Malvern Prep, behind a sizzling 3-under-par 32 effort by senior co-captain Keller Mulhern, edged Germantown Academy in the Inter-Ac League’s fifth of six invitationals hosted by Episcopal Academy at Merion Golf Club’s West Course Thursday.
The Friars inched closer to the Patriots in the battle for the Inter-Ac League title, but GA still holds a strong hand heading into the last of the six invitationals Monday as Springside Chestnut Hill Academy will play host at The 1912 Club.
It was the second invitational sweep of the season for Malvern Prep, which finished with a 195 total over the par-35 front nine at the West. Germantown Academy bested the field in the other three invitationals and finished second to Malvern Prep in the other two. The Patriots were the runnerup Thursday at the West with a 198 total.
Germantown Academy will take a 23-2 record into the Monday’s finale at The 1912 Club and a first- or second-place finish would give the Patriots their first Inter-Ac title since the league switched to the current format a decade ago when it moved from a spring to a fall schedule.
Malvern Prep will take a 21-4 mark into Monday’s regular-season finale. Only the Friars, Haverford School and Episcopal have won Inter-Ac crowns under the format that features six invitationals, one each hosted by the six schools that comprise what is arguably the best scholastic golf league in Pennsylvania.
Haverford School, which had won the last three Inter-Ac titles in 2017, 2018 and 2019, finished a shot behind Germantown Academy with a 199 total. The 2020 season was a casualty of the coronavirus pandemic.
The battle to determine the Inter-Ac’s best individual player has also been a two-horse race, although Mulhern put himself in solid position to claim that honor by taking medalist honors with his sparkling round Thursday. He has now piled up 431 points and his 36.4 scoring average also leads the league.
Germantown Academy sophomore Ajeet Bagga, who has been the medalist in all three of the Patriots’ invitational sweeps, is Mulhern’s closest pursuer with a 413 total. Ajeet Bagga carded a solid 4-over 39, which was GA’s second-best score. Ajeet Bagga’s scoring average is a 36.6.
Backing up Mulhern for the Friars was classmate Dylan O’Connor, who posted a solid 3-over 38.
Eighth-grader Davis Conaway added a 41 for Malvern Prep. The night before Conaway was honored at the annual Golf Association of Philadelphia Awards Dinner at Coatesville Country Club for claiming a pair of GAP’s top junior-junior events, the Junior-Junior Championship at the Moorestown Field Club and the Francis X. Hussey Memorial at Rolling Green Golf Club, in which he partnered with Ian Larsen of Honeybrook Golf Club. Conaway represented Fieldstone Golf Club in his GAP victories.
The talented youngster is third in the Inter-Ac’s regular-season individual standings with 376 points.
Rounding out the scoring at Merion’s West Course for Malvern Prep were senior co-captain Jack Davis and another senior, Joey Vandergeest, both of whom carded a 7-over 42.
Germantown Academy was led by senior Luke Marvin, who signed for a 3-over 38. Marvin captured the Bert Linton Memorial Inter-Ac individual crown two years ago at Gulph Mills Golf Club. He’ll try to add a second Bert Linton victory to his scholastic resume at GA’s home course, Bluestone Country Club, Wednesday.
Following Ajeet Bagga’s 39, Seth Roth and Jack Luviano each contributed a 5-over 40 for the Patriots. GA could take its pick for its fifth counter as both Will Irons and Ajeet Bagga’s younger sister Kiran each posted a 41.
Ajeet Bagga’s older sister Serena Bagga, a junior, had a 44 and Neekan Mehrgan rounded out the Germantown Academy lineup with a 45.
Leading the way for The Haverford School was Alex Nemo, who registered a 3-over 38.
Episcopal Academy remained in third place in the standings with a 14-11 mark. Haverford School’s third-place finish at Merion’s West Course enabled the Fords to improve to 12-13 and they remained in fourth place. Penn Charter was in fifth place with a 5-20 mark and Springside Chestnut Hill was in sixth place with an 0-25 slate.
No comments:
Post a Comment