District One Class AAA champion Patrick Sheehan, a senior at
Central Bucks East, Harriton junior Andrew Wallace and Franklin Regional senior
Palmer Jackson are tied for the lead, each carding a 2-over-par 73, after
Monday’s opening round of the PIAA Class AAA Championship at the Heritage Hills
Golf Resort in Springettsbury, York County.
But this thing is wide open as there are 13
players within three shots of the lead in what has to be one of the most
talented fields assembled for the state championship in some time.
The second and final round will be played Tuesday and I plan
to head west and watch some of what promises to be quite a finish.
Sheehan, a Penn State recruit, has had outstanding
postseason in his last scholastic campaign, finishing tied for first in the
Suburban One League Championship, capturing a district title in a playoff at
Turtle Creek Golf Club and finishing in a tie for second in last week’s East
Regional at Golden Oaks Golf Club.
Starting off the 10th tee, Sheehan was shaky in
the beginning, making a bogey at the short par-4 10th and adding a
bogey at the par-5 11th. A big hitter, Sheehan is often able to make
hay on the par-5s. He quickly settled down with a birdie at the 12th
hole before making a bogey at the 14th to fall back to 2-over. He
then rattled off five straight pars.
Sheehan got the power game going on the front side of the
6,700-yard, par-71 Heritage Hills layout. He birdied both par-5s, the second
and the seventh holes, to offset bogeys at the two par-3s, the fifth and eighth
holes.
Wallace had to really grind it out just to get out of the
District One Championship as the shaft on the left-hander’s driver snapped in
his hands after it sent a tee shot out of bounds for the second time in the
space of five holes in the final round at the Turtle.
Wallace also started on the 10th hole Monday and
made three bogeys on the back nine to make the turn at 3-over. He promptly made
birdies at the first, second and fourth holes to get right back to even-par.
Bogeys at the seventh and ninth holes dropped him back to 2-over.
Jackson, who qualified for last summer’s U.S. Junior Amateur
at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J. and won a match, finished tied for
second at Heritage Hills a year ago. He’s coming off a sizzling 6-under 66 at
the Tom’s Run Course at Chestnut Ridge last week that gave him a runaway
seven-shot victory in the West Regional Championship.
Jackson opened his round with a birdie at the 10th
Monday, but bogeys at the 12th, 17th and 18th
holes left him at 2-over as he headed for the front nine. He offset a bogey at
the fifth with a birdie at the seventh to join Sheehan and Wallace at 2-over.
There are a ton of talented chasers, a lot of them seniors,
who are still very much in contention for the Class AAA state championship.
Pittsburgh Central Catholic senior Jimmy Meyers, who
finished fourth a year ago after grabbing the opening-round lead, is just a
shot behind the top three after carding a 3-over 74.
Holy Ghost Prep senior Liam Hart opened defense of the state
crown he won at Heritage Hills a year ago with a solid 4-over 75 that left him
alone in fifth place, just two shots out of the lead.
There’s an eight-player logjam tied for sixth at 5-over 76,
led by Central York junior Carson Bacha, who captured the East Regional title
last week with a 3-under 69 at Golden Oaks. Bacha, an Auburn recruit, did not
play in the individual PIAA competition last year after finishing fifth as a
freshman two years ago.
Greater Latrobe senior Brady Pevarnik, like Sheehan a Penn
State recruit, is also in the group tied for sixth. Pevarnik led the
Pennsylvania Amateur at Sunnehanna Golf Club for two rounds in the summer before
finishing tied for third.
District One is represented in the group at 76 by Central
Bucks West senior Luca Jezzeny, who teed it up in both the U.S. Junior Amateur
at Baltusrol and in the Boys Junior PGA Championship at Valahalla Golf Club in
the summer, and Unionville senior Connor Bennink, who finished tied for fifth
at Heritage Hills a year ago and then helped the Indians capture the PIAA Class
AAA team title.
Rounding out the group tied for sixth are Pine Richland
senior Jack Wynard, West Perry senior Ben Smith, Warwick senior Brock Fassnacht
and Spring Grove sophomore Karl Frisk.
Senior Caleb Ryan, making his third appearance in the state
tournament to cap an outstanding scholastic career representing Norristown
High, is among the group tied for 14th at 6-over 77.
Caleb Ryan’s younger brother Joshua Ryan, a sophomore, is
one of three District One players among the group tied for 16th at
78. Connor Bennink’s brother Will Bennink of Unionville is also in that group
as is Council Rock South’s Matt Fleming.
Wallace’s classmate at Harriton, David Fitzgerald, is alone
in 30th place with an 84, Spring-Ford senior Axel Kalbach is tied
for 33rd at 88 and Souderton sophomore Stephen Butler is tied for 35th at 89. Joining Kalbach
at 88 is La Salle junior Steve Lorenzo.
William Mirams, a senior at Notre Dame of East Stroudsburg grabbed a one-shot lead over Saint Joseph's Academy senior Jack Mangene in Class AA after Mirams carded a 2-over 73.
Mirams, who claimed the East Regional title last week at
Golden Oaks, was the runnerup in the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Junior
Boys’ Championship in the summer at Blue Bell Country Club. He finished tied
for second at Heritage Hills a year ago.
Devon Prep sophomore Ryan McCabe, the District 12 champion,
is among the group tied for 13th at 8-over 79.
North Allegheny senior Caroline Wrigley, who finished third
at Heritage Hills a year ago, grabbed the lead in Class AAA with a 2-over 74.
The girls play to a par of 72 at Heritage Hills – the 18th is a
par-5 for them and a par-4 for the guys
– with the course measuring 5,145 yards.
Chambersburg senior Mary Kate Norcross, who finished 11th
at Heritage Hills last year, is a shot behind Wrigley in second at 3-over 75.
Uniontown senior Danae Rugola, who finished 10th in the state
championship last year, is alone in third place at 4-over 76.
Heading the District One contingent is Conestoga senior
Samantha Yao, who is wrapping up an outstanding scholastic career. Yao, who
finished fourth at Heritage Hills a year ago and was the runnerup as a
sophomore in 2016, is tied for fourth with South Fayette freshman Caroline
McConnell, each posting a 6-over 78.
Emmaus sophomore Michelle Cox is sixth with a 79 and
Pittsburgh Central Catholic senior Jessica Meyers is seventh at 80.
District One champion Victoria Kim, a freshman at West
Chester East, heads a group of three players tied for eighth at 81. Joining Kim
at that figure were Manheim Township senior Ellen Wager, who finished fifth at
Heritage Hills a year ago, and Upper St. Clair junior Sara Steve.
Three District One players comprise the trio tied for 12th
at 83, including Downingtown East senior Liddie McCook, the runnerup at
Heritage Hills a year ago, Pennsbury sophomore Jade Gu, coming off a victory in
last week’s East Regional, and Haverford sophomore Riley Quartermain.
Mount St. Joseph junior Olivia Wirsching is alone in 16th
with an 85 and Unionville sophomore Charlotte Scully is another three shots
behind Wirsching in 17th with an 88.
North East freshman Lydia Swan fired a 2-over 74 to grab a
four-shot lead over defending champion Maddie Smithco, a junior at Cardinal
Wuerl North Catholic who carded a 78.
Rockwood sophomore Vileska Gilpi, who lost to Smithco in a
playoff for the title a year ago, heads a group of three players tied for third
at 80 which also includes Central Valley senior Kiaria Porter and Greensburg
Central Catholic senior Abby Zambruno.
Greensburg Central Catholic freshman Meghan Zambruno –
pretty good chance she’s Abby Zambruno’s
younger sister – is alone in sixth at 81. Pretty good chance both
Zambrunos are the siblings of Olivia Zambruno, the 2016 PIAA Class AA champion
as a senior at Greensburg Central Catholic who is a sophomore on Denise St.
Pierre’s Penn State golf team.
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