding a 90, and Brendan Bauer of Hilltown was fifth with a 94.

   Jessica McClellan of Freeland signed for an 86 that gave her the top spot in the girls 16-to-18 division and her second Junior Tour win of the year. Isabella McCloskey of Princeton Junction, N.J. was the runnerup with a 90 that included a birdie at the 17th hole.

   Nadia Poncy of Tequesta, Fla. had the best 18-hole score of the day among the gals with an 85 that enabled her to win the 13-to-15 division for her first career Junior Tour win. Emma Schotsch, a sophomore at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, was the runnerup with a 95.