Junior Colby Komancheck got a share of individual medalist honors with a sparkling 3-under-par 32 on the front nine of Merion Golf Club’s West Course Wednesday to lead Malvern Prep to the top of the leaderboard in the Episcopal Academy Invitational, the second of the six mini-tournaments that comprise the Inter-Ac League’s regular season.
Komancheck made birdies on the second, third and ninth holes at the West as he shared medalist honors with Sean Curran, a senior at The Haverford School who is a Merion member and captured the title in the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Junior Boys’ Championship at the West Course in June.
Komancheck beat one of the toughest fields of junior golfers in the Philadelphia area when he captured the title in the Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship at his home course, the RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve, in July. That earned him a trip to the Boys Junior PGA Championship at Purdue’s Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Ind.
 |
| Malvern Prep celebrates sweep at Merion. |
Komancheck’s strong showing Wednesday at Merion West helped the Friars claim the top spot in the team chase for the day with a 2-under 173 total, the lowest score they’ve ever put together in an Inter-Ac invitational.
The Inter-Ac adopted the invitational format for its regular season when it moved golf from the spring to the fall in 2012.
Backing up Komancheck for Malvern Prep was one of the Friars’ three senior captains, Davis Conaway, who also had three birdies on his scorecard in a 2-under 33. Conaway, the winner of the Bert Linton as a freshman in 2022 at Llanerch Country Club, made birdies at the first, second and eighth holes.
In addition to its solid 1-2 punch at the top of the lineup, Malvern Prep’s depth was on display in helping the Friars finish two shots clear of two-time defending Inter-Ac champion Haverford School.
Pat Duda, another of Malvern Prep’s senior captains, and juniors Timmy Burns and Ayden Gallen, each carded a solid 1-over 36 to round out the five counters for the Friars.
There wasn’t much of a dropoff to Malvern Prep’s three throwouts as senior Noah Brand signed for a 2-over 37 and Thomas Ploszay, the third of the Friars’ senior captains, and junior Michael DiDomenico each posted a solid 3-over 38.
Malvern Prep had shared the top spot in last week’s Penn Charter Invitational at Huntingdon Valley Country Club with Episcopal Academy.
Wednesday’s sweep left the Friars at the top of the Inter-Ac standings with a 9-0-1 record. Host Episcopal Academy, which finished third at Merion West with a 185 total, is in second place with a 7-2-1 mark with The Haverford School right on the heels of the Churchmen at 7-3.
Curran, who will join the program at Penn next summer, was the best player in the Inter-Ac a year ago, sweeping to titles in the individual points race during the Inter-Ac’s six invitationals, the Bert Linton at Whitemarsh Valley and the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) Championship at Radley Run Country Club.
His sparkling 3-under 32 at Merion West Wednesday helped the Fords put together a team total of even-par 175 that would normally be more than good enough to sweep their five Inter-Ac rivals.
Haverford School Junior Harry Neilly was just a shot behind Curran with a pretty strong 2-under 33 of his own. It was the second straight strong performance for Neilly, who shared medalist honors with EA’s Liam Crowley in last week’s Penn Charter Invitational at Huntingdon Valley.
Quinn Gallagher, also a junior, backed up Curran and Neilly for the Fords with a 1-over 36. The other two counters for Haverford School were seniors Nicky Nemo and Liam McFadden as each recorded a solid 2-over 37.
Nemo, also a Merion member, reached the final of the GAP Junior Boys before falling to Curran at Merion West in June.
Leading the way for host Episcopal Academy was its outstanding freshman, George Hampel, as he matched par with a 35.
Juniors Freddy Hartmann and Connor Smolenski backed up George Hampel as each tallied a 2-over 37. Rounding out the counters for the Churchmen were another member of Team Hampel, junior Arthur Hampel, and Crowley, their talented junior, as both carded a 3-over 38.
Penn Charter finished in fourth place in the Episcopal Academy Invitational with a 204 total that was 19 shots behind EA. Germantown Academy took fifth place with a 207 total and Springside Chestnut Hill Academy was sixth with a 216 total.
Those same three teams are in the same order in the standings following two invitationals with the Quakers in fourth place with a 4-6 record, the Patriots fifth with a 2-8 mark and the Blue Devils winless at 0-10 in sixth.
No comments:
Post a Comment