Jake Shmonov, a recent Central Dauphin graduate, came on strong with the only sub-par round of the tournament, to capture overall honors in a two-day Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour stop July 21 and July 22 – two of the hottest days of that recent heat wave – at Hershey Country Club’s East Course.
Shmonov, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a senior last fall, trailed Pope John Paul II senior Jack Brennan by five shots after Shmonov carded a 5-over 76 in the opening round.
But Shmonov got as hot as the scorching temperatures in the second round, making birdies at the first, sixth, seventh, 12th and 17th holes, five in all, to go with nine pars as he closed with a 1-under 70 that gave him a 4-over 146 total and a three-shot victory.
The two-day Philly Junior Tour events offer points that can earn players status on some of the more competitive junior circuits like the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA). The Philly Junior Tour still breaks out its usual 16-to-18 and 13-to-15 divisions along with overall scoring for all the 13-to-18 boys and girls competitors.
Shmonov’s 146 total left him atop both the 16-to-18 division and the overall leaderboards. Usually a couple of players from the 13-to-15 jumps into the top 10 in the overall scoring, but that did not happen at Hershey, so the top 10 among the older guys is the same as the overall top 10.
Shmonov did not have a birdie on his scorecard in the opening round, but kept himself in contention by staying patient with 14 pars on his way to a 76.
Owen Blazick of Mountain Top added a 3-over 74 in the final round to his opening-round 75 to claim runnerup honors with a 7-over 149 that left him three shots behind Shmonov.
Blazick made birdies at the first, fourth, 10th and 15th holes and had nine pars on his card in his final-round 74. Blazick made birdies at the first and 17th holes and had 11 pars in his opening-round 75.
Brennan is part of a group of talented high school players who have been looping at Stonewall this summer. He had a hot start to his opening round, making birdies at the first, second and fifth holes. Brennan then went back-to-back with birdies at the 10th and 11th holes to open the back nine and finished with nine pars on his scorecard as he matched par with his opening-round 71.
Brennan made birdies on the first and sixth holes and had 10 pars on his card as he finished up with a 79 that left him in a tie for third place with Judah Fulchiero of Holidaysburg, each landing on 8-over 150.
Fulchiero finished strong, making birdies on the 10th, 12th and 18th holes and adding 10 pars as he closed with a 2-over 73 that enabled him to join Brennan at 150. Fulchiero had opened with a 6-over 77 that included a birdie at the 14th hole and 10 pars.
Joey Sabol, a senior on State College’s PIAA Class AAA championship team at the Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York County last fall, Sam Wertmiller, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a junior at Selinsgrove last fall, and Matthew Normand of Lumberton, N.J. finished in a tie for fifth place, each landing on 10-over 152.
Sabol added a 4-over 75 in the final round to his opening-round 77. Wertmiller was Brennan’s closest pursuer following an opening round of 2-over 73 before falling back with a 79 in the final round. Normand closed with a solid 3-over 74 after opening with a 78.
John Keba of Emmaus opened with a solid 3-over 74 before adding an 80 as he finished alone in eighth place with a 154.
Rounding out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division and in the overall scoring were Derek Johnson of Mountain Top and Bo Meakim of Hatboro as they finished in a tie for ninth place, each landing on 155, a shot behind Keba.
Johnson added a 79 to his opening round of 5-over 76 while Meakim added a 78 in the final round to his opening-round 77.
Tom Biscotti of Mountain Top finished at the top of the leaderboard in the 13-to-15 division and was alone in 14th place in the overall scoring with a 157 total.
Biscotti opened with a solid 5-over 76 that included back-to-back birdies on the 13th and 14th holes and nine pars. He made a birdie at the 12th hole and had eight pars on his scorecard in a final-round 81.
Jax Puskar of Kennett Square trailed Biscotti by two shots after opening with a 78 that featured a birdie at the first hole and nine pars, including six straight from the second through the seventh holes. Puskar had 10 pars in a final-round 82 that left him three shots behind Biscotti in second place with a 160 total.
Colton Orris of Hershey was another shot behind Puskar in third place with a 161 total. Orris made a birdie on the second hole and had 10 pars on his card in an opening-round 79. He made birdies on the sixth and 15th holes and had seven pars as he closed with an 82.
Collin Schreiber of Kunkletown added an 81 in the final round to his opening-round 83 as he finished a shot behind Orris in fourth place with a 164 total.
Boyertown sophomore Chase Dillman finished a shot behind Schreiber in fifth place as he added an 84 in the final round to his opening-round 81 for a 165 total.
Carson Hummer of Hershey and Luke Tappeiner of Northfield, N.J. finished in a tie for sixth place, each signing for a 166 total. Hummer added an 82 in the final round to his opening-round 84 while Tappeiner opened with an 82 before finishing up with an 84.
Trevor Dendler of Yardley shaved three shots off his opening-round 85 with an 82 in the final round as he finished alone in eighth place with a 167 total.
Anestis Kalderemtzis of Glen Mills was three shots behind Dendler in ninth place with a 170 total as he improved by six shots from an opening-round 88 with an 82 in the final round.
Colby Komancheck of Royersford bounced back from an opening-round 91 with an 80 in the second round as he rounded out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division by finishing alone in 10th place with a 171 total.
Boiling Springs senior Brooke Graham, a three-time PIAA Class AA qualifier, was easily the best player among the girls as she added an 80 in the final round to her opening-round 82 for a 20-over 162 total that gave her the top spot in the 16-to-18 division and in the overall scoring.
Coming off a Philly Junior Tour victory at Overlook Golf Course earlier in the week, Graham had 11 pars, including a run of seven in a row from the second through the eighth holes, to close out the tournament with an 80. Graham’s steady opening-round 82 featured nine pars.
Oley Valley senior Heidi Wegscheider was Graham’s closest pursuer as she had six pars on her scorecard in a final-round 86 to finish in second place among the older girls and in the overall scoring with a 178 total. Wegscheider’s opening-round 92 included a birdie at the 14th hole and three pars.
Geneva Merino of York rounded out the field in the 16-to-18 division as she had four pars on her card in the final round on her way to a 91 that left her alone in third place with a 188 total. Merino also had four pars in her opening-round 97.
Top honors in the 13-to-15 division went to Camryn Hoff of Nazareth as she shaved 11 shots off an opening-round 103 with a 92 that featured six pars for a 195 total that left her alone in fourth place in the overall scoring. Hoff recorded three pars in the opening round.
Hannah Kopac of State College added a 105 in the final round to her opening-round 111 for a 216 total as she rounded out the field among the younger girls with a second-place finish and in the overall scoring by taking fifth.
Dane Mohap of Nazareth continued to dominate the nine-holers as he carded a 3-over 75 total over two days to claim his 12th Philly Junior Tour victory of the season.
Mohap opened with the best score of the day with a 1-over 37 that was highlighted by a birdie at the sixth hole and six pars. He finished off the win by making a birdie on the fifth hole and recording five pars in a 2-over 38 in the second round.
Jackson Lane of Cinnaminson, N.J. kept the heat on Mohap the whole way as he made back-to-back birdies on the third and fourth holes in both rounds on his way to a pair of 2-over 38s that gave him a 76 total. Lane made four pars each in both rounds as he earned runnerup honors, just a shot behind Mohap.
Holden Sparks, another Nazareth guy who has been playing solid golf all season, finished six shots behind Lane in third place with an 82 total. Sparks made a birdie at the third hole and had four pars on his scorecard as he opened with a solid 3-over 39. Sparks made a birdie on the fifth hole and had five pars on his card as he closed with a 43.
Carter Hippauf of Quakertown was another five shots behind Sparks in fourth place as he added a 42 in the final round to his opening-round 45 for an 87 total.
Ben Meixell of Wilmington, Del. was two shots behind Hippauf in fifth place with an 89 total as he added a 45 in the second round to his opening-round 44. Ethan Clouser of Newtown was a shot behind Meixell in sixth place with a 90 as he added a 44 to his opening-round 46.
Callen Edmonston of Thurmont, Md. and Bryce Bussom of Lewisburg finished in a tie for seventh place, each landing on 92. Edmonston added a 45 in the final round to his opening-round 47 and Bussom improved by four shots off his opening-round 48 with a 44 in the second round.
John Shea of Harleysville added a 53 in the second round to his opening-round 52 to finish alone in ninth place with a 195 total.
Rounding out the top 10 in the coed 12-and-under division was Raegan Young of Middletown who ended up in 10th place with a 116 total. Young shaved 10 shots off an opening-round 63 with a 53 in the second round.
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