Gooneratne surges to five-shot lead with opening-round 67 in PIAA Class AAA Championship at Penn State

 

   Plymouth-Whitemarsh junior Rhianna Gooneratne has been one of the best players in District One ever since she first set foot on a golf course as a varsity performer as a freshman two years ago.

   Monday at Penn State’s Blue Course, Gooneratne took a big step toward claiming a PIAA Class AAA crown by opening with a scintillating 5-under-par 67 that gave her a commanding five-shot lead heading into Tuesday’s final round.

   Coming off a third-place finish in last week’s District One Class AAA Championship at Turtle Creek Golf Course, Gooneratne jump-started her round with an eagle at the par-5 fifth hole and really went off when she ripped off five straight birdies to open the incoming nine at the Blue Course.

   Gooneratne finished in a tie for 11^th place at the White Course as the PIAA Championship returned to the Penn State Courses for the first time in more than 20 years last fall.

   The eagle at the fifth hole followed a bogey at three for Gooneratne. She made birdies at the sixth and eighth holes around a bogey at seven to make the turn at 2-under. The startling run of five straight birdies from the 10^th through the 14^th holes got Gooneratne to 7-under for the round.

   Gooneratne cooled off with bogeys at the 15^th and 17^th holes, but her 5-under total still left her five shots clear of a talented field.

   Seneca Valley’s Lihini Ranaweera was Gooneratne’s closest pursuer as she matched par with a 72 and stands in second place. Ranaweera finished in a tie for 15^th place a year ago at the White Course.

   Downingtown East senior Mia Pace, coming off a fourth-place finish in the district tournament last week at the Turtle, and Gwen Powell of North Pocono were another two shots behind Ranaweera in a tie for third place as each posted a 2-over 74. Powell finished in a tie for 14^th place in the PIAA Class AAA Championship a year ago.

   Phoenixville senior Kate Roberts, coming off a victory in the District One Class AAA Championship a week ago at Turtle Creek, Conestoga freshman Jill Burks and Peters Township’s Ellie Benson are tied for fifth place as each tallied a 3-over 75.

   Kate Roberts finished in ninth place in the state tournament a year ago on the White Course. Kate Roberts edged younger sister Kayley, a sophomore, by a shot for the district title last week.

   Kayley Roberts, the runnerup to Lower Merion’s Sidney Yermish in the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a freshman a year ago, opened with a 6-over 78 and was in a trio tied for 13^th place with another District One entry, Upper Dublin’s Talia Hoffner, and North Allegheny’s Megan Manesiotis.

   Burks, who led the Pioneers to the District One Class AAA team crown at Raven’s Claw Golf Club, finished in fifth place in the individual district standings last week.

   Benson finished in a tie for fourth place in the state tournament a year ago.

   Another player who finished in that tie for fourth place with Benson a year ago, Mya Morgan of Elizabeth Forward, headed a trio tied for eighth place at 4-over 76 that included Warwick’s Elle Overly and Dallastown’s Taylor Hicks.

   Radnor sophomore Elayna Fanelli, the medalist in last month’s Central League Championship at Turtle Creek, is tied for 11^th place with Wilson’s Kayla Maletto, the District Three Class AAA champion for the second straight year, as each landed on 5-over 77. Maletto plans to join the program at Creighton next summer.

   In the Class AA girls tournament at the White Course, the top three finishers in the PIAA Championship a year ago at the Blue Course were battling it out again this year.

   Hickory senior Sasha Petrochko, the third-place finisher in the state tournament a year ago, matched par at the White Course with a 72 and will take a one-shot lead into Tuesday’s final round. Petrochko offset four bogeys on her scorecard with birdies at the third, fourth, 15^th and 17^th holes.

   North East senior Anna Swan, the runnerup in the PIAA Class AA Championship a year ago, grabbed a share of second place with Wyoming Seminary’s Anna Zapletalova, the District Two Class AA champion, each sitting a shot behind Petrochko at 1-over 73.

   Reigning PIAA Class AA champion Hannah Rabb, a Warrior Run senior, headed a group of four players tied for fourth place with a 2-over 74. Rabb plans to join the program at James Madison next summer.

   Joining Rabb in the tie for fourth place were Saint Joseph’s Catholic’s Maddie Koshko, West Middlesex’s Kate Sowers and Moravian Academy’s Mara Dubacher.

   Petrochko’s Hickory teammate, Luciana Masters, was alone in eighth place after tallying a 3-over 75.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the PIAA Class AA field were Jersey Shore’s Caitlyn Schall and Eden Christian Academy’s Pearl Lundgren, who are tied for ninth place as each landed three shots behind Masters with 78s.

   On the boys side, St. Joseph’s Prep’s Aidan Farkas, a product of the Llanerch Country Club junior program, fired a sparkling 6-under 66 at the Blue Course to grab a share of the lead following the opening round of the PIAA Class AAA Championship with Plum’s Wes Lorish.

   Farkas, the District 12 Class AAA champion, closed with an eagle at the par-5 18^th hole to get his share of the lead.

   Farkas, who finished in a tie for sixth place in the state tournament a year ago, started strong with birdies at the second and sixth holes. After making a bogey at the seventh hole, Farkas ripped off birdies at 11, 12, 14 and 15 to get it to 5-under for his round.  Farkas made a bogey at the 16^th hole before his finishing eagle.

   Lorish, who finished in a tie for 10^th place in the state tournament a year ago, jump-started his round with an eagle at the par-5 fifth hole. Lorish had opened with a birdie at the first hole and a bogey at four.

   After making a bogey at the sixth hole to fall back to 1-under for his round, Lorish got on a roll similar to the one Farkas had in the middle of his round as he ripped off birdies at nine, 10, 11, 12 and 15 to get it 6-under. After dropping a shot with a bogey at the 17^th hole, Lorish closed with a birdie at 18 to join Farkas at 6-under.

   Lower Merion sophomore Seiji Sako had the best opening round among the District One contingent as he got a share of third place with State College’s Max Wager, each posting a 4-under 68 that left them two shots behind Farkas and Lorish. Sako finished in a tie for seventh place in last week’s District One Class AAA Championship at Turtle Creek.

   Penn Trafford senior Nick Turowski, who will join the program at West Virginia next summer, and Manheim Township’s Andrew Bilson are tied for fifth place, each recording a 3-under 69. Turowski teed it up in the U.S. Junior Amateur at the Daniel Island Club in Charleston, S.C. in the summer.

   Peters Township’s Colton Lusk, Warren’s Braddock Damore and Governor Mifflin’s Nate Radwanski landed in a three-way tie for seventh place, each carding a 2-under 70.

   West Chester Rustin junior Sam Feeney, winner of last week’s District One Class AAA Championship at Turtle Creek, and Unionville’s Charlie Barrickman, who led the Longhorns to the District One Class AAA team crown last week at the Turtle, headed a group of six players tied for 10^th place at 1-under 71.

   Also in the group at 1-under was La Salle senior John Stevenson, who captured a pair of the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s major championships for juniors in the summer, the Junior Boys’ Championship at his home course at LuLu Country Club, and the Christman Cup at Gulph Mills Golf Club.

   Rounding out the group tied for 10^th place were Central York’s Dallas Inch, North Allegheny’s Ravi Desai and Upper St. Clair’s Connor McKenzie.

   In Class AA, Wyoming Seminary’s Nick Werner set the pace as his 4-under 68 at the White Course gave him a two-shot lead heading into Tuesday’s final round.

   After an opening birdie on the first hole and a bogey at two, Werner got it going in the middle of his round with birdies at three, seven, 10 and 11 to get it to 4-under for his round. Werner, who finished in fifth place in the PIAA Class AA Championship a year ago, stumbled briefly with a bogey at the 12^th hole, but got that shot back with a closing birdie at 18.

   Werner’s closest pursuer is Eden Christian Academy’s Luke Gronbeck, who posted a 2-under 70. Gronbeck finished in 10^th place in the state tournament a year ago.

   A couple of members of Lake Lehman’s dominant PIAA Class AA championship team of a year ago, Michael Lugiano and Cael Ropietski, were both in contention with solid starts in Monday’s opening round.

   Lugiano, who finished in third place in the state tournament a year ago, was third, a shot behind Gronbeck after he recorded a 1-under 71.

   Ropietski, who finished in a tie for sixth place in the state tournament a year ago, headed a trio of players who matched par with 72s and were tied for fourth place that included Neshannock’s Matt Morelli and Elizabeth Forward’s Aaron Didjunas.

   Defending PIAA Class AA champion Nick Ciocca, a senior at Devon Prep, headed a bulky group of nine players tied for seventh place at 1-over 73, five shots off Werner’s pace.

   Ciocca, a product of the junior program at Aronimink Golf Club, will join the program at Notre Dame at the end of next summer.

   Joining Ciocca at 1-over were Midd-West’s Kyle Beward, West Shamokin’s Alex Talmadge, Frazier’s Nixen Erdely, Quaker Valley’s Ethan Dai, Belle Vernon’s Rogan Maloney, Keystone Oaks’ Eion Tiernan, Uniontown’s Logan Voyfish, who finished in a tie for sixth place in the state tournament a year ago, and Greensburg Central Catholic’s Braden Riley.