David LaRosa of Cedarbrook Country Club has been playing in
Golf Association of Philadelphia Father & Son events since he was a
youngster teaming up with his dad Leon, who served two stints as the treasurer
of the J. Wood Platt Scholarship Trust and died at age 69 in 2016.
Thursday at Hershey’s Mill Golf Club in East Goshen,
48-year-old David and son Chris, a 15-year-old sophomore at North Penn, honored
the memory of David’s father and Chris’ grandfather by capturing the title in
GAP’s 63rd Father & Son (Younger) Championship’s Junior Division
with a 6-over-par 77 that edged two teams by a shot.
It was a day for patience on a 6,187-yard, par-71 Hershey’s
Mill layout that played pretty tough in the select drive/alternate shot format
for the dads and their youngsters.
“The course was very challenging,” David LaRosa told the GAP
website. “The greens were fast and firm,
probably the fastest we’ve played this year. It was very difficult to get the
ball in place. We were playing scared golf in the beginning.”
Starting on the back nine, the LaRosas made bogeys on two of
the first three holes, but seemed to right ship with a hard-earned par save on
the 408-yard, par-4 18th. Dad pulled his 8-iron approach left of the
green, but Chris LaRosa made a delicate chip to eight feet and David LaRosa
converted the par putt.
A birdie at the 486-yard, par-5 fourth hole might have made
the difference. Chris LaRosa bombed a 3-wood from 180 yards into a greenside
bunker, David LaRosa blasted it out to six feet and the younger LaRosa calmly
buried the putt.
Christopher Greer and Hayden Greer of Laurel Creek Country
Club and William Pabst Sr. and Billy Pabst Jr. of Elmhurst Country Club shared
second place, a shot behind the LaRosas at 7-over 78.
The Rolling Green Golf Club duo of Joseph Garvey and Ryan
Garvey finished alone in fourth place with an 8-over 79.
Four teams finished in a tie for fifth after each landed on
80.
They included the Huntingdon Valley Country Club duo of
Andrew Isztwan and Penn Charter junior Patrick Isztwan, the 2017 Bert Linton
Inter-Ac League champion, Brendan Nolan and Darren Nolan of Talamore Country
Club and a couple of Wilmington Country Club pairs, Jason Homer and Matthew
Homer and Jeff Ciconte and Anthony Ciconte. It was a busy day for Jeff Ciconte.
More on that when I get to the top Junior-Junior Division finishers.
It looks like Blue Bell Country Club’s Mark Lafond did
double duty as well as he and Matthew Lafond and he and Kevin Lafond shared
ninth place, each Team Lafond entry landing on 81.
Another Talamore duo, Kenneth Matt and Christian Matt,
shared 11th place with William Keane Jr. and Will Keane of
Philadelphia Country Club, Andrew Damico and Philip Damico of McCall Golf Club
and the Philadelphia Publinks Golf Association entry of Patrick Sullivan and
Patrick Sullivan Jr. as all four teams posted an 82.
Brian Block and Michael Block of Overbrook Golf Club
finished alone in 15th place with an 83 and Michael Bednar and
Michael Bednar of Rolling Green ended up in 16th place with an 84.
Before teaming up with son Anthony in the afternoon to
finish tied for fifth in the Junior Division, Jeff Ciconte and son Joseph
Ciconte carded a 6-over 77 that gave the Wilmington Country Club pair the top
spot in the Junior-Junior Division by two shots over Llanerch Country Club’s
Marc Shaffer and Reilly Shaffer.
The highlight of the round came on the 312-yard, par-4 ninth
hole. After 12-year-old Joseph, a seventh-grader at The Tatnall School, drove
it in the right rough, 42-year-old Jeff Ciconte punched a 5-iron from 150 yards
away to two feet and Joseph Ciconte holed the short birdie try.
Greg O’Connor of Bellewood Country Club and Jack O’Connor of
RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve finished alone in third place, a shot
behind Llanerch’s Team Shaffer with an 80.
Mark Peterson and D.J. Peterson of Waynesborough Country
Club finished fourth with an 82, Bruce Robertson Jr. and Travis Robertson of
Sunnybrook Golf Club were fifth with an 83 and Larry Benedetto and Jack
Benedetto of Concord Country Club were sixth with an 85.
Three teams – Andrew Clayton and Brady Clayton of
Philadelphia Cricket Club, Robert Powelson and Shane Powelson of Bidermann Golf
Club and the Overbrook pair of Brad McFadden and Liam McFadden – shared seventh
place, each pair posting an 86.
Looks like some other dads, Wilmington Country Club’s Jason
Homer did double duty. He finished tied for fifth with son Matthew in the
Junior Division and finished tied for 10th with son Jack in the
Junior-Junior Division with an 87.
Joining Team Homer in the tie for 10th at that
figure was the St. Davids Golf Club pair of Chong Moua and Zach Moua.
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