Heflin holds off Brinker to claim title in AJGA Philadelphia Junior at Huntingdon Valley

   The girls division of this week’s American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Philadelphia Junior at Huntingdon Valley Country Club turned into a Tower Hill-Archmere battle.

   Tower Hill School sophomore Rylie Heflin, who got off to a blazing start, held off a hard-charging Phoebe Brinker, an Archmere Academy junior, to earn her first AJGA victory as the 54-hole event wrapped up Tuesday. Heflin and Brinker finished tied for third in the AJGA Philadelphia Junior a year ago.

   Heflin, an Avondale resident who captured the Pennsylvania Junior Girls’ crown last summer, probably won the title when she opened with an efficient three-birdie, no-bogey 3-under 67 over the William Flynn design at Huntingdon Valley, which measured 5,929 yards for the girls and played to a par of 70.

   Heflin, making her 11^th career AJGA start, matched par in the second round of Monday’s double-round to stand at 3-under 137 heading into Tuesday’s final round. Her final round of 3-over 73 gave her an even-par 210 total.

   Brinker, coming off a nice showing in the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship which saw her reach match play at the Poppy Hills Golf Course on northern California’s foggy Monterey Peninsula, opened with rounds of 74 and 71 Monday, then came roaring home with a sizzling 4-under 66 that left her just a shot behind Heflin in second at 1-over 211.

   Brinker made back-to-back birdies at three and four and again at six and seven before the only blemish on her card, a bogey at the ninth. A birdie at 17 capped her brilliant round, but left her a shot short of Heflin.

   Brinker fell, 2-up, in the opening round of match play at Poppy Hills to Colombia’s Valery Plata, who will join the Michigan State program later this summer. Plata went on to reach the quarterfinals.

   Brinker made a splash on the national scene last fall when she finished second in the individual scoring and led Delaware to a second-place finish in the final edition of the USGA Women’s State Team Championship at The Club at Las Campanas’ Sunrise Course in Santa Fe, N.M.

   Jessie Kweon of Little Neck, N.Y. was four shots behind Brinker in third at 215. Kweon posted a pair of 2-over 72s in Monday’s double-round and capped her effort with a solid 1-over 71.

   Kaitlyn Lees, a recent Agnes Irwin graduate who captured her third Pennsylvania Junior Girls’ crown earlier this summer at Hershey Country Club’s East Course, matched par in the second round with a 70 and ended up finishing fourth in her 19^th career AJGA event at 8-over 218.

   After opening with a 3-over 73 Monday morning, Lees, who plays out of Philadelphia Country Club and Merion Golf Club, put together a solid three-birdie, three-bogey 70 in the afternoon. Back-to-back birdies at the fifth and sixth holes to start her final round got Lees in the hunt for the title at 3-over, but she faltered a little on the inward nine.

   Lees, who will join the Dartmouth program later this summer, improved on her fifth-place finish a year ago at Huntingdon Valley by a position.

   Tracy Lee of Howey-in-the-Hills Fla. via South Korea was another two shots behind Lees in fifth at 220.

   Natasha Kiel, a George School sophomore from New Hope, headed the rest of the local contingent as she had her best round in Tuesday’s final round, a 76, to finish 13^th at 236.

   Esther Park of Wilmington, Del., a teammate of Brinker’s on Delaware’s surprising entry in the USGA Women’s State Team Championship, was a shot behind Kiel at 237 after a final round of 78.

   Ellen Wager, a senior at Manheim Township who finished fifth in the PIAA Class AAA Championship last fall, had a final-round 77 to take 15^th at 239. Emmaus sophomore Michelle Cox finished up with an 82 to end up tied for 16^th at 243.

   Recent Central Bucks East graduate Sophia Mancuso, a PIAA Class AAA Championship qualifier as a senior last fall, finished tied for 20^th at 250 after a final-round 250. Mancuso is headed for Elon College.

   Molly Gregor of North Wales checked in with a final-round 89 to finish 23^rd at 277.

   Brian Li of Warren, N.J. via China had four birdies in a final round of 1-under 69 to hold off a fast-finishing Kelvin Lim of Lake Mary, Fla. via Canada to claim his first career AJGA victory.

   Li opened with a 2-over 72 over a Huntingdon Valley layout that measured 6,878 yards for the guys. He matched par in Monday afternoon’s’ second round before the closing 69 left him at 1-over 211.

   Lim fired the low round of the tournament, a sparkling 4-under 66, in the final round, but came a shot short of catching Li at 212.

   Ben Smith of Blain was the top Pennsylvania finisher as a final-round 72 left him alone in third place at 5-over 215.

   Hongdao (Andy) Fan of Scarsdale, N.Y. via China and Chan Young Park of Old Tappan, N.J. via South Korea shared fourth place at 7-over 217. Fan led Li, the eventual champion, by a shot after posting solid rounds of 71 and 70 in Monday’s double-round before backing off with a final-round 76. Park finished up with a final round of 1-over 71.

   Radnor senior David Colleran had a solid showing, finishing alone in sixth at 8-over 218. Colleran, the Central League co-champion last fall, matched par in the opening round with a 70, faltered a little in Monday afternoon’s second round with a 76 and finished up with a 2-over 72.

   Ryan Tall, the Conestoga graduate who captured the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Junior Boys’ crown a week after reaching the semifinals of the BMW Philadelphia Amateur, finished among a group of four players, three of them local players, tied for ninth at 220.

   After opening with a 79, Tall, who will join the Lafayette program later this summer, added solid rounds of 71 and 70.

   Austin Barbin, a senior at Red Lion Christian Academy, was also in the group with Tall at 220. Barbin, who fell to Tall in the GAP Junior Boys’ semifinals and also qualified for match play in the BMW Philadelphia Amateur, followed up an opening-round 76 with a sparkling 1-under 69. He finished up with a 75.

   Also in the group tied for ninth at 220 was Malvern Prep senior John Updike, who has been one of the Inter-Ac League’s top players ever since arriving on campus as a freshman. Updike flashed his considerable talent with a final-round 68.

   Nikita Romanov of Wilmington, Del. finished 17^th at 223 after a final-round 78. Romanov matched par in Monday afternoon’s second round with a 70.

   A shot behind Romanov in a tie for 18^th at 224 was recent Penn Charter graduate Brian Isztwan, who bounced back from an opening-round 80 with rounds of 73 and 71 on his home course. The Harvard-bound Isztwan, the best player in the Inter-Ac the last two seasons, had a runnerup finish in the AJGA Philadelphia Junior a year ago, probably his finest AJGA performance.

   Among the players tied for 20^th at 225 was Haverford School senior David Hurly, a Newtown Square resident by way of South Africa. The top player on the Fords’ Inter-Ac champions last fall, Hurly finished up with a 75.

   Hurly earned his way into the field as one of the co-medalists in a Sunday qualifier with a solid 3-over 73.

   Joining Hurly at 220 was Chambersburg High senior Karsen Rush, who finished up strong, matching par in the final round with an even-par 70.

   Frankie Gregor of North Wales, playing on his home course – pretty sure that was sister Molly playing on the girls side – finished tied for 31^st at 231, including a solid opening round of 3-over 73.

   Matt Davis, a recent Malvern Prep graduate who will join the Villanova program later this summer, finished tied for 35^th at 234 after a final-round 77. Moorestown (N.J.) High junior Akhil Giri finished 37^th at 236 after posting a final-round 84.