Inch makes it look easy in three-shot victory in Philly Junior Tour two-day event at Turtle Creek

 

   Dallas Inch, a Central York junior, seems to like these Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour two-day, Junior Golf Scoreboard (JGS) events.

   In May, Inch claimed the top spot in the Philly Junior Tour two-day event at Penn State’s Blue Course, where he competed in the PIAA Class AAA Championship last fall.

   And there he was again, beating a tough field that gathered at Turtle Creek Golf Course in Limerick, home to the District One Championship each fall, with a 5-under-par 139 total June 19^th and 20^th that gave him a three-shot victory.

   The JGS events can earn players status on some of the higher profile junior circuits, most notably the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA).

   The Philly Junior Tour breaks out its usual 16-to-18 and 13-to-15 divisions, but the JGS scoring is in the overall 13-to-18 group. I’ll wrap up the usual Philly Junior Tour divisions while referring to the overall scoring.

   In the second round, Inch pulled away from the field with a sparkling 4-under 68. Inch made birdies at the second, fifth, eighth and ninth holes in a 4-under 32 tour of the outgoing nine at the Turtle. After birdies at the 12^th and 13^th holes got him to 6-under for the round, Inch finally cooled off with bogeys at 16 and 17.

   Inch had a share of the lead following an opening round of 1-under 71. He got off to a strong start with birdies at the second, ninth and 10^th holes. He struggled a little on the back nine with a bogey at the 11^th hole and a double bogey at 14, but got it back into red figures for the round with a birdie at Turtle Creek’s risk-reward par-5 finishing hole.

   Inch’s 5-under total gave him the top spot in the 16-to-18 division and in the overall scoring.

   Nathan Smith of Crumpton, Md. was Inch’s closest pursuer as he matched Inch’s opening round of 1-under 71 and finished up with another solid 1-under 71 to end up in second place among the older guys and in the overall scoring with a 2-under 142 total. Inch and Smith were the only two players to finish under par for the two days.

   Smith hung right with Inch early in the second round as he made birdies at the first, third and fourth holes for a fast start. He dropped shots with bogeys at the fifth and 12^th holes, made his fourth birdie of the round at the par-5 13^th hole to get it back to 2-under for the round before making a bogey at 15.

   Smith had an eventful front nine in his opening round at the Turtle as made a bogey at the first hole, birdies at two and four, a bogey at six and a birdie at seven. After making a bogey at the 11^th hole, Smith made a birdie at 13 before settling down with five straight pars to close out his round.

   Daniel Herzchel of Linwood, N.J., matched par in the opening round with a 72 before closing with a 3-over 75 as he finished in third place in the 16-to-18 division and fourth in the overall scoring, a shot behind the top finisher in the 13-to-15 division, Hill School sophomore Quin Zuegner, with a 2-over 146 total.

   Herzchel didn’t make a birdie in the second round, although he did pick up an eagle at the par-5 13^th hole to go along with 12 pars on his scorecard.

   In the first round, Herzchel made birdies at the seventh, 15^th and 16^th holes to offset a bogey at nine and a double bogey at 14. He had 13 pars on his card, seven of them on Turtle Creek’s outgoing nine.

   Nazareth senior Zach Miller bounced from an opening round of 6-over 78 by matching par in the second round with a 72 that left him in fourth place in the 16-to-18 division and fifth overall with a 6-over 150 total.

   Schuylkill Haven sophomore Alan Evans shaved 10 shots off his opening-round 81 with a 1-under 71 in the second round to finish in fifth place in the 16-to-18 division and in a tie for sixth in the overall scoring with Abington sophomore Ty Sheftic, the runnerup to Zuegner among the younger guys, with an 8-over 152 total.

   Unionville senior Jax Puskar, a member of the Longhorns’ District One Class AAA championship team last fall, finished in sixth place among the older guys and in a tie for eighth in the overall scoring with Salesianum sophomore Grant Burkhart from the 13-to-15 division with a 9-over 153 total.

   After opening with a solid 2-over 74, Puskar struggled a little with a 79 in the second round.

   Alex Hall of Schwenksville and Andrew Rindgen of Havertown shared seventh place in the 16-to-18 division, each landing on 156. Hall registered a pair of 6-over 78s while Rindgen added a 79 in the second round to his opening round of 5-over 77.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division were Bryce Ciochetto, another Havertown guy, and Luke Tappeiner of Northfield, N.J. as they finished in a tie for ninth place, each ending up with a 157 total. Ciochetto added a 5-over 77 in the second round to his opening-round 80 while Tappeiner had the opposite splits, adding an 80 in the second round to his opening round of 5-over 77.

   Zuegner, a New Hope resident, matched par in the second round with a 72 after opening with a 2-over 74, as he finished at the top of the leaderboard in the 13-to-15 division and in third place in the overall  scoring with a 2-over 146 total.

   In his second round, Zuegner bounced back from a double bogey at the first hole with birdies at two, five and eight. After making bogeys at the 11^th and 12^th holes, Zuegner made a birdie at 14 to get it back to even for the day.

   In his opening round, Zuegner bounced back from a bogey at the fourth hole with birdies five and eight before making a double bogey at the tough par-3 ninth. He made bogeys at the 12^th and 16^th holes before closing out with a birdie at the par-5 18^th.

   Sheftic had a solid freshman season at Wissahickon and is hoping he’ll be right back at Turtle Creek in October for the District One Championship. He added a 3-over 75 to his opening-round 77 to earn runnerup honors in the 13-to-15 division and finish in a tie for sixth place in the overall scoring with an 8-over 152 total.

   Sheftic got off to a tough start in his second round with bogeys at the first, fourth and fifth holes. But he went even-par the rest of the way with birdies at the seventh and 15^th holes and bogeys at 16 and 18.

   Sheftic struggled a little in the middle of his opening round as he made bogeys at the ninth and 10^th holes, a double bogey at 11 and a bogey at 13. He righted the ship with back-to-back birdies at the 14^th and 15^th holes before making a bogey at 17.

   Burkhart finished in third place among the younger guys, adding a 3-over 75 in the second round to his opening-round 78 for a 153 total that left him in a tie for eighth in the overall scoring with fellow Kennett Square resident Puskar from the 16-to-18 division.

   In his second round, Burkhart bounced back from a bogey at the first hole with birdies at three and five. He struggled a little on the Turtle’s incoming nine with a bogey at the 11^th hole, a double bogey at 14, and a bogey at 16.

   Burkhart’s only birdie in the opening round came at the seventh hole. He had trouble negotiating the back nine at the Turtle on Day 1 as well with a double bogey at the 10^th hole, a bogey at 12 and a triple bogey at the par-5 13^th.

   Spring-Ford junior Lucas Kozak matched Zuegner’s opening round of 2-over 74 and was tied for the lead in the 13-to-15 division going into the second round. He struggled a little in the second round with an 80 to finish in fourth place in the division while rounding out the top 10 in the overall scoring as he was alone in 10^th with his 10-over 154 total.

   Sebastian Park of Lansdale added a 79 in the second round to his opening round of 4-over 76 to finish alone in fifth place among the younger guys with a 155 total.

   Matthew Kim, an international entry from China, and Benjamin Robbins of Holland finished in a tie for sixth place in the 13-to-15 division, each landing on 156, a shot behind Park. Kim shaved six shots off his opening-round 81 with a solid 3-over 75 in the second round. Robbins added a 79 in the second round to his opening round of 5-over 77.

   Jackson Lane of Cinnaminson, N.J. bounced back from an opening-round 82 with a 5-over 77 in the second round to finish in eighth place with a 159 total.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division was a quartet of players tied for ninth place at 160, including Luke Fallon of Reading, Patrick Hiltner of Northfield, N.J., Haverford School sophomore Jack Luterman and Ayden Gallen of Broomall.

   Fallon added a 79 in the second round to his opening-round 81, Hiltner improved four shots from an opening-round  82 with his 78 in the second round, Luterman carded a pair of 80s and Gallen opened with a 4-over 76 before struggling in the second round with an 84.

   Souderton senior Alli Engart returned to the scene of her solid showing in the final round of the District One Class AAA Championship last fall, to finish first in the girls 16-to-18 division and in the overall scoring with a 9-over 153 total.

   Engart finished in ninth place in the district tournament last fall, earning the final ticket to the PIAA Class AAA Championship.

   In her return to the Turtle, Engart posted a 5-over 77 in the second round after opening with a 4-over 76.

   Engart made back-to-back birdies at the fifth and sixth holes and had 10 pars on her scorecard in the second round. In a steady opening round, Engart made a birdie at the 15^th hole and had 13 pars on her card, including eight straight pars from the second through the 10^th holes.

   Germantown Academy senior Kiran Bagga was never far behind Engart as she only trailed Engart by two shots following an opening round of 78 and matched Engart’s 5-over 77 in the second round to earn runnerup honors in the 16-to-18 division and in the overall scoring with a 155 total.

   Bagga finished up her second round with a birdie at the par-5 18^th hole and had 11 pars on her card, including six pars in a row to close out her front nine. In the opening round, Bagga made a birdie on the 10^th hole and had 11 pars on her card.

   Radnor junior Elayna Fanelli has tasted some success at Turtle Creek as she was the medalist among the girls in the Central League Championship and, like Engart, punched her ticket to the PIAA Class AAA Championship with a solid showing in the district tournament that concluded at the Turtle.

   Elayna Fanelli rounded out the field in the 16-to-18 division as she shaved eight shots off an opening-round 83 with a solid 3-over 75 in the second round that left her three shots behind Bagga in the division and in the overall scoring with a 158 total.

   Elayna Fanelli got hot on the incoming nine at the Turtle in the second round as she made birdies at the 11^th, 14^th and 18^th holes. She also had 10 pars on her card, including six straight pars from the second through the seventh holes. Elayna Fanelli had 10 pars on her card in the opening round, closing out her round with five straight pars.

   Exeter sophomore Giulia Weisser, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier last fall, registered a pair of 80s as she finished at the top of the leaderboard in the 13-to-15 division and in fourth place in the overall scoring with a 160 total.

   In the final round, Weisser made a birdie at the fifth hole and had nine pars on her scorecard. In the opening round, Weisser made a birdie at the first hole and had nine pars on her card.

   Perkiomen Valley sophomore Saloni Patel finished 10 shots behind Weisser in second place in the 13-to-15 division and fifth in the overall scoring as she added an 88 in the second round to her opening-round 82 for a 160 total.

   Patel made a birdie at the second hole and had three pars on her card in the second round. In her opening round, Patel made back-to-back birdies at the 13^th and 14^th holes and had six pars on her card.

   Meera Desai of Basking Ridge, N.J. added an 88 in the second round to her opening-round 90 to finish in third place among the younger girls and sixth overall with a 178 total.

   Desai had six pars on her card in the second round. In her opening round, Desai made a birdie at the par-3 third hole and had four pars on her card.

   Vidushi Gupta of Malvern took fourth place in the 13-to-15 and was seventh overall with a 184 total as she shaved 10 shots off her opening-round 97 with an 87 in the second round.

   Madison Cabot was three shots behind Gupta in fifth place in the division and eighth overall with a 187 total as she improved by nine shots from her opening-round 98 with an 89 in the second round.

   Another member of Villanova’s Team Fanelli, Sara Fanelli, finished in sixth place among the younger girls and ninth overall with a 194 total as she opened with a 94 before adding a 100 in the second round.

   Rounding out the field in the overall 13-to-18 scoring was Katherine Shrum of Devon as she finished in 10^th place and was seventh in the 13-to-15 division with a 208 total. After opening with a 100, Shrum added a 108 in the second round.

   John (Jack) Shea of Harleysville, coming off a Philly Junior Tour victory at Indian Valley Country Club earlier in the week, kept his roll going as he bested the field of nine-holers at Turtle Creek by five shots with a two-day total of 3-over 75.

   Shea had six pars on his scorecard as he closed with a 4-over 40 in the second round. Shea had taken a commanding lead in the opening round as he made birdies at the second and fifth holes and had five pars on his card in a sparkling 1-under 35.

   Another member of Team Lane out of Cinnaminson, N.J., Gavin Lane, as he was the runnerup with an 8-over 80. Gavin Lane made a birdie on the sixth hole and had four pars on his card on his way to a 6-over 41 in the second round.

   Gavin Lane was the only other player in the coed 12-and-under division beside Shea who broke 40 as he had six pars on his card in an opening round of 3-over 39.

   Xunnan Dang of Newtown Square finished two shots behind Gavin Lane in third place with an 82 total. Dang had three pars on his card while recording a 42 in the second round. He had five pars on his card in in opening-round 40.

   Nathan Lobo of Collegeville and Eric Cunningham of Wayne finished in a tie for fourth place, each landing on 84. Lobo tallied a pair of 42s while Cunningham added a 41 in the second round to his opening-round 43.

   Connor Marsulis of Pottstown registered a pair of 43s as he took sixth place with an 86 and Aidan Jose of Brick, N.J. finished seventh with a 91 after adding a 47 in the second round to an opening-round 44.

   Jack Gilbert of Bryn Mawr took eighth place with a 97 as he added a 51 in the second round to his opening-round 46. Graeme Day of West Chester was a shot behind Gilbert in ninth place with a 98 total as he added a 48 in the second round to his opening-round 50.

   Nolan English of Villanova finished in 10^th place with a 102 total as he opened with a 49 before adding a 53 in the second round.

   Ryan Kaye of Lansdale rounded out the field in the coed 12-and-under division as he added a 56 in the second round to his opening-round 57 to finish in 11^th place with a 113 total.