The Philadelphia Section PGA’s Junior Tour exists to help young players develop their games while experiencing the kinds of conditions they might face at all levels of competition in their future golf lives.
There’s a decent possibility that the 60 youngsters who showed up to play in a Philly Junior Tour stop at Honeybrook Golf Club in the western corner of Chester County will never experience colder conditions than they faced Sunday.
The calendar claimed it was spring, but temperatures in the 30s, gusty winds and the occasional snow shower screamed winter. But give these kids credit. They donned their most effective cold-weather gear and got out there and played.
It was so cold that the Junior Tour officials made it a nine-hole event for everybody, which made complete sense.
None of it seemed to bother Joseph Sembrot of Harrisburg much as he carded a 1-over-par 36 over the par-35 front nine at Honeybrook to claim a one-shot victory in the 16-to-18 division. Sembrot birdied the fifth hole and had seven pars on his scorecard, going 1-under over his final seven holes.
Spring-Ford junior Jaden Minter wasn’t bad either as he grinded out seven pars to finish a shot behind Sembrot in second place with a 2-over 37. Minter was a District One Class AAA qualifier last fall.
Owen J. Roberts senior Victory Mominey and West Chester East senior Frankie Sass finished in a tie for third place, each landing on 4-over 39. Mominey finished strong, stringing together pars on his last six holes. Sass, a district qualifier last fall, had five pars on his scorecard.
Shayne O’Doherty of Glenmoore and Jackson Lucca of Philadelphia shared fifth place, each landing on 5-over 40.
Spring-Ford sophomore Charlie Ferrise and Avon Grove sophomore Tyler Sikorski were another two shots behind O’Doherty and Lucca in a tie for seventh place, each recording a 42. Sikorski was coming off a runnerup finish in Saturday’s Junior Tour stop at Olde Homestead in conditions that were balmy compared to what he played in Sunday at Honeybrook.
Downingtown West junior Brady Manning finished alone in ninth place with a 43. Manning was also a District One Class AAA qualifier last fall.
Rounding out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division was a foursome that included Garnet Valley senior Nick Woods, Hill School junior Lucas Steinmetz, Samuel Morris of Riverton, N.J., and Perkiomen Valley senior Ryan Horenci, all of whom posted a 9-over 44 to finish in a tie for 10th place.
Collin Schreiber of Kunkletown and Will Walsh of Wayne shared the top spot in the 13-to-15 division, each landing on 7-over 42.
Schreiber had five pars on his scorecard. My Twitter timeline seems to indicate that Walsh is the son of P. Chet Walsh, who has been a standout on the Golf Association of Philadelphia circuit for forever. Will Walsh had three pars on his card.
Ian Larsen of Glenmoore, who had a pair of pars, and James Schramek of Chalfont, who had a par on the eighth hole, finished in a tie for third place, each ending up with an 8-over 43.
J.P. Hoban, a Haverford School freshman from Havertown, Austin Zweizig of Mohrsville and John Curran of Malvern finished in a tie for fifth place as each signed for a 44.
Chase Dillman of Gilbertsville and Luke LaScala of Wilmington, Del. shared eighth place, each registering a 45. Nevan Graham, playing close to his Honey Brook home, rounded out the top 10 as he finished alone in 10th place with a 47.
On the girls side, Phoenixville’s Roberts sisters, Kayley and Kate, picked up right where they left off last year when the they were the Player of the Year and Scoring Average Award winner in the respective 13-to-15 and 16-to-18 divisions for the wraparound 2020-2021 season.
Kayley Roberts, who will join her older sister Kate in the Phoenixville program in the fall, had the best score of the day among the girls with a 4-over 39 that included a birdie on the par-5 fifth hole and three pars as she claimed a victory in the 13-to-15 division.
Kate Roberts, who earned a trip to the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a sophomore at Phoenixville last fall, was the lone competitor in the 16-to-18 division, claiming a Junior Tour win with a 5-over 40. Kate Roberts had five pars on her scorecard as she finished a shot behind her little sister in the battle for low-Roberts honors.
Meredith Finger of Wilmington, Del. was the runnerup to Kayley Roberts in the 13-to-15 division with a solid 5-over 40 that was highlighted by a birdie at the first hole and four pars.
Talia Hoffner of Dresher took third place with a 46 and Giulia Weisser of Reading, Malaina Druffner of Quakertown and Rhea Mulakar of Flourtown finished in a tie for fourth place, each carding a 47.
Rounding out the 13-to-15 division field was Charlotte Anstine of Chester Springs, who finished in seventh place with a 60 on a day when finishing, even just nine holes, was a feat in itself.
Ian Rotto of Kennett Square completed a winning weekend as he birdied the first hole and had four pars, including three straight to finish his round, as he bested the field of nine-holers with a 5-over 40. Rotto was a co-medalist among the nine-holers in Saturday’s Junior Tour stop at Olde Homestead.
Sebastian Park of Lansdale had two pars as he earned runnerup honors with a 49.
Chase Riley of Ardmore had two pars on his scorecard and Colby Komancheck of Royersford made a par on the eighth hole as they finished in a tie for third place, each landing on 50.
Nicolette Bottos of Berwyn took fifth place with a 54 and Steven Musacchio of Glenmoore rounded out the coed 12-and-under field as he finished in sixth place with a 57.
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