Sako claims a Philly Junior Tour victory with a sizzling 67 at Wilmington's North Course

 

   Seiji Sako earned a trip to the District One Class AAA Championship as a freshman at Lower Merion a year ago when he finished in a tie for ninth place in the Central League Championship at Turtle Creek Golf Course.

   Looks like Sako is gearing up for a big sophomore year. Sako put together a spectacular 4-under-par 67 at Wilmington Country Club’s North Course to cruise to a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour victory in the 13-to-15 division Aug. 7^th.

   It’s not like Sako dominated an easy golf course. Wilmington’s North Course played to just under 5,956 yards for the 13-to-15 division and Sako was seven shots better than anyone else in the field. The co-medalists in the 16-to-18 division, Unionville senior Rex Opdahl and Eamon Cochran of Newtown Square, shared the top spot with 7-over 78s.

   Sako blitzed the outgoing nine at Wilmington’s North Course with birdies at the first, third, fifth and seventh holes in a 3-under 32 on the front. He added birdies at the 13^th and 18^th holes and finished with nine pars on his scorecard.

   Trevor Sieben of Medford, N.J. was Sako’s closest pursuer as he made a birdie at the 15^th hole and had 13 pars on his card, eight of them on Wilmington North’s outgoing nine, to earn runnerup honors in the 13-to-15 division with a steady 3-over 74.

   Nicolas Gaughan made an eagle 2 on the par-4 17^th hole and had 10 pars on his card as he finished two shots behind Sieben in third place among the younger guys with a 5-over 76.

   Luke LaScala of Wilmington, Del., Carson Deringer of Bryn Mawr and Judd Fletcher of Moorestown, N.J. finished in a tie for fourth place, each posting a 79.

   William Shuford of Wayne took seventh place with an 81 and another Wayne guy, Radnor sophomore Brad McDermott, was a shot behind Shuford in eighth with an 82.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division were three players tied for ninth place at 83, including Luke Fallon of Reading, Brendan Schott of Wilmington, Del. and Owen Gallagher of Bryn Mawr.

   Opdahl had 12 pars on his scorecard, opening his round with seven straight pars, and Cochran had 11 pars, including six in a row from the third through the eighth holes, as they shared the top spot in the 16-to-18 division with their 7-over 78s.

   Brady Manning, who capped his scholastic career at Downingtown West by helping the Whippets claim the District One Class AAA team crown last fall, had nine pars on his card as he finished in third place among the older guys with an 82.

   Brady Geatons of Williamston, N.J. took fourth place with an 83, Jake Lairdieson of Newtown Square and West Chester Rustin junior Nick Linkchorst each landed on 84 to share fifth and a couple of Wilmington, Del. guys, Lanndon Fox and Ian Miller, finished in a tie for seventh, each recording an 86.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division were three players tied for ninth place at 87, including Haverford School junior Zach Moua, Brady Crew of Moorestown, N.J. and Adam Zink of Dover, Del.

   Corinne McReynolds of Wayne had four pars on her scorecard as she finished at the top of the leaderboard in the girls 13-to-15 division with an 89.

   It was a third straight Philly Junior Tour victory for McReynolds in the space of five days as she was a winner at Kimberton Golf Club Aug. 3^rd and at Chapel Hill Golf Course Aug. 4^th.

   Eliza Meersman of Fort Washington had three pars on her card as she earned runnerup honors with a 98. Zuzu Connolly of Wilmington, Del. made a par on the 15^th hole as she finished in third place with a 101.

   Team Post out of Lincoln University rounded out the field in the 13-to-15 division as Kiera Post finished in fourth place with a 107 ad Miranda Post was fifth with a 121.

   Jason Leekley of Moorestown, N.J. finished up with a birdie on the 18^th hole and had six pars on Wilmington North’s incoming nine as he finished atop the field of nine-holers with a 4-over 40.

   Rayan Shah of Newtown has been the best of a talented group of players in the coed 12-and-under division this summer and he made a birdie on the 14^th hole and had three pars on his card as he claimed runnerup honors with a 5-over 41.

   Max Davis of Newtown Square had two pars on his card as he finished three shots behind Shah in third place with a 44.

   Zachary Proud of Stroudsburg took fourth place with a 45, Xunnan Dang of Newtown Square was fifth with a 48 and Owen Ciesielka of West Chester and Ethan Meersman, another member of Fort Washington’s Team Meersman, shared sixth, each tallying a 49.

   Noah Gates of Ardmore took eighth place with a 51 and Declan Mayo of Chadds Ford and Jacob Russell of Wilmington, Del. rounded out the top 10 in the coed 12-and-under division as they finished in a tie for ninth place, each carding a 52.