Plymouth-Whitemarsh junior Dylan Gooneratne went 2-under par
on the back nine at Penn Oaks Golf Club to capture a victory in the 16-to-18
division Tuesday in the Harry Hammond Invitational as the Philadelphia Section
PGA Junior Tour kicked off its month of majors.
It wasn’t mentioned in the release put out by the Junior
Tour, but pretty sure the winners of the boys and girls championships in the
Harry Hammond Invitational earn some scholarship money, assuming they pursue
higher education after high school. Pretty sure the players in the field must have a victory or a high finish in a Junior Tour event over the last year to qualify for the event.
Harry Hammond, part-owner and director of golf at Penn Oaks,
is the brains behind the Harry Hammond Invitational. The PGA Master
Professional has been a PGA pro for 52 years and, in his free time, is the golf
coach at West Chester University. Hammond has received two major career
achievement awards, the 2012 Bill Strausbaugh Award from the PGA of America and
the 2016 Labron Harris Sr. Award from the Golf Coaches Association of America.
Hammond has done more to promote junior golf in this region than just about
anybody.
Gooneratne had four birdies on his scorecard as he bettered
par with a 1-under 70 over the 6,595-yard, par-71 Penn Oaks layout, where
Chester County meets Delaware County on Route 202 south of West Chester.
Jake Sokalsky, gearing up for a big senior season at Garnet
Valley, had birdies on the first and last holes at Penn Oaks to earn runnerup
honors with a 3-over 74.
A couple of Harriton teammates, seniors Andrew Wallace and
David Fitzgerald Jr., both of whom were PIAA Class AAA qualifiers last fall,
headed a trio of players tied for third at 4-over 75. They were joined at that
figure by Spring-Ford junior Luke Watson, a Class AAA East Regional qualifier
last fall.
La Salle senior Steve Lorenzo, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier
last fall, and Brandywine Heights junior Elijah Ruppert, a PIAA Class AA
qualifier last fall, shared sixth place, each carding a 5-over 76. Carl Ernst
of Mickelton, N.J. finished alone in eighth place with a 77.
Three players rounded out the top 10 as they finished in a
tie for ninth at 8-over 79, including Devon Prep junior Ryan McCabe, who shared
second place in the PIAA Class AA Championship last fall, Strath Haven junior
Jackson Debusschere and Malvern Prep senior Ryan Kennedy.
The Harry Hammond Invitational girls champion was Esther
Park of Wilmington, Del., who birdied the first hole of a playoff to edge
Olivia Strigh of Hammonton, N.J. after each posted an 84 over a Penn Oaks
layout that measured 5,945 yards for the girls.
Park, a recent graduate of the Charter School of Wilmington,
was one of the top scholastic golfers in Delaware the last four springs. She
will continue her academic and golf pursuits at Georgetown. Strigh had seven
pars in her round.
Stef Bonini, a junior at the Academy of Notre Dame, took
third place with an 88. Bonini, who finished in a tie for fourth in the
Inter-Ac League Championship at French Creek Golf Club in May, opened her round
with a par and had five more pars on her scorecard.
Harriton junior Niosha Parvizi and Episcopal Academy junior
Kathleen Mark finished in a tie for fourth as each posted an 89. Mark, who
helped the Churchwomen claim their second straight Inter-Ac title in the
spring, was also part of that tie for fourth along with Bonini at French Creek.
Jessica McClellan, a PIAA Class AA qualifier as a senior at MMI
Prep last fall, finished alone in sixth place with a 92. Nimah
Narinesingh-Smith of Kennett Square took seventh place with a 93, Josie
Genuardi of Kulpsville was eighth with a 95 and McKylie Boreman of New
Cumberland was ninth with a 97.
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy junior Emma Schotsch and
Ashley Ea of Perkasie shared 10th place as each carded a 101.
Schotsch finished third in the Inter-Ac Championship at French Creek in May.
Abigail Han of Hummelstown finished 12th with a 107.
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