Sanderson fires 69 to claim Junior Tour victory in spring opener at Vineyard National

   There is really only one true sign of spring and that’s seeing the kids from the Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour back on the golf course.

   No, conditions for golf were not ideal as the spring campaign of the wraparound 2018-’19 season teed off Saturday at Vineyard National in Egg Harbor City, N.J. Winds blew steadily and if the temperature did reach 50, I’m sure it didn’t feel that warm.

   But these kids have played in tough conditions before. They wanted to get out and compete on a golf course. And you know what, despite the conditions, some of them played pretty darn good.

   Take Calen Sanderson of Newtown. He ripped off five birdies over the 6,308-yard, par-72 Vineyard National layout on his way to a sizzling 3-under-par 69 that was the low score of the day and gave him the victory in the 16-to-18 division.

   And Sanderson had to be that good to hold off a couple of pretty good players. Ryan D’Ariano, coming off a solid freshman campaign at West Chester Rustin, matched par with a 72 to claim runnerup honors, and Alex Mulrooney, the Concord High sophomore and Delaware junior champion who finished in a tie for sixth in last summer’s Philadelphia Open at St. Davids Golf Club, carded a solid 2-over 74 to end up alone in third place.

   Unionville junior Jack Cooley, a PIAA Class AAA East Regional qualifier last fall, finished fourth with a 78, Plymouth-Whitemarsh sophomore Dylan Gooneratne was fifth with a 79 and James Vinson of Princeton Junction, N.J. took sixth with an 81.

   Spring-Ford sophomore Luke Watson, also a PIAA Class AAA East Regional qualifier last fall, finished seventh with an 84, Adam MacMillan of Cranbury, N.J. was eighth with a 90 and Riley Mostecki of Linwood, N.J. was ninth with a 92.

   Matthew Vital offset a couple of big numbers by making four birdies as he captured the top spot in the 13-to-15 division at 6-over 78. Nicklaus Meisinger of West Chester was the runnerup with an 80.

Daniel Shin of Horsham, moving up from the nine-holers, carded a solid 82 to finish third. Sachin Blake of Berwyn took fourth with an 86, Michael Vital, of Bethlehem’s Team Vital, was fifth with an 89 and Hunter Stetson of Newtown Square was sixth with a 90.

   Francis Wren of Egg Harbor Township, N.J. and Julian Ciurlino of Philadelphia shared seventh place, each posting a 94, and Andrew Todd if Newtown was ninth with a 113.

   Elizabeth Mark, tuning up for her sophomore season at Episcopal Academy this spring, took top honors in the girls 16-to-18 division with a 94. It is the fourth straight year that Mark has recorded a Junior Tour victory. Mark and the Churchwomen will be defending their Inter-Ac League title this spring.

   Michelle Quinn of Haddon Heights, N.J. was the runnerup with a 102, Liberty Nuttall of Galloway, N.J. took third with a 114 and Madison Sauder of Pittsgrove, N.J. was fourth with a 120.

   The best round of the day recorded by a girl was a 4-over 76 fired by Ellison Lundquist of Furlong that gave her the top spot in the 13-to-15 division. Her round included a birdie at the 15^th.

   Lundquist is listed in the results as being from the Class of 2025. That would make her, what, a sixth-grader. And she shot 76 in the wind and the cold? Look out, sounds like somebody’s been practicing.

   Katrina Cabinian of Egg Harbor Township was the runnerup with a 93, Alexandra Schaul of Holmdel, N.J. took third with a 96 and Gwendolyn Powell of Madison Township was fourth with a 100.

   A 6-over 42 on the front nine at Vineyard National that included a birdie on the eighth hole enabled Hank Kancher of Philadelphia to finish atop the group of nine-holers. Matthew Sanderson of Newtown’s Team Sanderson, was the runnerup with a 46.

   Four players – Hunter Probst of Bear Creek, Tommy Marshall of Marlton, N.J., Noah Brand of Newtown Square and Declan Conner of Swarthmore – shared third place, each carding a 48.

   Davis Conaway of West Chester finished seventh with a 50, Emily Mayo of Boothwyn was eighth with a 52, Jillian Burks of Paoli was ninth with a 53, J.P. Klock of Oreland was 10^th with a 55 and Kiersten Bodge of West Chester was 11^th with a 58.