Barbin stays hot with victory in weather-shortened Christman Cup at The 1912 Club

   Having conquered just about every challenge junior golf can offer in the Philadelphia area, Austin Barbin of Elkton, Md. will take his game to the national level when he tees off in the U.S. Junior Amateur Monday at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.

   Barbin, playing out of his Pennsylvania base, Loch Nairn Golf Club, captured the weather-shortened Christman Cup Thursday at The 1912 Club in Plymouth Township with a sparkling 4-under-67. The Christman Cup is part of the Golf Association of Philadelphia Junior Series, presented by Citadel.

   The Christman Cup is scheduled as a one-day, 36-hole test, but Thursday’s wild afternoon weather forced GAP officials to shorten it to 18 holes.

   Barbin, who will join the Maryland program at the end of the summer, added the Christman Cup to a remarkable run of successes that began with his 5 and 4 victory over Patrick Sheehan of Talamore Country Club in the final of last month’s 105^th GAP Junior Boys’ Championship at Coatesville Country Club.

   Two days later Barbin was the medalist in the U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier at Berkshire Country Club. Since then he has added victories in the Maryland Junior Amateur, the Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship at The Springhaven Club, the better-ball Francis X. Hussey Memorial with brother Evan at Rolling Green Golf Club and the Delaware Junior Amateur.

   Barbin is the first player to complete a GAP Junior Boys-Christman Cup double since The ACE Club assistant pro Billy Stewart did it in 2001 when he was a junior standout at Llanerch Country Club.

   “It’s unreal,” Barbin told the GAP website. “It’s just been one of those summers. My dad (Andy) has been helping me with my swing. I’ve just had a really good swing thought that I’ve been sticking with. It’s been carrying me, especially with my irons. It’s been a really fun ride.”

   Sheehan, the District One Class AAA champion as a senior at Central Bucks East last fall, was again a frustrated runnerup to Barbin, carding a solid 3-under 68 over the 6,520-yard, par-71 1912 Club layout. Sheehan will join the Penn State program at the end of the summer.

   Barbin and Sheehan, bombers both, dominated the par-5s at The 1912 Club, the refurbished and reinvented Plymouth Country Club.

   Barbin reached the 518-yard, par-5 third hole in two with an 8-iron from 182 yards and two-putted for birdie. It was just an 8-iron again into the 495-yard, par-5 sixth hole from 175 yards and another two-putt birdie.

   He needed some fancy wedge work on the par-5 12^th and 17^th holes, flopping one to four feet for birdie at the 12^th and another to five feet after sending his approach over the green in two at the 17^th and converting both birdie opportunities.

   Barbin quickly answered his only bogey of the day at the eighth hole by knocking a 58-degree wedge from 70 yards away to 10 feet at the 398-yard, par-4 ninth hole and holing the putt.

   Sheehan had three birdies and an eagle on the par-5s, but it wasn’t enough to slow down the Barbin express.

   The last two Bert Linton Inter-Ac League champions, Penn Charter junior Patrick Isztwan, who was a freshman when he captured the title in 2017 on his home course at Huntingdon Valley Country Club, and recent Malvern Prep graduate Andrew Curran, who captured the title last fall at Sunnybrook Golf Club, were among a talented foursome tied  for third at 1-under 70. Curran plays out of Philadelphia Cricket Club.

   Joining them at that figure were Rolling Green’s A.J. Aivazoglou, who helped The Haverford School win the last two Inter-Ac team titles, and Manufacturers Golf & Country Club’s Steve Lorenzo, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a junior at La Salle last fall.

   Barbin’s fellow Loch Nairn representative, Nikita Romanov, finished alone in seventh place as he matched par with a 71. Romanov, a recent Mount Pleasant High graduate, will join the La Salle program at the end of the summer.

   Aivazoglou’s Haverford School teammate Jake Maddaloni, a product of the Aronimink Golf Club junior program, headed a group of thee players tied for eighth place at 1-over 72. Maddaloni will be a junior for the Fords this fall. Indian Valley Country Club’s Thomas Butler, a recent Souderton graduate, and Llanerch’s Joseph Morganti, a St. Joseph’s Prep senior, also landed in the tie for eighth at 1-over.

   Springhaven’s Kevin Smith, a senior at Strath Haven, and Alec Stern of Philadelphia Country Club shared 11^th place, each posting a 2-over 73.

   Kennett Square Golf & Country Club’s Bennink twins, Connor and William, headed a group of eight players tied for 13^th at 3-over 74. The Benninks led the way for Unionville as it won back-to-back District One Class AAA team crowns and a PIAA Class AAA team title in 2017.

   Also in the group at 3-over were Penn Oaks Golf Club’s Ryan D’Ariano, a sophomore at West Chester Rustin, Springhaven’s Jackson Debusschere, a junior at Strath Haven, Merion Golf Club’s John Bradbeer, Huntingdon Valley’s Bryce Fazio and Blue Bell Country Club’s Matthew Lafond and Laurel Creek Country Club’s Alec Ryden.