Kennedy turns it on at the Steel Club to capture a Junior Tour victory

    Thomas Kennedy shook off a slow start to post a solid 1-over par 73 at the Steel Club, a Donald Ross design in Hellertown, and finish atop the leaderboard in the 16-to-18 division in a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour event Aug. 18^th.

   Kennedy was struggling along at 6-over par through six holes. He proceeded to play the final 12 holes in 5-under to finish at 1-over. Kennedy made birdies at the seventh, ninth, 14^th, 15^th and 18^th holes and had eight pars on his scorecard. He toured the incoming nine in a sizzling 3-under 33.

   Ehren Weyman made birdies at the 10^th, 15^th and 18^th holes and had 10 pars on his card as he finished two shots behind Kennedy in second place with a 3-over 75.

   Pope John Paul II senior (and Stonewall looper) Jack Brennan had a steady round with nine pars as he took third place with an 82.

   Rounding a short field in the 16-to-18 division was James Gates, who ended up in fourth place with a 99.

   A lot of the high schools were getting started with tryouts and even some matches last week, which probably limited the field of older guys.

   Jin Sun of Princeton, N.J. made birdies at the seventh and 17^th holes and had nine pars on her scorecard as he claimed a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 13-to-15 division with a 9-over 81.

   Not sure if it was a sibling rival, but Rya Sun made a birdie on the 11^th hole and had seven pars on his card as he finished a shot behind Jin Sun in second place with an 82.

   Drake Brogan and Benjamin Moorhouse were a shot behind Rya Sun in a tie for third place, each landing on 83. Brogan made birdies at the second and seventh holes and had six pars on his card while Moorhouse made birdies at three and 12 and had eight pars on his card.

   Jackson Armstrong took fifth place with an 89, Trey Barkman was sixth with a 91 and Yanis Omgba Foe and Ryan Kelly shared seventh place, each signing for a 92.

   Luke Fallon took ninth place with a 100, Yaejoon Wee was 10^th with a 102 and Kit Townhill rounded out the field in the 13-to-15 division as he finished in 11^th place with a 116.

   Jiayin Ou of Pottstown was the only player to tee it up in either of the girls divisions and she claimed a victory in the 16-to-18 division with a solid 87. Ou made a birdie on the closing hole at the Steel Club and had six pars on her scorecard.

   Dane Mohap, who has been on a roll in these final weeks of summer, headed a trio of three Nazareth entries at the top of the leaderboard as he bested the field of nine-holers with a 1-under 35. Mohap opened his round with birdies at the first and second holes and closed with six straight pars.

   Holden Sparks made a birdie on the eighth hole and had five pars on his scorecard as he finished four shots behind fellow Nazareth entry Mohap in second place with a 3-over 39.

   A third Nazareth player, Alex DiGiacinto, finished in a tie for third place with Winston Chew of Exton, each recording a 5-over 41. DiGiacinto made birdies at the second and sixth holes and had two pars on his card and Chew had five pars on his card.

   Frederic Karl Omgba Foe was a shot behind DiGiacinto and Chew in fifth place with a 42, William Thorkelson was sixth with a 45, Carter Hippauf was seventh with a 47 and Ethan Clouser was eighth with a 48.

   Tyler Myers took ninth place with a 51 and Joseph Walsh rounded out the top 10 in the coed 12-and-under division as he finished alone in 10^th place with a 53.