LIMERICK – Phoenixville senior Kayley Roberts competed at the highest levels of junior golf in the summer and her game is better for those experiences.
Roberts earned spots in the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club and in the Girls Junior PGA Championship at Purdue’s Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Ind.
Roberts grabbed a three-shot lead following the opening round of the District One Class AAA Championship at Raven’s Claw Golf Club Tuesday with a bogey-free 3-under-par 68. She took advantage of the birdie opportunities when they arose and made zero mistakes.
On the boys side a few miles down Ridge Pike at Turtle Creek Golf Course, West Chester Rustin senior Cole Berry, who plays out of Overbrook Golf Club, took a one-shot lead with a solid 3-under 69 in the opening round. More on Berry and the guys later.
Roberts has been one of the best players in Pennsylvania throughout her scholastic career at Phoenixville, finishing in second place in the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a freshman in 2022, fourth two years ago as a sophomore and tied for third a year ago as a junior.
But she is an even better player now as a senior.
“I learned how to play under pressure,” Roberts said of her summer experiences after taming the 5,357-yard, par-71 Raven’s Claw layout where Limerick Township meets Lower Pottsgrove Township in northwest Montgomery County. “I set a standard for myself and I just want to keep improving.”
Roberts dropped a 15-foot putt for her first birdie of the day at the 313-yard, par-4 fourth hole. She nearly reached the 408-yard, par-5 seventh hole in two and pitched up close for another birdie.
I caught up with Roberts on the 13th hole and watched her stick a gap wedge from 64 yards away at the 327-yard, par-4 17th hole to three feet and convert that birdie try.
Roberts nearly reached the green with a 3-wood at the 305-yard, par-4 finishing hole, but her chip shot refused to roll out and her eight-foot birdie putt slid by the hole.
“I was pretty proud of myself about not making a bogey,” Roberts said. “It wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be and the wind wasn’t that bad, except on a couple of the higher holes.”
The District One Championship was scheduled to start Monday, but was postponed by Monday’s brutal conditions. The 16 girls who survived the cut following Tuesday’s opening round will head down to Turtle Creek for the conclusion of the individual competition Wednesday.
Roberts will join her older sister Kate at Delaware at the end of next summer. Kate Roberts outdueled her younger sister for the District One Class AAA title two years ago when Kate was a senior and Kayley was a sophomore.
Kate Roberts spent her freshman year of college at San Jose State, a Division I power, but came home to join Patty Post’s program at Delaware. This year’s Blue Hens roster includes former Unionville standout Mary Grace Dunnigan, a junior, and freshman Rhianna Gooneratne, the Plymouth-Whitemarsh star who was the PIAA Class AAA champion as a junior in 2023.
The addition of Kayley Roberts will give Post something of a District One all-star team.
“I’m looking forward to playing with my sister and my other friends at Delaware,” said Roberts, who still considers her dad as her main instructor, but has also worked with Justin Parsons, a Golf Digest top-50 instructor based at the Sea Island Resort on Saint Simons Island, Ga.
First there is the matter of a getting that District One crown that eluded her two years ago and again last year when Gooneratne captured the title.
Kayley Roberts tied her course record when she ripped off a seven-birdie, no-bogey 65 to capture the Pioneer Athletic Conference individual title a couple of weeks ago at Turtle Creek. It has been her home course. She will be tough to beat carrying that three-shot advantage to the Turtle.
Two of Roberts’ playing partners Tuesday, Radnor senior Elayna Fanelli, the medalist in the Central League Championship last month at Turtle Creek, and Conestoga junior Jill Burks shared second place, each matching par with a 71 that left them three shots behind Roberts.
Elayna Fanelli, another Overbrook member, basically did drive the green at the short finishing hole at Raven’s Claw, her ball ending up on the fringe 20 feet from the hole. Her bid for eagle just slid by the hole and she settled for a birdie that enabled her to join her Central League rival Burks at even-par.
Elayna Fanelli is in very good position as she bids for a third straight trip to the PIAA Class AAA Championship.
Burks, a White Manor Country Club member, is a pretty good bet to make her third straight trip to states as well after a typically solid even-par round.
The District One Class AAA team champion for the girls was also decided Tuesday and Burks led the way in a dominant victory for the Pioneers.
Three scores count for the girls in the team competition and junior Corinne McReynolds backed up Burks with a solid 6-over 77 that left her in sixth place in the individual chase. Sophomore Nicolette Bottos was the final counter for the Pioneers with an 80 that left her among a trio of players tied for seventh place in the individual standings.
It added up to a 15-over 228 total for Conestoga that was 25 shots better than runnerup Mount St. Joseph at 253. Defending District One champion Downingtown West was another 17 shots behind Mount St. Joe’s in third place with a 270 total.
Seniors Suri Ahn and Lanta Chanthakad gave Conestoga two more players who survived the opening-round cut and will compete as individuals Wednesday at Turtle Creek. Ahn’s 82 left her among a trio of players tied for 11th place and Chanthakad made the cut on the number as she landed among a trio of players tied for 14th with an 83.
Senior Alex Myers rounded out the Conestoga contingent as she tallied an 87.
Burks is already assured a third straight appearance in the PIAA Class AAA team chase. Conestoga was the District One champion two years ago when she was a freshman and earned a wild-card berth to states after finishing second to Downingtown West when Burks was a sophomore a year ago.
West Chester Rustin senior Maria Benedetto was three shots behind Elayna Fanelli and Burks in fourth place in the individual standings after posting a 3-over 74.
Harriton sophomore Megan Choi, bidding for a second straight trip to the PIAA Class AAA Championship, was two shots behind Benedetto in fifth place with a 76.
Joining Conestoga’s Bottos in the trio tied for seventh place at 80 were Unionville senior Reagan Wilson and Noor Mehta, the Suburban One League champion as a freshman at Council Rock North.
Perkiomen Valley junior Saloni Patel rounded out the top 10 as she stood alone in 10th place with an 81.
Speaking of Post, who oversees both the men’s and women’s programs at Delaware as the director of golf programs, her daughter Kiera Post, a sophomore at Avon Grove, was tied for 11th place with Downingtown West senior Malaina Druffner, each recording an 82.
Making the cut on the number along with Conestoga’s Chanthakad with 83s were Radnor sophomore Sara Fanelli, Elayna Fanelli’s younger sister, and North Penn sophomore Gigi Gratz.
Over at Turtle Creek, Rustin’s Berry seized the lead on the strength of a stunning three-hole burst on the back nine of the 6,375-yard, par-72 layout as he made a birdie at the short 325-yard, par-4 12th hole, an eagle at the 478-yard, par-5 13th and a birdie at the 348-yard, par-4 14th.
“Made pars at the par-3s on either end (11th and 15th holes), too, so that was five straight threes, I don’t think I’ve ever done that before,” said Berry, who consults first-year Aronimink Golf Club assistant pro Riley Wheeldon as a swing coach.
Berry laid back at the 12th hole with a 4-iron and hit it close from 82 yards away. After a 2-iron off the tee at the 13th hole, Berry needed just an 8-iron to cover the 215-yard downwind approach and again hit it close enough to make the putt. He then stuck his approach at the 14th hole to six feet to complete his 4-under blitz of those three holes.
Starting off the second tee in the shotgun start, Berry made birdie on his par-5 opener, then dropped a 35-foot birdie bomb at seven. The four birdies and an eagle offset bogeys at the tough par-3 ninth hole and at 16 and 18.
After earning a spot in the field for the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a sophomore, Berry missed it by a shot a year ago, although the Golden Knights won the District One Class AAA team crown, finishing in a tie for fifth place in the state team tournament.
“I’m just trying to make it back to states,” Berry said. “It was pretty windy out there, but I’m pretty comfortable here. I was able to stick to my game plan.”
Andy Brexler, a junior at Central Bucks West, was a shot behind Berry in second place with a solid 2-under 70.
Coatesville senior Carson Holmes, seeking a third straight berth in the PIAA Class AAA Championship, and Strath Haven senior Eddie Gebhart were the only other players under par Tuesday at the Turtle as they were tied for third, each carding a 1-under 71.
Conestoga sophomore Will Johnson, who had the highest finish of any District One player in last fall’s PIAA Class AAA Championship, and Bensalem senior Zac DeVos were tied for fifth place, each matching par with a 72.
Pope John Paul II senior Beau Bliem and Central Bucks South senior Colin Chelak were another shot behind Johnson and DeVos in a tie for seventh place, each signing for a 1-over 73.
A couple of Central League entries, Radnor senior Lannon Boyd, the medalist in last month’s Central League Championship at Turtle Creek, and Lower Merion senior Seiji Sako, seeking a third straight trip to the state tournament, headed a group of six players who rounded out the top 10 following the opening round by ending up in a tie for ninth place at 2-over 74.
Joining Boyd and Sako at 2-over were Holy Ghost Prep senior Jake
Smaron,
Avon Grove junior Gus Stoltzfus, North Penn junior Kellen Toussaint and
Perkiomen Valley senior Andrew Brendlinger.
Two of Boyd’s Radnor teammates also survived the 18-hole cut as senior Brad McDermott was among a group of eight players tied for 15th place at 3-over 75 and freshman Gavin Reger was among another group of eight players who made the cut on the number at 4-over 76.
That trio of Raptors will likely also be part of Radnor’s entry as it bids for a District One Class AAA team crown Wednesday. Radnor was unbeaten in league matches on its way to the Central League title.
Also in the group tied for 15th place at 3-over was Unionville senior Charlie Barrickman, who had a really strong summer, highlighted by a tie for third place in the Philadelphia Open at Bidermann Golf Club. Says here the Philly Open is the strongest gathering of local golf talent of any tournament in the region each year.
Nice to see Harriton’s Sokol twins, freshmen Henry and Jack, make the cut on the number with 4-over 76s.
And since this blog was born at the Delaware County Daily Times, I have to note that Sun Valley junior Ryan Messick made the cut on the number with a 76. Messick was a state qualifier as a sophomore a year ago and he’s in with a chance to do it again.
The talent level in District One has never been higher. Just to make the cut following the opening round at districts is a challenge these days. Some very good players will not be returning to the Turtle for the second day of districts this year.
Speaking of Delco, Santo Gentil, a senior at Delco Christian, grabbed the lead in the District One Class AA Championship with a 6-over 78.
Charlie Plebani of New Hope Solebury was two shots behind Gentil in second place with an 80.
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