West Chester Rustin sophomore Ryan D’Ariano captured a
Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour Precision Pro Golf Open event Tuesday as
he prevailed on the second hole of a playoff with Conestoga’s Andrew Miller at
Philmont Country Club’s North Course in Huntingdon Valley.
D’Ariano had completed a second straight 6-over-par 76 over
the tough 6,607-yard, par-70 Philmont North layout for a two-day total of
12-over 152.
Miller had opened with a solid 78 in rainy conditions Monday
and came back with a 4-over 74 that was highlighted by birdies at the sixth and
10th holes as he joined D’Ariano at the top of the leaderboard at
152.
D’Ariano stuck his approach to the 18th green,
the second hole of the playoff, and made a par to finish first in the 16-to-18
division and in the overall 13-to-18 scoring. Miller was second in the division
and overall.
Three players – Spring-Ford’s Luke Watson, a Class AAA East
Regional qualifier as a sophomore at Spring-Ford last fall, Carl Ernst of
Mickelton, N.J. and Mario Ventresca III of Blue Bell – shared third place in
the division and were tied for fourth overall as each landed on 155. All three
players added a 78 Tuesday to an opening-round 77.
Joshua Cicco of Yardley was two shots behind the trio tied
for third at 157 and was alone in sixth place in the division and tied for
seventh overall. Cicco opened with a 78 before finishing up with a 79 Tuesday.
Methacton’s Jason Rieger had one of the day’s best rounds
Tuesday, a 4-over 74, after opening with an 84 to finish alone in seventh place
in the division at 158. Rieger earned a top-10 finish overall as he was in a
tie for ninth.
Pennsbury’s Ethan Finkelstein and Shane Lawler of Malvern
shared eight place in the 16-to-18 division as each posted a 160 total.
Finkelstein shaved four shots off an opening-round 82 with a 78 Tuesday while
Lawler improved six shots from an opening-round 83 with a 77.
Jack Gerity of Yardley rounded out the top 10 in the
16-to-18 division as he added an 80 to his opening-round 81 to finish alone in
10th place at 161.
Jack Tarzy of Medford, N.J. had the best round of the
tournament, a sparkling 2-over 72 Tuesday that featured four birdies as he
finished atop the 13-to-15 division and was third overall with a 154 total.
Tarzy, coming off a Junior Tour victory with an even-par70 at Pennsauken
Country Club last week, had opened with an 82 Monday.
Conestoga’s Michael Walz thrived in Monday’s rain as he had
two birdies and nine pars in an opening-round 76 that had him in first place in
the division and tied with D’Ariano for the overall lead. Walz had two birdies
and six pars in a second-round 81 that left him three shots behind Tarzy in
second place in the division at 157 and tied with Yardley’s Cicco for seventh
overall.
Like Tarzy, Tyler Smith of Maple Shade, N.J. found Tuesday’s
conditions more conducive to scoring as fired a 3-over 73, 12 shots better than
his opening-round 85, to finish third in the division at 158. His strong second
round also earned him a top-10 finish in the overall scoring as he shared ninth
place with Methacton’s Rieger.
Darren Nolan of Glenside finished fourth in the division, a
shot behind Smith at 159 with two solid rounds as he added a 79 to his
opening-round 80. It was six shots more back to Central Bucks West’s Kevin
Lydon at 165 as he improved five shots from an opening-round 85 with an 80
Tuesday.
Kristof Kopecky of Garnet Valley and Luke Corcoran of
Lansdale finished in a tie for sixth in the division at 167 as each player
added an 84 to an opening-round 83. Kevin Lafond of Blue Bell was a shot behind
Kopecky and Corcoran in eighth place at 168 as he added an 83 to his
opening-round 85.
Matthew Zerfass of Macungie added an 88 to his opening-round
83 for a 171 total that left him in ninth place in the division. Ajeet Bagga
rounded out the top 10 and a strong showing overall for the Blue Bell
contingent at Philmont as he added an 87 to his opening-round 85 for a 172
total that left him alone in 10th place in the 13-to-15 division.
Isabella McCloskey of Princeton Junction, N.J. was the
overall winner in a small field of 13-to-18 girls as she opened with an 88
Monday and came back with an 89 Tuesday for a 177 total. McCloskey was the only
entry in the 16-to-18 division.
McCloskey’s birdie at the 18th hole Monday was
her fourth of the day and she had three pars in a steady second round.
Baldwin freshman Megan Adelman was the top finisher in the
13-to-15 division and second to McCloskey in the overall scoring with a 183
total. Adelman, who finished seventh as an eighth-grader in the Inter-Ac League
Championship at French Creek Golf Club this spring, birdied the fourth hole and
had five pars in an opening-round 93 and birdied the sixth hole and had eight
pars in wrapping up with a 90 Tuesday.
Caroline Gola of North Wales, a freshman on Mount St.
Joseph’s District One Class AAA championship team last fall, was the runnerup
to Adelman in the division with a 203 total. Gola bounced back from an
opening-round 105 with a 98 Tuesday.
Sean Curran of Newtown Square led the way in a two-player
field of nine-holers with a 90. He opened with a 44 Monday and then made pars
on the first and sixth holes in a 46 Tuesday.
Jake Grossman of Elkins Park was the runnerup as he shaved
three shots off an opening-round 56 with a 53 Tuesday for a 109 total.
As usual in a Precision Pro Golf Open event, there were
men’s and women’s college divisions.
Casey Oppenheimer of Conshohocken prevailed in tight battle
in the women’s 17-to-24 division with a 175 total. After opening with a 93,
Oppenheimer made a birdie at the seventh hole and had seven pars in carding a
solid 82 in Tuesday’s second round.
Georgia Naples of West Chester had grabbed the lead with an
opening-round 87, but fell back with a 92 Tuesday to finish second, four shots
behind Oppenheimer at 179. Naples came on strong with a back nine of 4-over 39
in Tuesday’s second round.
Anna McCormick of Harrisburg and Elaina McGarrigle of
Wernersville each matched the 93 Oppenheimer shot in the opening round.
McCormick added a 94 Tuesday to finish third at 187 and McGarrigle had a 98 in
the second round to end up in fourth place at 191.
Carolyn Mueller of Holland bounced back from an
opening-round 115 with a 99 Tuesday to finish fifth at 214.
Eric Odell of Honesdale was the lone competitor in the men’s
17-to-24 division, opening with an 87 that featured a birdie at the eighth hole
and six pars and finishing up with an 89 that included birdies at the first and
16th holes for a 176 total.
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