Ruppert goes low at Wilmington's North Course to earn a Junior Tour victory

   Elijah Ruppert of Fleetwood got it going on the back nine to card a 1-under-par 70 and capture a victory in the 16-to-18 division in a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour stop at Wilmington Country Club’s North Course Monday.

   Ruppert had back-to-back birdies on the 11^th and 12^th holes and another on the 16^th hole to take it under par over the 6,299-yard, par-71 North Course layout. Garnet Valley senior Jake Sokalsky matched par with a solid 71 that included an eagle on the fifth hole and 15 pars to take runnerup honors.

   Haverford School junior Jake Maddaloni, who helped the Fords grab a second straight Inter-Ac League title last fall, and Plymouth-Whitemarsh junior Dylan Gooneratne shared third place, each posting a 2-over 73.

   Jake Rotelle of Honey Brook was a shot behind Maddaloni and Gooneratne with a 74 to finish alone in fifth place.

   Tyler Kipp, a Class AAA East Regional qualifier as a junior at Muhlenberg last fall, and John Bradbeer of Bryn Mawr shared sixth place, each posting a 76.

   Rounding out the top 10 were three players tied for eighth with 78s, including Ryan McCabe, who finished in a tie for second in the PIAA Class AA Championship as a sophomore at Devon Prep last fall, Methacton senior Nick Martin and Luke Pastore of Holmes.

   The weekend’s sweltering weather backed off only a little and the heat was finally broken when storms hit the Wilmington area in the afternoon, forcing the 13-to-15 division to be shortened to 11 holes. The younger guys played the first three holes and then the 10^th through 17^th holes.

   Win Thomas of Unionville, the reigning Graham Company Player of the Year in the 13-to-15 division, fired a 1-under 42 to finish ahead of the pack among the younger guys. Thomas had birdies on the 11^th and 13^th holes.

   A couple of Newtown Square guys, Eli Shah and Jack Davis, shared second place, each carding a solid 1-over 44. Shah birdied the 10^th hole and followed that up with three straight pars and Davis had birdies on the first and 13^th holes.

   Kristof Kopecky of Garnet Valley and Eric Miller of West Chester shared fourth place, each posting a 45. Tyler Smith of Maple Shade, N.J. and Christopher Buysse of Paoli finished in a tie for sixth place as each signed for a 46.

   Matthew Normand of Lumberton, N.J. finished alone in eighth place with a 48. Rounding out the top 10 were Benjamin Saggers of West Chester and Nathan Guertler of Merchantville, N.J., both of whom carded a 49 to end up in a tie for ninth place.

   Christina Carroll of Bear, Del., the reigning Graham Company Player of the Year in the girls 16-to-18 division, fired a solid 80 to take division honors at Wilmington’s North Course. Carroll had a birdie at the 12^th hole and made 10 pars.

   Charlotte Scully, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a sophomore at Unionville last fall, Kathleen Mark, who helped Episcopal Academy win its second straight Inter-Ac League title this spring, and Olivia Strigh of Hammonton, N.J. finished in a tie for second as each carded an 86.

   Mount St. Joseph junior Clare Gimpel, a Class AAA East Regional qualifier in each of her first two scholastic seasons, and Springside Chestnut Hill Academy junior Emma Schotsch shared fifth place as each posted a 96. Schotsch finished third in the Inter-Ac Championship at French Creek Golf Club this spring.

   Nimah Narinesingh-Smith of Kennett Square finished alone in seventh place with a 97 and Harriton junior Niosha Parvizi was eighth with a 99.

   Ava Svindland of Wilmington, Del. fired a solid 83 to take top honors in the 13-to-15 division. Svindland’s round included birdies at the 12^th and 14^th holes and four pars.

   Emma Reilly of Doylestown was the runnerup with an 88 that featured six pars. Avery McCrery of Wilmington, Del. was a shot behind Reilly in third place with an 89.

   Rhianna Gooneratne of Plymouth Meeting’s Team Gooneratne was a shot behind McCrery in fourth place with a 90 and Curstan Bunch, a third Wilmington entry among the five younger gals who teed it up Monday, took fifth place with a 98.

   Jason DiRita of Media had two pars and Davis Conaway of West Chester had two pars and a birdie at the eighth hole as they shared first place among the field of nine-holers, each posting a 9-over 44.

   Jax Puskar of Kennett Square had a par on the sixth hole on his way to a 45 that left him a shot behind the top two in third place. Reagan Garnsey of Dover, Del. and Nicholas Shanahan of Devon shared fourth place, each posting a 52.

   Liam McFadden of Bryn Mawr took sixth place with a 53, Kiran Bagga of Blue Bell was seventh with a 54 and Makayla Stone of Garnet Valley was eighth with a 57.

   Shea Murphy of Wilmington, Del. topped the men’s 17-to-24 division with a 5-over 76. Murphy had birdies at the first and fifth holes and finished strong with pars at the last four holes. T.J. Prushinski of Bear, Del. had a string of four straight pars on the front nine and a birdie at the 11^th hole to claim runnerup honors with a 79.

   Nathan Potts, another Wilmington entry, took third place with an 86 that featured a birdie at the 11^th hole and five pars. Eric Odell of Honesdale finished fourth with a 92.

   Georgia Naples of West Chester won the women’s 17-to-24 division with an 84 that featured back-to-back pars on the front nine and a birdie at the 15^th hole. Grace Hickey of Downingtown was the runnerup as she had three pars in a 94.

   Anna McCormick of Harrisburg took third place with a 97 and Elaina McGarrigle of Wernersville was fourth with a 98.