It’s been a pretty good summer for that group of Unionville
guys who surprised everybody, except probably themselves, by bringing the PIAA
Class AAA team championship trophy back to Routes 82 and 926 last fall, the
first state title for a school that has been a perennial golf power in District
One.
A couple more of them were at it Thursday at Pennsauken
Country Club in Pennsauken, N.J. in the last chance for the boys to qualify for
the Philadelphia Junior PGA Championship Monday at The Springhaven Club. The
top finishers at Springhaven will earn a trip to the Boys Junior PGA
Championship, one of the top national
events for juniors which tees off July 31 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville,
Ky.
Richard Kline III, who still has a year left at Unionville,
had six birdies while matching par with a 70 over the 6,213-yard, par-70
Pennsauken Country Club layout to lead a group of 21 qualifiers in the overall 13-to-18
scoring and take the top spot in the 16-to-18 division.
Jake McCloskey, a recent Unionville graduate and Kline’s
teammate on the state championship team, fired a solid 4-over 74 and finished
tied for fourth.
Garrett Engle of Harrisburg was the runnerup in the 16-to-18
division with a 1-over 71. Recent Penn Charter graduate Noah Schwartz, a Cherry
Hill, N.J. resident, finished third with a 3-over 73.
Central Bucks East senior Patrick Sheehan, the District One
Class AAA runnerup last fall, shared fourth place with McCloskey with a 74.
Cal Buonocore, a member of The Haverford School’s Inter-Ac
League championship team as a senior last fall, and Shane Angle of Mountain Top
finished tied for sixth, each carding a 75.
Another member of The Haverford School’s Inter-Ac champions,
Charlie Baker, who will be a junior this fall, headed a group of four players
tied for eighth at 76. Baker was joined at 76 by Hayden Greer of Moorestown,
N.J., Francis Gregor of North Wales and Maxwell Rubin of Marlton, N.J.
Strath Haven junior Kevin Smith headed a group of four
players tied for 12th with a 77. Smith won’t need directions to get
to Springhaven, which is his home course. He has been known to go low there.
Joining Smith at 77 were J.T. Spina, a two-time PIAA Class
AAA qualifier at Pope John Paul II who is headed for Saint Joseph’s, Derek Answini
of Wyoming and Jackson Paradee of Dover, Del.
The final four tickets to Springhaven out of the 16-to-18
division went to a group of four players tied for 16th at 8-over 78,
including Finian McGarry of Haddonfield, N.J., Nicholas Campanelli of
Manahawkin, N.J., Sean Caspar of Williamstown, N.J. and Noah Petrucci of Atco,
N.J.
Only the top two finishers in the 13-to-15 division were
among the 21 players who advanced to Springhaven as Jack Reid of Medford, N.J.
took division honors with a 76 and Jack Ross of Medford Lakes, N.J. was the
runnerup with a 78. Reid finished his round with five straight pars to win the
division and get a spot in the Boys Philadelphia Junior PGA Championship.
Chris Dorey of Allentown, N.J. and Keller Mulhern of Exton
finished tied for third, each carding a 79.
There was a five-way logjam at 82 and tied for fifth,
including Matthew Homer of Wilmington, Del., Haverford School sophomore Jake
Maddaloni of Newtown Square, John Peters of Carlisle, Jack Tarzy of Medford,
N.J. and Tyler Smith of Maple Shade, N.J. Maddaloni had previously qualified
for Springhaven when he had the low round in the qualifier at Bayside Resort
& Golf Club in Selbyville, Del.
Rounding out the top 10 was Jun Lee of York, who finished
alone in 10th with an 84.
York’s Team Lee went home with a first-place trophy as
Julianne Lee, who finished 11th in the PIAA Class AAA Championship
as a senior at Central York last fall, took the top spot in the girls 16-to-18
division with a solid 76 that featured two birdies. Anna McCormick of
Harrisburg was the runnerup with an 88.
Lily Yang of West Chester was the only entrant in the
13-to-15 division and she posted a solid 78.
It was a regular Junior Tour stop for the girls, who had
their qualifier for the Girls Junior PGA Championship last month at Riverton
Country Club. The Girls Junior PGA Championship tees off Monday at Kearney Hill
Golf Links in Lexington, Ky.
Nicholas Gross of Downingtown fired a 3-over 38 to take top
honors among the nine-holers. Gross parred his final three holes. Michael
Maslanka of Taylor was the runnerup to Gross with a 41.
Downingtown’s Team Gross was also represented by Evan Gross,
who finished tied for third with Tyler Debusschere of Wallingford, each posting
a 45.
Tommy Marshall of Marlton, N.J. finished fifth with a 46 and
Justin Forman of Sewell, N.J. was sixth with a 47. Rajan Khanna of Bryn Mawr
and Ethan Legarda of Voorhees, N.J. shared seventh at 49.
Elora Walker took ninth with a 50 and Connor Foley of
Riverton, N.J. rounded out the top 10 with a 54.
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