Boone takes it really low with a 63 at Odessa National to claim a Philly Junior Tour victory

 

   Graham Boone showed up at a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour event Sept. 9^th and proceeded to blitz the Odessa National Golf Club layout in Townsend, Del. with a spectacular 9-under-par 63 to easily capture the top spot in the 16-to-18 division.

   Looks like Graham Boone is a high school senior from Naples, Fla. He has an American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) page and, apparently, the kid can play a little.

   Graham Boone’s round started quietly enough as he made birdies on the fifth and eighth holes on the outgoing nine at Odessa National. Then he went off on the incoming nine, rattling off four straight birdies at the 10^th, 11^th, 12^th and 13^th holes and then three straight at 16, 17 and 18 for a sizzling 7-under 29 on the back nine. Graham Boone didn’t have a bogey on his scorecard.

   I’ve been putting together Philly Junior Tour roundups for a while now and can’t really remember at better 18-hole score.

   I was lugging a bag around the North Course at Stonewall in the opening round of qualifying for match play in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship the same day. It was hot and humid and I was out there early, although I don’t remember there being a lot of rain. But the 16-to-18 division in the Philly Junior Tour stop at Odessa National was the only division that completed 18 holes, so they obviously got some weather at some point.

   None of the older guys were in the same zip code as Graham Boone was as Michael Dignazio, a senior at Tower Hill School, and Evan Gebhart of Camden Wyoming, Del. shared second place, each carding a solid 3-over 75.

   Dignazio made birdies on the fifth, 10^th, 12^th, 13^th and 16^th holes and had eight pars on his card. Gebhart made birdies at the fifth and 12^th holes and had 11 pars on his card.

   Joshua Freeman of Middletown, Del. took fourth place with a 77, Noah Richardson of Malvern was fifth with a 79, John Bollendorf of Sewell, N.J. was sixth with a 94 and Kenton Lightburn of Wilmington, Del. rounded out the field in the 16-to-18 division as he finished seventh with a 95.

   The 13-to-15 division guys only completed 13 holes, but it was a really strong round for Trevor Sieben of Medford, N.J. as he claimed a Philly Junior Tour victory with a 2-under 51.

   After opening with a birdie on the first hole, Sieben made an eagle on the par-5 fifth. He added back-to-back birdies on the 10^th and 11^th holes and had seven pars on his scorecard.

   Gabriel Boone – there was no hometown listed, but I’m guessing he’s a member of Team Boone from Naples, Fla. – finished three shots behind Sieben in second place with a solid 1-over 54. Gabriel Boone made birdies on the sixth and eighth holes and had eight pars on his card.

   Declan Conner of Swarthmore made birdies on the third and 12^th holes and had seven pars on his card as he finished a shot behind Gabriel Boone in third place with a 2-over 55.

   Lorenzo Viterbo of Landenberg took fourth place with a 58, Luke LaScala of Wilmington, Del. and Wyatt Cudmore of Elkton, Md. finished in a tie for fifth, each posting a 60, Yaejoon Wee of Chesterbrook was seventh with a 62 and Nicholas Fargnoli of Mickleton, N.J. was eighth with a 63.

   Luke Daniels of Devon took ninth place with a 64 and Jacob Shachar of Sewell, N.J. rounded out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division as he finished in 10^th place with a 65.

   Neshaminy senior Sabrina Swope was the only entry in the girls 16-to-18 division and made a birdie on the 12^th hole and had eight pars on her scorecard as she recorded a solid 5-over 58 for 13 holes.

   Only two girls teed it up in the 13-to-15 division and both Gabrielle Hemstead of Milton, Del. and Anna Firko of Wilmington, Del. landed on 12-over 65 for 13 holes.

   Hemstead had five pars on her scorecard and Firko made a birdie on the seventh hole and had four pars on her card.

   Preston Minio of Lansdale bested a short field of nine-holers as he had five pars on his scorecard on his way to a 5-over 41. The kid is a Class of 2031 entry, which makes him, what, a fifth-grader? Pretty strong.

   Antonella Ferrer of Wynnewood made a par on the sixth hole to earn runnerup honors with a 53 and Victor Wang of Hockessin, Del. rounded out the field in the coed 12-and-over division, finishing in third place with a 60 that included a par on five.