Brothers Caleb and Joshua Ryan go 1-2 in Junior Tour stop at Spring Hollow

   Brothers Caleb Ryan and Joshua Ryan appear to be ready for another run to the PIAA Championship.

   Home-schooled via Commonwealth Connections Academy, the brothers represent Norristown High on the golf course. Caleb Ryan, a senior, has earned a trip to the Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York County for the PIAA Class AAA Championship the last two falls. He was joined there last fall by Joshua Ryan, who capped his freshman campaign by making the state tournament.

   Joshua Ryan has been playing some pretty good golf this summer, but big brother proved he still has plenty of game, too, as Caleb Ryan fired a 2-under-par 68 to capture the 16-to-18 division in a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour stop at Spring Hollow Golf Club near Spring City Saturday.

Caleb Ryan had four birdies on his card at three, 12, 13 and 16 in bettering par over the 6,006-yard, par-70 Spring Hollow layout.

   His closest pursuer was little brother Joshua Ryan, who matched par with a 70 to claim runnerup honors.

   Plymouth-Whitemarsh sophomore Dylan Gooneratne finished a shot behind Joshua Ryan in third at 1-over 71, John Bradbeer of Bryn Mawr was fourth with a 2-over 72 and Matthew Fleming of Richboro was fifth with a 4-over 74.

   Thomas Butler of Telford and Spring-Ford sophomore Luke Watson finished in a tie for sixth, each posting a 5-over 75.

   Rounding out the top 10 were three players – Andrew Miller of Bryn Mawr, Ryan D’Ariano of West Chester and Alex Mulrooney of Wilmington, Del. – who finished tied for eighth, each signing for a 6-over 76. Mulrooney, a sophomore at Concord High in Delaware, had a pretty strong summer, highlighted by an eye-opening tie for sixth in the Philadelphia Open at St. Davids Golf Club.

   The 13-to-15 division was particularly contentious at Spring Hollow with six players finishing within a shot of each other.

   Nicholas Ciocca of Devon earned the top spot as his final-nine total of 1-over 36 gave him the tiebreaker edge over three other players who matched Ciocca’s 5-over 75. Ciocca had birdies at the third and 14^th holes.

   Connor Ghergel of Orwigsburg was awarded second place with his final nine of 2-over 37. Nicholas Gross of Downingtown, moving up to the 13-to-15 division after dominating the nine-holers all summer, took third with a final nine of 3-over 38. Henry Stone of Kennett Square was the fourth member of the quartet that finished at 5-over 75.

   Two more players – Christian Matt of Springhouse and Daniel Shin of Horsham -- were just a shot back in a tie for fifth as each carded a 7-over 76. Matt was a winner in the 13-to-15 division a week earlier in a Junior Tour stop at Frog Hollow Golf Club in Middletown, Del.

   Dylan Kochis of Exton, Nicklaus Meisinger of West Chester and Zachary Sandler of Gladwyne shared seventh place, each posting an 80 and Lucas Steinmetz of Gilbertsville rounded out the top 10 by finishing alone in 10^th with an 81.

   Esther Park of Wilmington, Del. carded an impressive 7-over 77 to win the girls 16-to-18 division. Pretty sure that is the same Esther Park who, at this time last year, teamed with fellow teen-agers Phoebe Brinker and Jennifer Cleary as Team Delaware, the youngest team in the field, was the runnerup in the final USGA Women’s State Team Championship held at The Club at Las Campanas’ Sunrise Course in Santa Fe, N.M.

   Isabella McCloskey of Princeton Junction, N.J. was the runnerup to Park with an 86 and Kayla Loninger of Crosswicks, N.J. took third with a 104.

   Stefania Fedun of Glenmoore posted a 92 to capture top honors in the 13-to-15 division, her third Junior Tour victory in 2018. Stefanie Bonini of Bryn Mawr was the runnerup with a 94.

   Another member of Team Loninger from Crosswicks, N.J., Amelia Loninger, took third with a 95 and Bethanny Julias of Schwenksville was fourth with a 97.

   Carson Holmes of Thorndale won a scorecard tiebreaker to capture the top spot among the nine-holers after finishing in a tie with Kate Roberts of Phoenixville and Hunter Probst of Bear Creek, each carding an 8-over 43. Holmes, who had back-to-back birdies on six and seven, got the tiebreaker edge with a four on the first hole.

   Roberts was the runnerup as her 28 total on the final six holes was two shots better than the 30 for Probst, who took third. Probst swept the coed 12-and-under nine-holers in both Junior Tour stops last weekend at Frog Hollow and at Union League National at the Jersey Shore.

   Samuel Feeney of West Chester finished fourth with a 45, Evan Gross of Downingtown’s Team Gross was fifth with a 47 and Sean Curran of Newtown Square was sixth with a 48. Kayley Roberts of Phoenixville’s Team Roberts and Rhianna Gooneratne of Plymouth Meeting’s Team Gooneratne shared seventh place, each posting a 49.

   Mason Tucker of York and Joshua Baker of West Chester finished in a tie for ninth at 50, Nick Linkchorst of Glen Mills was 11^th with a 53 and Grady Hearn of Greentown was 12^th with a 55.