Nicholl keeps his cool at a sweltering Inniscrone to capture a Philly Junior Tour victory

 

   Rider Nicholl, who wrapped up his scholastic career at Avon Grove last fall, put together a solid 2-over-par 72 at Inniscrone Golf Club in London Grove Township in southern Chester County to capture a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour victory June 24^th in the 16-to-18 division.

   Nicholl made a birdie on the fifth hole and had 15 pars on his scorecard, including a string of 12 straight pars to finish out his round. Nicholl did all that in the middle of the hottest day in the region in more than a decade.

   Inniscrone has had a few tweaks over the years, but still retains a lot of its Gil Hanse design features.

   Dominic Mendez, a junior on the Downingtown West golf team, was Nicholl’s closest pursuer as he made birdies at the fifth and seventh holes and had nine pars on his card on his way to a 6-over 76 that left him four shots behind Nicholl in second place.

   Nathan Goblirsch of Hammonton, N.J. made birdies on the third and seventh holes and had eight pars on his card as he finished in third place with an 8-over 78 that left him two shots behind Mendez.

   Jack Yantosh, a junior on the Garnet Valley golf team, took fourth place with a 79, Gabe Arick of Wilmington, Del. was fifth with an 80, Paul Sanfrancesco of Hockessin, Del. and Joseph Gangemi Jr. of Downingtown shared sixth, each signing for 82, and Arbor Frieberg of Newark, Del. finished in eighth with an 85.

   Rhys Makai of Swarthmore took ninth place with an 89 and Michael Links – great golf name there – of Swedesboro, N.J. and Shane Cornell, a junior on the Avon Grove golf team, rounded out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division as they finished in a tie for 10^th place, each registering a 90.

   Jesse Shurman of Villanova made an eagle at the par-5 15^th hole that helped him finish at the top of the leaderboard in the 13-to-15 division with a 6-over 76.

   Jesse Shurman also made birdies at the second and 18^th holes and had eight pars on his scorecard, including a run of six straight pars from the fifth through the 10^th holes.

   Ben Nowland, a sophomore on the Avon Grove golf team and Cornell’s teammate with the Red Devils, was Jesse Shurman’s closest pursuer as he made birdies on the first, seventh and 18^th holes and had seven pars on his card to earn runnerup honors with a 77.

   Michael O’Kane of Springfield had 10 pars on his card as he finished in third place with a 78.

   Brayden Hughes of Hockessin, Del. took fourth place with a 79, Grayson McCann of Downingtown was fifth with an 80, Luciano Follo of Newtown Square was sixth with an 81 and Jack Forstein of Moorestown, N.J. and Brody Campbell of Plymouth Meeting shared seventh, each posting an 85.

   McCann is a Class of 2030 competitor and just 13-years old. Keep an eye on that guy.

   Owen Ciesielka, a West Chester resident who will be a freshman at Malvern Prep, finished in ninth place with an 86. Ciesielka was coming off a tie for first place in the 13-to-15 division in a Philly Junior Tour stop at Chapel Hill Golf Course a day earlier.

   Carter Robbins of Warrington rounded out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division as he finished in 10^th place with an 88.

   Team Post from Lincoln University accounted for a sweep of the two girls divisions as Kiera Post had the low round of the day among the girls to capture a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 13-to-15 division with an 85 and Miranda Post was the lone entry in the 16-to-18 division and tallied a 92.

   Kiera Post had 10 pars on her scorecard in a steady round that enabled her to finish at the top of the leaderboard among the younger girls.

   Emma Gangemi, another member of Downingtown’s Team Gangemi, made a birdie on the second hole and had three pars on her card as she finished two shots behind Kiera Post with an 87 and earned runnerup honors in the 13-to-15 division.

   Hannah LeGrow of Wilmington, Del. had four pars on her card as she finished in third place with a 95.

   Brianna Stwalley of Jamison took fourth place with a 107 and Elyssa Capaldo of Trooper rounded out the field in the 13-to-15 division as she finished fifth with a 110.

   Miranda Post had four pars on her scorecard as the only 16-to-18 division player to tee it up.

   Jonathan Thomas of Landenberg made a birdie on the fifth hole and had five pars on his scorecard as he bested the field of boys 12-and-under nine-holers with a 5-over 40.

   Joe Bowers of Lewisburg and Rylan Foust of Exton shared second place as each recorded a 41 to finish a shot behind Thomas. Bowers made a birdie on the seventh hole and had two pars on his card and Foust made a birdie at four and had four pars on his card, coming all in a row from five through eight.

   Jack Kolmer of Wayne, Xunnan Dang of Newtown Square and Dean Matta, playing close to his West Grove home, finished in a tie for fourth place, each signing for a 42.

   Blake Shurman, another member of Villanova’s Team Shurman, and Dino Luccia of North Wales shared seventh place, each registering a 43 and Ryan Comly of Newtown Square was ninth with a 48.

   Rounding out the field in the boys 12-and-under division was a third member of Lincoln University’s Team Post as Landon Post finished in 10^th place with a 52.

   Aashi Chakraborty of Kennett Square was the lone entry in the girls 12-and-under division and she carded a 51.