Lane, Muego share title in Philly Junior Tour's 12-and-under Championship at McCall

 

   The region’s stars of the future had the stage to themselves with the Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour held its 12-and-under Championship Aug. 1^st at McCall Golf Club in Upper Darby.

   The nine-holers group has become the most competitive age group among the Philly Junior Tour’s various divisions. That kind of competitiveness was on display at McCall as only four shots separated the top-10 finishers.

   Since it was just the 12-and-under kids, I’ll go out to top 15 in recapping the results. Remember these names, though, because these players will be competing for league, district and state championships in high school, at the top levels of junior golf and, who knows, maybe in a USGA championship, in the not-too-distant future.

   Gavin Lane of Cinnaminson, N.J. and Niko Muego of Bryn Mawr shared the title as each carded a 2-over-par 35 on the outgoing nine at McCall.

   Lane made a birdie on the fourth hole and had five pars on his scorecard. A couple of weeks later, Lane finished in a tie for third place in the coed 12-and-under division in the Junior Tour Championship at Chester Valley Golf Club.

   I jumped ahead of some Philly Junior Tour events that I hadn’t wrapped up yet and posted on the Junior Tour Championship last week.

   Muego had seven pars on his card, opening his round with five straight pars, to get a share of the top spot with Lane at 2-over.

   Eric Cunningham of Wayne made a birdie at the fourth hole and had five pars on his card as he took third place with a 3-over 36, a shot behind Lane and Muego. Cunningham was also in the group with Lane that finished in a tie for third place among the nine-holers in the Junior Tour Championship at Chester Valley.

   Bobby Stefanski of Newtown Square and Ben Revness of Yardley finished in a tie for fourth place, each posting a 4-over 37. Stefanski was the runnerup among the nine-holers in the Junior Tour Championship at Chester Valley.

   Ryan Dungan of Warrington and Samuel Karas of Blue Bell shared sixth place, each signing for a 38.

   Rounding out the top 10 was a trio tied for eighth place at 39 that included Carter Bove of Kennett Square, Aidan Herbert of New Hope and Bryce Bussom of Lewisburg.

   Jack Gilbert of Bryn Mawr and Declan Mayo of Chadds Ford finished in a tie for 11^th place, each tallying a 40.

   Xunnan Dang of Newtown Square and Taimoor Naseem of Sinking Spring each registered a 41 to finish in a tie for 13^th place.

   Naseem would come back 11 days later to best the field of nine-holes in the Junior Tour Championship at Chester Valley, another indication of just how deep the talent pool runs among these youngsters.

   Rounding out the top 15 in the 12-and-under Championship at McCall were Connor Masulis of Pottstown and Patrick Thomas of Hockessin, Del. as they finished in a tie for 15^th place, each recording a 42.

   Thomas was another of the players who would finish in a tie for third place among the nine-holers in the Junior Tour Championship at Chester Valley a couple of weeks later.