In an all-Merion final, Curran edges Nemo to capture title in GAP's Junior Boys' Championship at Merion's West Course

 

   At the conclusion of Wednesday morning’s semifinals, one thing was certain.

   Merion Golf Club was going to have its first Golf Association of Philadelphia Junior Boys’ champion since Fred Phillips accomplished the feat in 1949, a mere 76 years ago.

   That’s because Sean Curran and Nicky Nemo, both Merion members and teammates on the golf a team at The Haverford School, had won their semifinal matches at, appropriately enough, Merion’s West Course in the Ardmore section of Haverford Township.

   The pair put on quite a show in the afternoon final of the 111^th GAP Junior Boys’ Championship with Curran finally pulling out the victory on the 19^th hole. It will be Curran’s name that will join that of Fred Phillips inscribed on the Peg Burnet Trophy.

   But both players had done Merion and The Haverford School proud in a memorable renewal of the GAP Junior Boys. They were the first clubmates to meet in the final since Billy Stewart defeated Vince Covello, both representing Llanerch Country Club, in the title match in 2000.

   Nemo grabbed the early advantage as he won the second hole with a birdie and the third with a par to take a 2-up edge. Curran turned the tide in his favor as he won the fourth hole with a par, the eighth with a birdie and the 13^th with a par to take a 1-up lead.

   Nemo evened things up by winning the 14^th hole with a par and put a nose in front when he reached the green at the par-5 16^th in two with a 6-iron from 198 yards away and two-putted for a birdie that gave him a 1-up lead with just two holes to play.

   Nemo, however, went left and long at the par-3 17^th hole and Curran was able to two-putt for a par after finding the green 40 feet from the hole to again even the match.

   Both players came up just short of the 18^th green in two and chipped to five feet. Curran suggested good-good and off the two went to decide the match in extra holes.

   Nemo pulled his drive at the short par-4 first hole onto the adjacent 11^th green. A less than optimal drop left him with no shot at the green. Curran striped his drive and was on in two, nine feet from the hole.

   Nemo punched out and reached the green in three, eight feet from the hole. After Curran safely two-putted for par, Nemo was unable to convert his par-saver and Curran had the title.

   “It was a hard-fought match, which is what I was expecting,” Curran told the GAP website. “It was definitely different than most of our matches. Most of our matches, the energy is a little bit cooler. I think we both tried to keep it light, but, at the end of the day, we’re fighting for trophies.”

   Had a chance to chat with Curran after he captured the title in the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) Championship last fall with a 5-under 67 at Radley Run Country Club a week after claiming the title in the Bert Linton Invitational for the Inter-Ac League’s individual crown with a 5-under 67 at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club.

   Sure, he’s a talented player, but he’s got a good head on his shoulders, which is why he’s putting his name on all these trophies.

   In the morning semifinals, Curran cruised to a 7 and 6 victory over Baywood Greens’ Jake Hollerback, who captured the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA) crown last month at the St. Anne’s Golf Links in Middletown, Del.

   Curran won the second hole with a par, the third with a birdie and the fourth and fifth with pars to take a 4-up lead. Hollerback cut his deficit to 3-down by winning the little, downhill par-3 sixth hole with a par.

   Curran’s 3-iron off the tee at the short par-4 seventh hole kicked right into the penalty area and he chipped on to seven feet. Hollerback had reached the green in two and seemingly had the advantage.

   Curran, though, buried his par putt and Hollerback three-putted for a crushing bogey that enabled Curran to restore his 4-up lead.

   Curran won the eighth hole with a birdie and the ninth with a par to stretch his advantage to 6-up.

   Nemo reached the final after pulling out a tough 1-up decision over Luke McGraw, who posted a top-20 finish in the PIAA Class AAA Championship at Penn State’s White Course as a sophomore at State College last fall.

   When McGraw won the tough, par-4 11^th hole with a par, the match was even.

   Nemo won the 12^th and 14^th holes to take a 2-up lead, but McGraw creeped to 1-down with a birdie on the par-3 17^th.

   Needing a win at the closing hole to extend the match, McGraw stuck his 60-degree wedge to eight feet and converted the birdie putt. Nemo, however, countered with a 56-degree wedge in tight and matched McGraw’s birdie to pull out the 1-up victory.

   One thing is certain following a long three days of golf at Merion West. Steve Cloran’s Haverford School team, with the talent and experience of seniors Curran and Nemo at the top of the lineup, is going to be tough to beat as the Fords pursue a third straight Inter-Ac title this fall.

   In the First Flight final, the Country Club of Scranton’s Brendan Bell Jr., a member of Scranton Prep’s PIAA Class AA championship team as a freshman last fall, stormed from behind to capture the title with a 1-up victory over Waynesborough Country Club’s Chris Sung, a senior at Conestoga and one of the Central League’s top returning players.

   When Sung picked up wins with pars at the 13^th and 14^th holes, he had a commanding 3-up lead with four holes to play.

   But it was all Bell after that as he won the 15^th hole with a par, 16 with a birdie and 17 with a par to get even going to the final hole. Bell then completed his comeback by taking the 18^th hole with a par for a 1-up victory.

   Bell found himself 4-down after four holes in his morning semifinal against LedgeRock Golf Club’s Nathan Radwanski, who capped a standout scholastic career at Governor Mifflin by finishing in a tie for fifth place in the PIAA Class AAA Championship last fall at Penn State’s White Course.

   But, in a preview of things to come later in the day, Bell came roaring back on the West’s incoming nine to pull out a 1-up decision and reach the First Flight final.

   Sung reached the First Flight final with a 3 and 2 victory over Nick Belgrade, a GAP Youth on Course representative. Belgrade is a recent Salesianum graduate.