Hall turns up the heat in fast finish to claim a Philly Junior Tour victory at Wilmington

 

   Alexander Hall, a junior on the Perkiomen Valley golf team, came on strong on the back nine at Wilmington Country Club’s North Course to earn a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour victory in the 16-to-18 division July 15^th.

   Hall made three birdies in a four-stretch on the incoming nine at Wilmington’s North Course at the 13^th, 14^th and 16^th holes and a back nine of 2-under 34 on his way to a 1-over 72 that gave him the top spot among the older guys. Hall had 11 pars on his scorecard.

   Coatesville junior Carson Holmes and Michael Dignazio, a recent Tower Hill School graduate and a Wilmington, Del. resident, finished in a tie for second place, each ending up five shots behind Hall with a 6-over 77.

   Holmes, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier last fall, made an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole, a birdie at two and had 10 pars on his card, including five straight pars from 11 through 15. Dignazio had a birdie on the fifth hole and had 10 pars on his card, seven of them on the outgoing nine at Wilmington’s North Course.

   Kie Shaw of Wilmington, Del. took fourth place with a 79 and Jason DiRita, an Archbishop Carroll senior from Media, and Christopher Mark Parrish of Woolwich Township, N.J. shared fifth place, each posting an 80.

   Zach Raihill of West Chester and Matthew Daughtry of Williamstown, N.J. finished in a tie for seventh place, each signing for an 81. Tre Lesperance, a senior on the Unionville golf team, was alone in ninth place with an 82.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division was a trio of players who finished in a tie for 10^th place at 85, including Matthew Smith of Hammonton, N.J., John Mcginley of Pittsburgh and Michael Reardon of Springfield.

   Henry Nowak, who helped Archmere Academy capture the team crown in the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA) Championship at Maple Dale Country Club in May, matched Hall’s 1-over 72 to finish atop the leaderboard in the 13-to-15 division.

   Nowak, a sophomore on the Auks’ state championship team and a Wilmington, Del. resident, got off to a hot start with birdies at the second, third, fifth and seventh holes while touring Wilmington North’s outgoing nine in 2-under 33. He added birdies at the 11^th and 14^th holes and had six pars on his scorecard.

   Jake Hollerback, a sophomore at Sussex Central and a Millsboro, Del. resident, made birdies at the eighth, 13^th and 18^th holes and had 10 pars on his card, opening his round with a run of six pars in a row, as he earned runnerup honors among the younger guys with a solid 3-over 74.

   Joseph Kelly, a sophomore at Salesianum and a Wilmington, Del. resident, made birdies at the fifth, ninth, 10^th and 17^th holes and had seven pars on his card as he finished a shot behind Hollerback in third place with a 4-over 75.

   Kelly’s teammate with the Sallies, sophomore Luke LaScala, yes, he’s another Wilmington guy, Avon Grove sophomore Gus Stoltzfus and Andrew Carroccio, a sophomore on Devon Prep’s PIAA Class AA championship team last fall and a Newtown Square resident, shared fourth place, each finishing a shot behind Kelly with a 76.

   Connor Smolenski of West Chester, Quinn Gallagher of Bryn Mawr, Brendan Schott of Wilmington, Del. and Jonathan Dilliplane of Philadelphia rounded out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division as they finished in a tie for seventh place, each landing on 78.

   Pretty tightly bunched group of younger guys as only six shots separated first place and the foursome tied for seventh.

   Alexa Shure of Malvern had four pars on her scorecard as she captured a Philly Junior Tour victory in the girls 13-to-15 division with a 97.

   Rebecca Santoso made a par on the fourth hole as she rounded out a short field in the 13-to-15 division by finishing in second place with a 103.

   Patrick Thomas of Hockessin, Del. had three pars on his scorecard as he bested the field of nine-holers with a 9-over 44.

   Declan Mayo of Chadds Ford made a birdie on the seventh hole and added a par at one as he earned runnerup honors with a 45 that left him a shot behind Patrick Thomas.

   Benjamin Adkins of Lewes, Del. and Niko Muego of Bryn Mawr finished in a tie for third place, each landing on 46.

   Adkins made back-to-back pars on the sixth and seventh holes. Muego had three pars on his card.

   Jonathan Thomas of Landenberg took fifth place with a 47, Samuel Karas of Blue Bell was sixth with a 48, and a couple of Wilmington, Del. entries, Mia DeCarlo and Charlie Sears, accounted for the next two spots on the leaderboard, DeCarlo finishing seventh with a 49 and Sears ending up eighth with a 51.

   Baylor Keim of Blue Bell took ninth place with a 52 and Carter Tracy of Smyrna, Del. rounded out the top 10 in the coed 12-and-under division, finishing 10^th with a 54.