WEST NANTMEAL – Episcopal Academy junior Clarissa Leung could have played the ninth hole conservatively and still won the Inter-Ac League’s individual championship on a springlike Tuesday at French Creek Golf Club.
Leung, who plays out of White Manor Country Club, had a three-shot lead on Notre Dame freshman Kiersten Bodge as Leung teed off on the 270-yard par-4 ninth. But Leung remained aggressive, sending her tee shot to the closely-mown area just left of the green.
Chipping with a wedge, Leung’s shot checked up every so slightly and then rolled straight downhill toward the hole. Then the ball hit the stick dead center and dropped. Bang. Eagle.
It was the exclamation point on a fairly spectacular 3-under-par 32 over the 2,339-yard, par-35 outgoing nine at French Creek, an early effort from master golf course architect Gil Hanse, that gave Leung a five-shot victory over Bodge.
“It was 25 yards,” Leung said of her eagle chip at the ninth hole. “I was comfortable with my wedge in that situation.”
Leung seemed comfortable all the way around the front nine at French Creek, in the northwest reaches of Chester County. Does she like the quirky Hanse design?
“I guess I do after this,” Leung said with a laugh.
It became obvious pretty quickly that the battle for the title was going to come down to Leung and Bodge, two students of swing guru John Dunigan, a Golf Digest top 50 instructor who hangs his shingle at Applebrook Golf Club these days.
Bodge, who plays out of Overbrook Golf Club, had finished as the runnerup to Baldwin’s Megan Aldeman as both a seventh-grader in 2022 and again as an eighth-grader a year ago. Leung had played in the Inter-Ac Championship as a freshman in 2022, but missed the trip to French Creek a year ago when she had a conflict with an advanced placement test.
Leung got in front of Bodge when she made a nice lag putt from just over the green at the 113-yard, par-3 third hole for a tap-in par while Bodge couldn’t get it up and down from an awkward spot just off the green left of the pin.
Leung drove it into the left rough on the par-5 fourth hole, got it just short of the green in two and then got it up and down from there, dropping a five-foot putt for birdie. Bodge had made a nice approach, basically reaching the green at the 353-yard hole in two. But her chip from just off the green rolled out past the hole and she missed a six-foot birdie try.
About the only anxious moment Leung had after that was at the par-5 sixth hole, but she was able to make a par there to maintain her advantage over Bodge.
“I was in kind of a tough spot in the bunker off the tee, but I was able to recover,” Leung said.
It’s easy to forget that Bodge is a freshman, considering this was her third crack at the Inter-Ac Championship. But she certainly didn’t lose this, Leung just went out and won it. Bodge finished with a solid 1-over 37 to earn runnerup honors for a third straight spring.
Bodge was coming off a very successful trip to the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Preview at Bethpage over the weekend. She needed to qualify to get into the main draw at the Yellow Course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, N.Y. on Long Island.
Bodge got through the qualifier and then carded a pair of 4-over 75s to finish in third place with an 8-over 150 total.
Leung’s victory capped a perfect spring for the Churchwomen, who made a third straight undefeated run through the league to capture the Inter-Ac team crown.
Episcopal Academy coach Jenna Soranno Longen ran into the women’s locker room to see how Leung’s front-nine 32 stacked up in the French Creek annals.
“It’s a course record,” Soranno Longen proudly announced.
It was a dominant spring for Episcopal and the individual standings at French Creek just drove home that point.
“I haven’t lost a match in three years as head coach because I have great girls,” said Soranno Longen, a PGA professional at Wilmington Country Club when she’s not coaching the EA girls.
The only other player to break 40 was Leung’s teammate, Addie Chang, also a junior, as she finished in third place with a 4-over 39.
Carter Yearley, a junior at Episcopal who played in the lead foursome along with Leung, Bodge and Agnes Irwin sophomore Makayla Stone, finished in a tie for sixth place with a 42.
Libby Fleisher, another Episcopal junior, and EA freshman Marietta Hartmann, finished a shot behind Yearley, in a tie for eighth place as each posted a 43.
Julia Griffin, an eighth-grader at EA, finished in 11th place with a 47. Junior Elizabeth Hershey finished in a tie for 14th place with a 50 and junior Arden Mankovich was 16th with a 53. Eight Episcopal Academy golfers qualified for the 17-team field. The good news for Sorrano Longen?
“They’re all coming back,” she said.
Agnes Irwin's Stone battled hard as she finished alone in fourth place with a 5-over 40. Notre Dame senior Addison Gress was another shot behind Stone in fifth place with a 41.
Joining EA’s Yearley in the tie for sixth place was Agnes Irwin’s Anna Rufo, who matched Yearley’s 42.
Notre Dame junior Ciara Kelly rounded out the top 10 as she finished in 10th place with a 46.
Agnes Irwin’s Caitlyn Monestere took 11th place with a 48 and her teammate Cici Cowan was 12th with a 49.
Joining EA’s Hershey in the tie for 14th place was Notre Dame senior Sydney Peyton as she matched Hershey’s 50.
Rounding out the field was Springside Chestnut Hill Academy sophomore Sammi Acuna, who finished in 17th place with a 55.
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