Cassidy, Zuegner top the field in a Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship qualifier at Running Deer

 

   Logan Cassidy, a District One Class AAA qualifier as a junior at Holy Ghost Prep last fall, and Quin Zuegner, a junior on the golf team at The Hill School, headed a group of 21 players who took the first step toward a possible berth in the Boys Junior PGA Championship in the first of a series of qualifiers for the Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship Sunday at Running Deer Golf Club in Pittsgrove, N.J.

   Hopefully, the Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour players teed off after the worst of the rain showers that made for a miserable opening day of the BMW Golf Association of Philadelphia Matches – GAP Match weather, for short -- had subsided, but it was still a windy, chilly day.

   But the cold and wet weather did not stop a large group of juniors from trying to earn a spot in the field for the Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship, a one-day 36-hole test scheduled to be played June 15 at Bellewood Country Club, across the Schuylkill River from Pottstown.

   The top finishers – and we’re talking just two or three guys – at Bellewood will earn a spot in the Boys Junior PGA Championship, one of the major national events for juniors conducted by the PGA of America, which will tee off July 28 at Fields Ranch East and West at the PGA of America’s national headquarters in Frisco, Texas.

   The tough conditions at Runing Deer didn’t seem to bother Cassidy, a Bensalem resident, and Zuegner, a New Hope resident, as they each carded a solid 1-over-par 73 to share medalist honors for the day.

   The qualifiers for the Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship came out of the overall 13-to-18 age group. The Philly Junior Tour broke out its usual 16-to-18 and 13-to-15 divisions, so I’ll wrap them up while referring to the overall scoring.

   Cassidy got off to a fast start with birdies at the first and third holes, went back-to-back with birdies at nine and 10 and had 10 pars on his scorecard, finishing up his round with six straight pars.

   Zuegner, a co-captain at The Hill, jump-started his round with an eagle 2 at the par-4 first hole. He added birdies at the seventh and 13^th holes and had 11 pars on his card, twice rattling off strings of four pars in a row from three through six and again from 14 through 17.

   Cassidy and Zuegner shared the top spot in the 16-to-18 division and in the overall scoring.

   Charles Friel, a Bryn Mawr resident and a junior on the golf team at The Haverford School, made a birdie at the fourth hole and had 12 pars on his card, including a run of eight straight pars from seven through 14, as he finished in third place among the older guys and was fourth in the overall scoring with a 3-over 75.

   Jimmy Warmkessel, a Malvern resident and a senior co-captain on Episcopal Academy’s Inter-Ac League championship last fall, Frank Kunze, a sophomore on the Garnet Valley golf team, Ty Sheftic, a District One Class AAA qualifier as a junior at Wissahickon last fall, and Ryan Kelly of Harleysville, finished in a tie for fourth place in the 16-to-18 division and were part of a six-man logjam tied for eighth in the overall scoring as each posted a 6-over 78.

   Shane Cornell, a District One Class AAA qualifier as a junior at Avon Grove last fall, Colby Seislove, who wrapped up his scholastic career at Spring-Ford by earning a spot in the District One Class AAA field, and Jake Yerkes, a Wyncote resident and a sophomore on the roster of Catholic League power La Salle, finished in a tie for eighth place among the older guys and were part of a foursome tied for 14^th in the overall scoring as each signed for a 79.

   The foursome of Nolan Murray Jr., who wrapped up his scholastic career at Upper Dublin last fall, Kyan DeLong, who wrapped his scholastic career at Emmaus by earning a trip to the PIAA Class AAA Championship last fall, Cole Henning, a junior on the Souderton golf team who earned a spot in the field in the state tournament in Class AAA as a sophomore in 2024, and David Dempsey of Franklinville, N.J. finished in a tie for 11^th place in the 16-to-18 division and made the cut for a spot in the Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship on the number as each tallied an 80.

   Two of the region’s most talented youngsters, Logan Turner, a Berwyn resident and a PIAA Class AA qualifier as a freshman at Devon Prep last fall, and Trebor Melendez of Vineland, N.J., finished at the top of the leaderboard in the 13-to-15 division and earned spots in the field for the Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship at Bellewood in June.

   Turner capped a bustout freshman season at Devon Prep by finishing in a tie for 15^th place in his debut in the state tournament at Penn State’s White Course and then helping the Tide finish in third place in the PIAA Class AA team chase.

   Turner made birdies at the seventh, ninth and 14^th holes and had 10 pars on his scorecard at Running Deer, including six straight pars to open his round, as he finished atop the leaderboard in the 13-to-15 division and in third place in the overall scoring with a 2-over 74.

   Melendez, coming off a Philly Junior Tour victory at LBI National Golf & Resort a day earlier, opened his round with a birdie at the first hole and had 12 pars on his card, including a string of four straight pars from 12 through 15, as he shared second place among the younger guys with Mason Kim,  a freshman on the Wissahickon golf team, as each carded a 4-over 76.

   Kim made birdies at the first and ninth holes, had an eagle at the par-5 14^th and had eight pars on his card, including a run of four straight pars from two through five.

   Melendez and Kim also shared fifth place in the overall scoring.

   Max Davis, a Newtown Square resident and a freshman on the Malvern Prep golf team, finished in fourth place in the 13-to-15 division and seventh in the overall scoring with a 77. Davis was coming off a Philly Junior Tour victory a day earlier at Iron Valley Golf Club.

   Ian Rotto, a sophomore on the Kennett golf team, and Preston Minio of Lansdale shared fifth place among the younger guys and rounded out the bulky group of six players tied for eighth in the overall scoring as each registered a 78.

   Jack Gilbert of Bryn Mawr was the last player out of the 13-to-15 division to qualify for the Boys Junior PGA Championship as he tallied a 79 to finish in seventh place in the division and join Cornell, Seislove and Yerkes from the16-to-18 division in a tie for 14^th in the overall scoring.

   Nathan Lobo of Collegeville took eighth place among the younger guys with an 81 and Ben Meixell, a Wilmington, Del. resident whose freshman season at Salesianum is probably under way by now, and Declan Mayo of Chadds Ford rounded out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division as each posted an 82 to finish in a tie for ninth.

   The best score among the girls at Running Deer was turned in by Morgan Tyhanic of Little Egg Harbor, N.J. as she made birdies at the second and 14^th holes and had eight pars on her scorecard on her way to an 81 that earned her a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 16-to-18 division.

   It was not a qualifier for the Philadelphia Girls Junior PGA Championship, which will, like the boys, be a one-day, 36-hole test July 6 at DuPont Country Club. Pretty sure the Philadelphia Girls Junior PGA Championship is an open tournament.

   The top finishers at DuPont will advance to the Girls Junior PGA Championship, which will be played simultaneously with the boys at Fields Ranch East and West in Frisco, Texas beginning July 28.

   Emily Renouf of Cinnaminson, N.J. finished up her round with a birdie at the 18^th hole and had nine pars on her card as she earned runnerup honors among the older girls with an 85.

   Nicole Tarquinio of Bridgeton, N.J. made a birdie on the fifth hole and had six pars on her card as she finished two shots behind Renouf in third place with an 87.

   Two more Cinnaminson, N.J. gals, Madison Gibson and Taylor Hanna, rounded out the field in the 16-to-18 division as Gibson took fourth place with a 93 and Hanna was fifth with a 97.

   Ella Buerhaus of Abingdon, Md. opened her round with a birdie on the first hole and had six pars on her scorecard as she finished at the top of the leaderboard in the 13-to-15 division with an 85.

   Hailey Cousins of Port Republic, N.J. had five pars on her card as she earned runnerup honors among the younger girls with an 89.

   Brianna Stwalley, a sophomore on the Central Bucks West golf team, made a birdie on the 14^th hole and a par on six as she finished in third place with a 93.

   Gigi Lake of Newtown took fourth place with a 98 and Annabelle Barr of Gladwyne rounded out the field in the 13-to-15 division as she finished fifth with a 117.

   Damien Dollard of Cinnaminson, N.J., picking up right where he left off when he was the Philly Junior Tour’s Player of the Year in the boys 12-and-under division last year, made a birdie on the fifth hole and had six pars on his scorecard, including four straight to finish up his round, as he bested the field of nine-holers with a 3-over 39.

   Dollard’s Player of the Year honor for 2025 was even more impressive in light of the competitiveness among the guys who played in the boys 12-and-under division last year.

   Two of those guys, Niko Muego of Bryn Mawr and Baylor Keim of Blue Bell, finished in a tie for second place at Running Deer, each recording a 5-over 41.

   Muego made a birdie on the fifth hole and had four pars on his card, including three straight pars to finish up his round. Keim made a birdie on the sixth hole and had four pars on his card.

   Samuel Karas, another Blue Bell guy, took fourth place with a 42, Victor Wang of Hockessin, Del. was fifth with a 43, Kelly Salvesen of Cape May Court House, N.J. was sixth with a 44 and Sid Joshi of Coopersburg was seventh with a 45.

   Luke George of Mullica Hill, N.J. took eighth place with a 46 and the duo of Dillon Tierney of Marlton, N.J. and Domenic Scanny of Linwood, N.J. rounded out the top 10 in the boys 12-and-under division as they finished in a tie for ninth, each tallying a 49.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Davis hangs tough at Iron Valley to claim a Philly Junior Tour victory

 

   Max Davis, a Newtown Square resident and a freshman on the Malvern Prep golf team, handled a tough golf course in Iron Valley Golf Club in Lebanon in some challenging conditions with a 6-over-par 78 that gave him a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour victory in the 13-to-15 division Saturday.

   The Philly Junior Tour was at both ends of the Philadelphia Section Saturday with an event at LBI National Golf & Resort at the Jersey Shore and the stop at Iron Valley in Lebanon County. A day that started cool and cloudy turned sunny and warmer much earlier in central Pennsylvania than it did at the Jersey Shore.

   Some tricky winds accompanied that clearing weather at Iron Valley and Davis was the only guy in either boys division to break 80.

   Davis, who works with talented Aronimink Golf Club assistant pro Riley Wheeldon on his game, made birdies at the third and 16^th holes and had 10 pars on his scorecard, including a run of four straight pars from 12 through 15.

   Jonah Lowenberg of Villanova made birdies on the second and 16^th holes and had four pars on his card as he finished eight shots behind Davis in second place with an 86.

   Joseph Hynoski IV of Hatfield and Jake Julian of Malvern shared third place, each signing for an 88.

   Hynoski made a birdie on the fifth hole and had four pars on his card.

   Iron Valley fits Julian’s game as he was a Philly Junior Tour winner in its fall stop at the Lebanon layout. Julian had five pars on his card this time, all of them coming on Iron Valley’s incoming nine.

   Sean Nelligan of Gilbertsville finished alone in fifth place with an 89.

   Ethan Moran, a freshman on the Spring-Ford golf team, and Charlie Orio of Downingtown shared sixth place, each tallying a 91 and Winston Chew of Exton and Lucas Shank of West Chester finished in a tie for eighth, each recording a 92.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division was the pair of Steven Musacchio of Glenmoore and Alex Salata of Devon as they finished in a tie for 10^th place, each registering a 95.

   Luke McGraw, the talented junior on the State College golf team, led a group that included several of his Little Lion teammates as he made back-to-back birdies at the seventh and eighth holes and had 10 pars on his scorecard, including five straight pars to finish out his round, as he captured a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 16-to-18 division with an 8-over 80.

   McGraw finished in a tie for ninth place in the PIAA Class AAA Championship at Penn State last fall and then led the Little Lions to a tie for second place with Radnor in the Class AAA team chase, just a shot behind state champion Unionville, a day later.

   Keegan Redmond, who wrapped up an outstanding scholastic career at Hershey last fall, had 11 pars on his card, including a string of four straight pars from the 14^th through the 17^th holes, as he finished a shot behind McGraw in second place with an 81.

   Alex Hoskins, a sophomore on the State College golf team, made birdies on the third and 10^th holes and had eight pars on his card as he finished in third place with an 83. Hoskins was not in the lineup for State College in the PIAA Class AAA team championship, but obviously, it was a competitive group.

   Charlie Ladrido was on that state runnerup State College team as a junior last fall and he shared fourth place at Iron Valley with Jesse Shurman of Villanova, each carding an 85.

   Not sure if Wushouyi Sun of State College is the same person as the Jacky Sun who was in the lineup as a junior for the Little Lions in the PIAA Class AAA team competition last fall, but either way, Sun and Brady Morris, a junior on the Governor Mifflin golf team, finished in a tie for seventh place at Iron Valley, each posting an 86.

    Brady Rohn, a junior on the Nazareth golf team, finished alone in ninth place with an 87.

   Charlie Ladrido’s twin brother, Luke Ladrido, also a junior on the State College golf team and also in the lineup for the Little Lions for their runnerup finish in the PIAA Class AAA team chase last fall, and Collin Padovani, a sophomore on the Northern Lebanon golf team, rounded out the top10 in the 16-to-18 division as they finished in a tie for 10^th place, each posting an 89.

   The best score among the girls also emerged from the younger 13-to-15 division as Raegan Young of Middletown made a birdie on the 11^th hole and had six pars on her scorecard, including three straight pars at 14, 15 and 16, on her way to an 88 that earned her a Philly Junior Tour victory.

   Molly Wagner of Newark, Del. had four pars on her card as she finished in second place with a 100.

   Reagan Miller of Lancaster had six pars on her card, including three straight pars at the 15^th, 16^th and 17^th holes, as she finished in third place with a 109.

   Annabelle Barr of Gladwyne rounded out the field in the 13-to-15 division as she finished in fourth place with a131.

   Julia Biko, a sophomore on the North Pocono golf team, had three pars on her scorecard as she captured a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 16-to-18 division with a 106.

   Kalista Spence of Phoenixville rounded out a short field in the 16-to-18 division as she finished in second place with a 127.

   Blake Shurman, another member of Villanova’s Team Shurman, made birdies at the third, eighth and ninth holes and pars at four and six as he bested the field of 12-and-under nine-holers with a 3-over 39.

   Jace Collins of Spring Brook Township made birdies at the first and fourth holes and pars at six and nine as he earned runnerup honors with a 42.

   Jack Kolmer of Wayne had five pars on his card, including four straight pars to close out his round, as he finished a shot behind Collins in third place with a 43.

   Joey Charpentier of Schwenksville took fourth place with a 44, Grayson Wright of Philadelphia and Samuel Karas of Blue Bell shared fifth, each signing for a 47, Sid Joshi of Coopersburg was seventh with a 52 and Andrew DElia of Clarks Summit was eighth with a 53.

   Ben Cho of Chesterbrook took ninth place with a 54, Luke Thompson of Havertown was 10^th with a 56 and Ryan Kaye of Lansdale rounded out the field in the boys 12-and-under division as he finished 11^th with a 57.

   Lauryn Kirby of Chester Springs made a par on the sixth hole as she bested a short field of girls 12-and-under nine-holers with a 60.

   Addison Sabatini of West Chester rounded out the field in the girls 12-and-under division as she earned runnerup honors with a 65.

 

 

 

 

 

Always tough at the Jersey Shore, Melendez tames LBI National to claim a Philly Junior Tour victory

 

   Trebor Melendez, the talented 13-year-old from Vineland, N.J., seems to be particularly tough on the golf courses in the proximity of the Jersey Shore.

   Melendez was at it again Saturday as he matched par with a solid 72, the best score of the day among the guys at LBI National Golf & Resort in Little Egg Harbor Township, N.J., to claim a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour victory in the 13-to-15 division.

   Saturday turned into a pretty nice day in the afternoon after a cloudy, chilly start, but I’m not sure how long it took for that clearing to make it the Jersey Shore.

   Regardless, the conditions were just fine for Melendez as he made a birdie at the second hole, went back-to-back with birdies at eight and nine and added another birdie at 16 while making 10 pars.

   It was a short hop from Barnegat, N.J. to LBI National for David Padgett as he made a birdie at the 10^th hole and had 12 pars on his scorecard, opening his round with a string of four straight pars and having another run of four straight pars from six through nine, as he earned runnerup honors among the younger guys with a 4-over 76.

   Beckett Kush of Yardley made birdies at the first, eighth, ninth 13^th and 16^th holes and had seven pars on his card as he finished a shot behind Padgett in third place with a 77.

   Jack Lobley, a freshman at Shipley and a Gladwyne resident, and Preston Minio of Lansdale shared fourth place, each posting a 79 and Jack Venne of Moorestown, N.J. and Callan O’Keefe of Plymouth Meeting finished in a tie for sixth, each tallying an 83.

   Lucas Solano, another Vineland, N.J. guy, took eighth place with an 85, Thomas Holt IV of Haddonfield, N.J. was ninth with an 86 and Mason Arnold of Ambler and William Scanlon, a freshman on the Springfield golf team, rounded out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division as they finished in a tie for 10^th, each signing for an 88.

   It was the second win in as many starts in the 16-to-18 division on the Philly Junior Tour for Nolan Traczykiewicz, a junior on the Central Bucks South golf team, as Traczykiewicz made birdies on the first, 10^th and 16^th holes and had 11 pars on his scoreboard, including a string of five straight pars from four through eight, on his way to a 3-over 75.

   Traczykiewicz was coming off a Philly Junior Tour victory in the April 12^th stop at Rancocas Golf Club.

   Daniel Herzchel of Linwood, N.J. opened his round with back-to-back birdies at the first and second holes and had 11 pars on his card, including six pars in his final seven holes, as he earned runnerup honors among the older guys with a 5-over 77.

   Quinn Gallagher, a junior on the golf team at The Haverford School and a Bryn Mawr resident, made birdies on the first, fifth and 10^th holes and had nine pars on his card as he finished in third place with an 80.

   Grady Hoffman of Ocean City, N.J. took fourth place with an 83, Cooper Micucci and Joey Higgins, juniors on Philadelphia Academy Charter’s Public League championship team last fall, shared fifth, each tallying an 86, Toby Lerner, a sophomore on the Hatboro-Horsham golf team, was seventh with a 92 and Blake Shakal of Hershey was eighth with a 94.

   Michael Liu, a Garnet Valley resident whose senior season at Archmere Academy is probably under way by now, and Jude Cole of Horsham shared ninth place as they each recorded a 95 and Jack Fouts of Brigantine, N.J. rounded out the field in the 16-to-18 division as he finished 11^th with a 109.

   The best score among the girls at LBI National also emerged from the 13-to-15 division as Noor Mehta, coming off a solid freshman season at Council Rock North in which she came up just short of earning a trip to the state tournament in Class AAA, earned a Philly Junior Tour victory with a solid 6-over 78.

   Mehta made birdies on the first and sixth holes and had eight pars on her scorecard, including a run of five straight pars from seven through 11.

   Madison Cabot, the reigning Philly Junior Tour Player of the Year in the 13-to-15 division from Newtown, had 11 pars on her card, including a string of six straight pars from the fifth through the 10^th holes, as she earned runnerup honors with an 80.

   Hailey Cousins of Port Republic, N.J. made a birdie on the first hole and added a par at four as she finished in third place with a 95.

   Sonia Rosenman of Moorestown, N.J. took fourth place with a 98, Julie Costello of Ocean City, N.J. was fifth with a 106 and Brooklyn Ksiazek, an Egg Harbor Township, N.J. resident playing a home game, rounded out the field in the 13-to-15 division as she finished sixth with a 122.

   Zoe Sellan, taking a road trip from Rye, N.Y., had nine pars on her scorecard, including a run of four straight pars from the second through the fifth holes, as she earned a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 16-to-18 division with an 84.

   A trio out of Cinnaminson, N.J. rounded out the field in the 16-to-18 division as Emily Renouf had four pars on her card while earning runnerup honors with a 98, Taylor Hanna had four pars on her card while taking third place with a 104, and Madison Gibson finished fourth with a 108.

   Michael Antolino of Richboro finished off his round with a birdie at the ninth hole and had three pars on his scorecard as he bested the field of 12-and-under nine-holers with a 5-over 41.

   Kamran Patel of Moorestown, N.J. had three pars on his card as he finished two shots behind Antolino in second place with a 43

   Jaxon Bucci of Marlton, N.J. closed out his round with a par on the ninth hole as he finished in third place with a 47.

   Jamie Cahn of Penn Valley took fourth place with a 51, Domenic Scanny of Linwood, N.J. was fifth with a 52 and the pair of Joseph (J.T.) Smith, another Linwood, N.J. guy, and James Hanson, another player teeing it up close to his Egg Harbor Township, N.J. home, finished in a tie for sixth place, each registering a 56.

   Axel Zurheide of Northfield, N.J. rounded out the field in the boys 12-and-under division as he finished in eighth place with a 66.

   Charlotte Cabot, another member of Newtown’s Team Cabot, was the lone entry in the girls 12-and-under division and she finished strong with pars on the seventh and ninth holes while carding a solid 45.