Inch, Koshko the respective boys, girls winners in two-day Philly Junior Tour stop at Penn State

 

   Forgive my obsession with the college postseason and the NCAA Championship for the men is already under way at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., but there’s still time to catch up on a big event on the Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour earlier this month …

   Dallas Inch, a Central York sophomore, had earned a trip to the PIAA Class AAA Championship last fall and finished in a tie for 20^th place at Penn State’s Blue Course.

   Inch was back at Penn State for a two-day Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour stop May 11^th and 12^th and Inch finished three shots clear of a deep and talented field with a 4-under-par 140 total.

   It was a Junior Golf Scoreboard (JGS) event, offering players a chance to earn status on some of the higher-profile junior circuits, most notably the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA).

   There was JGS scoring for the boys and girls in the 13-to-18 age group. The Philly Junior Tour broke out its usual 16-to-18 and 13-to-15 divisions, so I’ll round them up while referring to the overall scoring.

   It was another in a series of dismal weekends of May weather, although playing in Penn State that weekend might have been a little dryer that it was closer to Philadelphia and South Jersey.

   Inch closed with a 2-under 70 on the same Blue Course on which the state tournament was contested last fall as he made birdies on the fifth, 16^th and 18^th holes and had 14 pars on his scorecard, rattling off 10 straight pars from the sixth through the 15^th holes.

   Inch’s 4-under total for the two days gave him a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 16-to-18 division and in the overall scoring.

   Inch had opened with a 2-under 70 on Penn State’s White Course with a similarly consistent round as he made birdies on the sixth, 10^th, 11^th, and 18^th holes and had 12 pars on his card.

   That left him a shot behind Anestis Kalderemtzis, a sophomore at West Chester Rustin who was also a PIAA Class AAA qualifier last fall, going into the final round. Kalderemtzis finished in a tie for 14^th place in the PIAA Class AAA Championship.

   Kalderemtzis got it going in the first round at the White Course as he made birdies on the first, third, fifth and sixth holes while touring the outgoing nine in a sizzling 3-under 33 and added birdies at 10 and 17 on the back nine on his way to a 3-under 69. Kalderemtzis had nine pars on his card as well.

   Kalderemtzis made birdies at the 10^th, 12^th and 18^th holes and had 10 pars on his card while recording a 2-over 74 in the second round at the Blue Course that left him three shots behind Inch in a tie for second place among the older guys and in the overall scoring with Lower Merion sophomore Seiji Sako, each landing on 1-under 143.

  Sako also earned a ticket to last fall’s PIAA Class AAA Championship and was District One’s top finisher, ending up in a tie for fourth place at the Blue Course.

   The Blue Course layout must suit Sako’s game because he made a birdie at the fifth hole, then rattled off three straight birdies at 10, 11 and 12 before adding another birdie at 16, his fifth of the day, while signing for a 1-under 71 in the second round. He also had seven pars on his card.

   Sako had five birdies on his card while matching par with a 72 in the opening round at the White Course as he made birdies at the first, ninth, 11^th, 15^th and 18^th holes while also recording 10 pars.

   Enzo Allain of Basking Ridge, N.J. took a road trip to Penn State and finished in fourth place in the 16-to-18 division and shared fourth in the overall scoring at even-par 144 with Dover sophomore Lawson Leeper, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier last fall who finished at the top of the leaderboard in the 13-to-15 division.

   After opening with a 2-under 70 at the White Course, Allain added a 2-over 74 in the second round at the Blue Course.

   P.J. Foley of Northfield, N.J. and York Suburban junior Andrew Ekstrom finished in a tie for fifth place in the 16-to-18 division and in a tie for sixth in the overall scoring, each landing on 1-over 145. Foley opened with a 2-over 74 at the White Course before adding a 1-under 71 in the second round at the Blue Course. Ekstrom opened with a 1-over 73 at the White Course before matching par in the second round at the Blue Course with a 72.

   Unionville sophomore Charlie Barrickman, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier last fall, matched par with a 72 in the second round at the Blue Course after opening with a 2-over 74 at the White Course as he finished in seventh place among the older guys and shared eighth place in the overall scoring with Colton Rodgers of Great Valls, Va. and Ryan Rice of Chatham, N.J., the runnersup in the 13-to-15 division, as they each landed on 2-over 146.

   Barrickman led the Longhorns to the District One Class AAA team crown and they finished in third place in the PIAA Class AAA team chase at Penn State.

   Coatesville sophomore Carson Holmes, another of the large contingent of Ches-Mont League golfers that made the field for state Class AAA tournament last fall, matched par in the second round at the Blue Course with a 72 after opening with a 3-over 75 at the White Course to finish in eighth place in the 16-to-18 division with a 3-over 147 total.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division were Malvern Prep sophomore Davis Conaway and Callahan Harrell, Ekstrom’s York Suburban teammate and also a sophomore, as they finished in a tie for ninth place, each tallying a 5-over 149 total.

   Conaway, winner of the Bert Linton Invitational Inter-Ac League individual championship as a freshman at Llanerch Country Club in the fall of 2022, added a 2-over 74 in the second round at the Blue Course to his opening round of 3-over 75 at the White Course. Harrell, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier last fall, carded a 3-over 75 in the second round at the Blue Course after opening with a 2-over 74 at the White Course.

   It was a really strong showing by Leeper as he claimed a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 13-to-15 division and shared fourth place in the overall scoring with his even-par 144 effort.

   Leeper made birdies at the eighth, 11^th and 14^th holes and had 10 pars on his scorecard in a 2-over 74 in the second round at the Blue Course.

   After making a birdie at the sixth hole in his opening round at the White Course, Leeper really heated up with birdies at 10, 13, 15 and 17 in a sizzling 3-under 33 on the incoming nine on his way to a 2-under 70. Leeper had 10 pars on his card.

   Rodgers and Rice finished two shots behind Leeper in the 13-to-15 division in a tie for second place and in a tie for eighth overall with Barrickman from the 16-to-18 division in the overall scoring at 2-over for the weekend.

   Rodgers matched par with a 72 in the second round at the Blue Course as he made birdies on the first, fifth, 12^th and 18^th holes and had 10 pars on his card. Rodgers had opened with a 2-over 74 at the White Course as he made birdies on the first, 10^th and 13^th holes and had 11 pars on his card. Rodgers finished strong, touring the incoming nine at the White in 2-under 34.

   Rice had the opposite splits, matching par in the opening round with a 72 at the White Course before finishing up with a 2-over 74 in the second round at the Blue Course. Rice got it going on the back nine at the White in his opening round with birdies at the 10^th, 11^th and 15^th holes in a 2-under 34. He also had 12 pars on his card. Rice made birdies at the ninth, 12^th and 15^th holes and had 11 pars on his card in his second round at the Blue.

   Grant Burkhart of Kennett Square finished in fourth place among the younger guys as he added a 4-over 76 in the second round at the Blue Course to his opening round of 1-over 73 at the White Course for a 5-over 149 total that was three shots behind Rodgers and Rice.

   Trevor Sieben of Medford, N.J., the reigning 13-to-15 division Player of the Year on the Philly Junior Tour, bounced back from an opening round of 6-over 78 at the White Course by matching par with a 72 in the second round at the Blue Course to finish a shot behind Burkhart in the division with a 6-over 150 total.

   Ryan Sun of Morganville, N.J. was two shots behind Sieben in sixth place in the 13-to-15 division with an 8-over 152 total as he opened with a solid 1-over 73 at the White Course before finishing up with a 79 at the Blue Course.

   West Chester Rustin sophomore Cole Berry, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier last fall, and Fleetwood freshman Cameron Peffel, who led the Tigers to the Berks County crown last fall, finished in a tie for seventh place among the younger guys, each finishing a shot behind Sun at 9-over 153.

   Berry added a 5-over 77 at the Blue Course to his opening round of 4-over 76 at the White Course. Peffel bounced back from an opening-round 79 at the White Course with a solid 2-over 74 in the second round at the Blue Course.

   It was practically a home game for Luke McGraw of Boalsburg and he finished in ninth place in the division with a 156 total. McGraw rebounded from an opening-round 81 at the White Course with a 3-over 75 at the Blue Course.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division was Patrick Hiltner of Northfield, N.J. as he finished alone in 10^th place with a 157 total. After opening with an 81 at the White Course, Hiltner added a 4-over 76 in the second round at the Blue Course.

   Maddie Koshko, a sophomore at the Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy in Boalsburg, was the overall winner among the girls, adding a 1-under 71 in the second round at the Blue Course to her opening round of 2-over 74 at the White Course for a solid 1-over 145 total. Koshko also finished atop the leaderboard in the 16-to-18 division.

   Koshko, who finished in fifth place in the PIAA Class AA Championship at the White Course last fall, made birdies at the third and eighth holes and then punctuated her outgoing nine in the second round at the Blue Course with an eagle at the par-5 ninth hole. Koshko added a birdie at the 15^th hole on the back nine and had 10 pars on her scorecard.

   Returning to the scene of her solid showing in the state tournament last fall at the White Course, Koshko made birdies at the seventh, 12^th and 13^th holes and had 11 pars on her card in the opening round.

   Maddie Koshko’s closest pursuer in the overall standings was Germantown Friends School freshman Sarah Stumacher, who captured the top spot in the 13-to-15 division and finished five shots behind Maddie Koshko in the overall scoring with a solid 6-over 150 total.

   Souderton junior Alli Engart was the runnerup to Maddie Koshko in the 16-to-18 division and finished third in the overall scoring with a 158 total.

   Engart, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier last fall, struggled a little in the opening round with an 84, but bounced back with a solid 2-over 74 at the Blue Course in the second round.

   Engart made birdies on the ninth, 15^th and 18^th holes and had 11 pars on her card, seven of them in a sparkling 2-under 34 on the incoming nine at the Blue Course. Engart had nine pars on her card in the opening round at the White Course.

   Malaina Druffner, a freshman on Downingtown West’s Ches-Mont League championship team last fall, finished in third place in the 16-to-18 division and seventh in the overall standings with a 166 total.

   Druffner had 10 pars on her card on her way to an 81 in the second round at the Blue Course after opening with an 85 at the White Course, a round highlighted by eight pars.

   Wilson sophomore Kayla Quimby bounced back from an opening-round 89 at the White Course with an 80 in the second round of the Blue Course as she finished in fourth place in the 16-to-18 division and shared ninth place in the overall scoring with Exeter freshman Giulia Weisser and Chloe Donahue of Moorestown, N.J. from the 13-to-15 division with a 169 total.

   Radnor sophomore Elayna Fanelli, the medalist in the Central League Championship and a PIAA Class AAA qualifier last fall, took fifth place among the older girls, two shots behind Quimby, as she shaved five shots off an opening-round 88 at the White Course with an 83 in the second round at the Blue Course for a 171 total.

   West Chester Rustin senior Sophia DeSantis finished three shots behind Fanelli in the 16-to-18 division with a 174 total as she added an 86 in the second round at the Blue Course to her opening-round 88 at the White Course.

   Agnes Irwin sophomore Makayla Stone finished three shots behind DeSantis in seventh place among the older girls as she improved by nine shots from her opening-round 93 at the White Course with an 84 in the second round at the Blue Course for a 177 total.

   Stone was coming off a fourth-place finish in the Inter-Ac League Championship at French Creek Golf Club May 7^th.

   Bishop Shanahan junior Julia Hashem finished in eighth place in the 16-to-18 division, adding a 94 at the Blue Course in the second round to her opening-round 90 for a 184 total.

   Perkiomen Valley junior Nadia Yackanicz added a 92 in the second round at the Blue Course to her opening-round 96 at the White Course to finish in ninth place with a 188 total.

   State College senior Hannah Kopac opened with a 93 at the White Course and added a 98 in the second round at the Blue Course to finish in 10^th place with a 191 total.

   Rounding out the field in the 16-to-18 division was Council Rock North sophomore Mariana Walker as she bounced back from an opening-round 107 at the White Course with a 95 in the second round at the Blue Course to finish in 11^th place for a 202 total.

   Stumacher was really solid in the second round at the Blue Course as she made birdies at the eighth, 12^th and 16^th holes and had 13 pars on her scorecard on her way to a 1-under 71 that included a back nine of 2-under 34. That gave her a 6-over 150 total and a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 13-to-15 division.

   Stumacher made birdies at the 13^th and 16^th holes and had nine pars on her card in an opening round of 7-over 79 at the White Course.

   Tsai Yan Chiang, an invader from Holmdel, N.J., finished nine shots behind Stumacher in second place in the 13-to-15 division and fourth in the overall scoring with a 159 total. Chiang had 10 pars on her card on her way to an 80 in the second round at the Blue Course after opening with a 79 on the White Course that featured 11 pars.

   Katherine Liu of Moorestown, N.J. had eight pars on her card in a final-round 83 at the Blue Course as she finished three shots behind Chiang in third place in the 13-to-15 division and fifth overall with a 162 total. Liu had made a birdie at the 15^th hole and had 10 pars on her card as she opened with a 79 at the White Course.

   Conestoga’s Jill Burks, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a freshman last fall, finished in fourth place among the older girls and sixth overall as she added an 85 in the second round at the Blue Course to her opening-round 79 at the White Course for a 164 total. Burks led the Pioneers to the District One Class AAA team crown last fall.

   Isabelle Studli of Fairfield was another four shots behind Burks in fifth place in the 13-to-15 division and eighth overall with a 168 total after adding an 83 in the second round at the Blue Course to her opening-round 85 at the White Course.

   Donahue and Weisser finished in a tie for sixth place in the 13-to-15 division and rounded out the top 10 in the overall scoring as they shared ninth with Quimby from the 16-to-18 division with a 169 total.

   Donahue and Weisser, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier for Exeter as a freshman last fall, had identical splits, each adding an 85 in the second round at the Blue Course to an opening-round 84 at the White Course.

   Olivia Koshko, another member of State College’s Team Koshko, finished in eighth place in the 13-to-15 division with a 176 total after adding an 89 at the Blue Course to her opening-round 87 at the White Course.

   Megan Choi of Penn Valley finished a shot behind Olivia Koshko in ninth place in the division with a 177 total as she added an 88 in the second round at the Blue Course to her opening-round 89 at the White Course.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division was Conestoga freshman Corinne McReynolds as she added a 94 in the second round at the Blue Course to her opening-round 89 at the White Course for a 183 total. McReynolds was a key contributor in the Pioneers’ run to the District One Class AAA team crown last fall.

   Bryce Bussom of Lewisburg bested the field of nine-holers as he recorded 46s on both the White Course in the opening round and on the Blue Course in the second round for a 92 total. Bussom had three pars on his scorecard in both rounds.

   John (Jack) Shea of Harleysville finished six shots behind Bussom in second place with a 98. Shea had two pars on his card in a 47 in the second round on the Blue Course and made a par on the first hole of his opening-round 51 at the White Course.

   Jaxson Refold of Bryn Mawr was a shot behind Shea in third place with a 99. Refold made a birdie on the ninth hole as he grabbed the lead following an opening-round 45 on the White Course. He struggled a little in the second round at the Blue Course with a 54.

   Rounding out the field in the coed 12-and-under division was Benjamin Gangemi of Downingtown as he finished in fourth place with a 104 total. Gangemi added a 54 in the second round at the Blue Course after opening with a 50 on the White Course.