Baker helps Haverford School pull out narrow win at Sunnybrook, claim third straight Inter-Ac crown

   There was very little to separate The Haverford School, Malvern Prep and Episcopal Academy going into the final Inter-Ac League invitational hosted by Springside Chestnut Hill Academy Wednesday at Sunnybrook Golf Club.

   And so often in those kinds of situations, it is a senior who steps up and gets the job done. Charlie Baker was the underclassman on a talented group of Haverford School golfers that won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018. This year he was the senior who held it together when the Fords struggled after a hot start.

   Wednesday, Baker delivered a solid 36 as The Haverford School edged Malvern Prep by just two shots and Episcopal Academy by six shots to capture its third straight Inter-Ac title. And Baker was a big part of every one of them.

   Baker helped The Haverford School post a 191 total. Malvern Prep ended up at 193 and Episcopal Academy was third at 197. That left the Fords atop the final standings with a 23-6-1 record, followed closely by the Friars at 22-7-1 and the Churchmen at 21-7-2. Germantown Academy, which took some big strides with a young team, finished in fourth place at 14-16 and Penn Charter and Springside Chestnut Hill ended up in a tie for fifth place, each posting a 4-26 mark.

   The Fords were led by Tyler Zimmer, who shared medalist honors for the day with Malvern Prep senior Ryan Kennedy, each posting a 35. Jake Maddaloni, who played a big role on The Haverford School’s perfect 30-0-0 run through the Inter-Ac as a sophomore a year ago, and Michael Bozzi each added a 39. Lachie Alexander was the final counter for the Fords, his 42 giving them the final edge they needed.

   It looked like The Haverford School was going to sweep to a third straight Inter-Ac title when the Fords cruised to victories in the first two invitationals of the season at Merion Golf Club’s West Course and at Bluestone Country Club. Zimmer was particularly sharp, earning individual medalist honors at both stops.

   But things tightened up in the next three invitationals and Haverford School, Malvern Prep and Episcopal Academy arrived at Sunnybrook virtually tied for first place, the Fords and Friars at 18-6-1 and the Churchmen at 18-5-2. It was a winner-take-all final and The Haverford School finished the job.

   Baker and the Fords didn’t have far to look for somebody who experienced three straight Inter-Ac golf titles. It wasn’t all that long ago that The Haverford School’s first-year head coach, Cole Berman, was part of a run of three straight Inter-Ac titles with the Fords, including the 2012 team that was as dominant a high school team as I’ve ever seen.

   Backing up Kennedy for Malvern Prep was Henry Fish, who carded a 36. Patrick Traynor and Dylan Connor each posted a 40 and Keller Mulhern was the Friars’ final counter with a 42.

   Shane Lawler led the way for Episcopal Academy with a 38 with precocious eighth-grader Jack Yearly and Giles Elliott each adding a 39. Jacob Zeng, the Churchmen’s senior leader, added a 40 and Max Giles was their final counter with a 41.

   There was little doubt heading into Wednesday’s final invitational as to the identity of the winner of the Inter-Ac’s regular-season individual points race.

   Although Penn Charter struggled as a team, the Quakers had the league’s best player in junior Patrick Isztwan, who closed an outstanding regular season with a 37 Wednesday.

   That gave Isztwan 533 points in the points race that basically measures each player’s standing against the rest of the field in each invitational. Isztwan’s closest pursuer was The Haverford School’s Zimmer, who was the runnerup with 509 points.

   Zimmer’s teammate, Maddaloni, was third at 484, Episcopal’s Zeng, who was the points-race winner a year ago, was fourth at 456 and two seniors, Haverford School’s Baker and Malvern Prep’s Kennedy, were tied for fifth, each ending up with 451 points.

   That’s a pretty good list of leading contenders for the individual crown when the league’s top players gather Friday for the Bert Linton Inter-Ac League Championship at Gulph Mills Golf Club. The Donald Ross classic is Baker’s home course.

   Isztwan follows in the footsteps of older brother Brian, who was the Inter-Ac’s regular-season points winner in his final two seasons at Penn Charter in 2016 and 2017. Brian Isztwan is a sophomore on the Harvard golf team. Patrick Isztwan won the Bert Linton as a freshman on his home course at Huntingdon Valley Country Club, a feat older brother Brian also accomplished as a freshman.

   Brian Isztwan never did get a second Bert Linton win, though. Patrick Isztwan will get a shot to go one-up on big brother in that category Friday.

   The plan is for T Mac Tees Off to do so some live blogging at Gulph Mills Friday. The original schedule had the Bert Linton conflicting with the second day of the PIAA Championships, but last week’s postponement of the invitational at Sunnybrook pushed the Inter-Ac schedule back.