It's Finger's time to shine as she soars to five-shot victory in WGAP Junior Girls at Phoenixville

 

   A year ago, Archmere Academy junior Meredith Finger put together a 2-under-par 142 total at the Moorestown Field Club that would probably have won her a Women’s Golf Association of Philadelphia Junior Girls’ Championship title in almost any other year.

   But Finger had to settle for a runnerup finish because then 13-year-old Aphrodite Deng, a Canadian who was spending at least part of her summer in Short Hills, N.J., swooped in and carded an astounding 14-under 130 total to leave Finger and the rest of the field in her dust.

   Deng would go on to reach the second round of match play in the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship at the Air Force Academy Eisenhower Golf Club’s Blue Course in Colorado Springs, Colo. a couple of weeks later and by Thanksgiving week she was dusting the field in the Rolex Tournament of Champions, the marquee event on the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) schedule, by five shots at TPC San Antonio’s Canyons Course.

   This year, though, Finger, who plays out of DuPont Country Club, had the stage to herself last week at Phoenixville Country Club, the underrated nine-hole course designed by the same guy, Hugh Wilson, who designed Merion Golf Club’s historic East Course.

   Finger capped off her opening round July 1^st with a startling 5-under run through her final five holes on her way to a 1-over 73. The next day she added a 5-over 77 to cruise to a five-shot victory over Vivienne Powers of York in the Prep division with a 6-over 150 total.

   Finger started slowly in her opening round with bogeys at the second and seventh holes around a double bogey at six. She stopped the bleeding a little with a birdie at the eighth hole, but then made bogeys at nine, 10 and 13 to fall to 6-over for her round.

   But then Finger turned things around in a hurry. She made a birdie at the 14^th hole, an eagle at the par-4 16^th, and birdies at 17 and 18 to get in at 1-over.

   Entering the second round with a three-shot lead over her Archmere teammate Hannah Webb, Finger was solid while playing from the front. She made birdies at the third, eighth, 10^th and 14^th holes and was 2-over for her round when she made a messy triple bogey at 17, but she was never really threatened.

   Powers opened with a 6-over 78 that left her five shots behind Finger then added a 5-over 77 in the second round to earn runnerup honors with an 11-over 155 total.

   Elizabeth Wang, who plays on the Princeton Day School boys golf team, matched Powers’ opening round of 6-over 78 before adding an 80 in the second round to finish three shots behind Powers in third place with a 158 total.

   Webb, who, along with Finger, helped Archmere capture the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA) team crown in May at Maple Dale Country Club, shared fourth place with Sarah Stumacher, a Germantown Friends School sophomore, each landing on 159, a shot behind Wang.

   Webb opened with a solid 4-over 76, but struggled in the second round with an 83. Stumacher, who plays out of Philadelphia Cricket Club, bounced back from an opening-round 82 with a solid 5-over 77 in the second round that earned her a share of fourth place.

   Savannah Laverty of Moorestown, N.J. struggled in the opening round with an 87, but bounced back with a 1-over 73 in the second round, matching Finger’s opening round for the low individual round of the tournament, as she finished alone in sixth place with a 160 total.

   Katherine Liu, another standout from Moorestown, N.J. and a regular on the Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour leaderboards, shared seventh place with Minna Liang, each ending up with a 165 total, five shots behind Laverty.

   Liu added an 83 in the second round to her opening-round 82. Liang, another Jersey girl who is a junior at Holmdel High School, shaved five shots off her opening-round 85 with an 80 in the second round.

   Conestoga sophomore Corinne McReynolds was another shot behind Liu and Liang in ninth place with a 166 total. McReynolds, who helped the Pioneers claim the District One Class AAA girls crown last fall, recorded a pair of 83s.

   Aditi Lakhawala rounded out the top 10 as she finished a shot behind McReyolds in 10^th place with a 167 total. Lakhawala, a Class of 2029 competitor, added an 82 in the second round to her opening-round 85.

   Alaina Carson of Broomall captured top honors in the Futures division as she bounced back from an opening-round 82 with a solid 5-over 77 in the second round for a 159 total.  Carson will join the program at Cardinal O'Hara this fall and figures to be a solid addition to the lineup for the Lions.

   In the second round, Carson made birdies at the seventh and 16^th holes and had 11 pars on her scorecard. She had 11 pars on her card in the opening round.

   Tsai Yan Chiang, another Jersey girl from Holmdel, had the lead following an opening-round 80 before adding an 82 in the second round as she finished three shots behind Carson in second place with a 162 total.

   Myra Tomer of Newtown was another three shots behind Chiang in third place with a 165 total as she added an 84 in the second round to her opening-round 81.

   Charlotte Reid of Cream Ridge, N.J. finished five shots behind Tomer in fourth place with a 169 total as she added an 85 in the second round to her opening-round 84.

   It was five more shots back to Madison Meng in fifth place with a 174 as she shaved 14 shots off her opening-round 94 with an 80 in the second round.

   Athena Lin added an 86 in the second round to her opening-round 89 as she finished in sixth place with a 175 total. Amy Sun was a shot behind Lin in seventh place with a 176 total as she added a 91 in the second round to her opening-round 85.

   Nicolette Bottos of Rolling Green Golf Club finished two shots behind Sun in eighth place at 178 as she bounced back from an opening-round 93 with an 85 in the second round.

   Zuzu Connolly of Wilmington, Del. was two shots behind Bottos in ninth place with a 180 total as she shaved 12 shots off here opening-round 96 with an 84 in the second round.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the Futures division was Gabrielle Hamstead of Milton, Del. as she finished in 10^th place with a 185 total, adding a 95 in the second round to her opening-round 90.

   Valerie Danby cruised to a victory among the nine-holers in the Discovery division as she posted a pair of 1-under 35s for a 2-under 70.

   Trisha Lobo of Collegeville was only three shots behind Danby following a solid opening round of 2-over 38. Lobo added a 42 in the second round to earn runnerup honors with an 80 that left her 10 shots behind Danby.

   Lobo finished in third place in the Girls 7-9 division in the Drive, Chip & Putt national finals in April at Augusta National Golf Club, topping the field in the putting competition.

   Evelyn Brillman finished five shots behind Lobo in third place as she added a 41 in the second round to her opening-round 44. Aashi Chakraborty opened with a solid 41 before adding a 47 in the second round to finish three shots behind Evelyn Brillman in fourth place with an 88.

   Another member of Team Brillman, Eleanor Brillman, took fifth place in the Discovery division as she bounced back from an opening-round 51 with a 44 in the second round for a 95 total.