Whitney closes Philly Junior Tour season with a victory at Shore Gate

 

    Tyler Whitney of Cherry Hill, N.J. carded a solid 2-over-par 74 for the best score of the day as the Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour closed out its 2024 season Nov. 10^th with the second half of a Jersey Shore weekend at Shore Gate Golf Club in Ocean View, N.J.

   It was a Junior Golf Scoreboard (JGS) event for the boys, offering players points that can earn them status on some of the higher-profile junior circuits, most notably the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA). The Philly Junior Tour broke out its usual 13-to-15 and 16-to-18 divisions and I’ll wrap them up while referring to the overall 13-to-18 scoring.

   Looks like a couple of the guys who would have been top-10 finishers in the overall scoring might not have been eligible to be included in the JGS results.

   Whitney punctuated his round with an eagle at the par-5 16^th hole as he finished at the top of the leaderboard in the 13-to-15 division and in the overall scoring. Whitney also made birdies at the first and sixth holes and had 10 pars on his scorecard.

   Ethan Yip of Marlboro, N.J. made birdies on the seventh, 13^th and 18^th holes and had seven pars on his card as he earned runnerup honors among the younger guys. Yip was one of those players who was not included in the overall scoring.

   Samuel Vinc of Brockton capped a solid weekend at the shore as he made a birdie at the fourth hole, went back-to-back with birdies at 13 and 14 and had six pars on his card to finish in third place in the 13-to-15 division and fifth in the overall scoring with a 79.

   Vinc had finished in a tie for second place in the 13-to-15 division a day earlier in a Philly Junior Tour stop at The Shore Club.

   Jackson Lane of Cinnaminson, N.J. was a shot behind Vinc in fourth place in the division and sixth in the overall standings with an 80.

   Michael O’Kane of Springfield finished a shot behind Jackson Lane in fifth place in the 13-to-15 division with an 81, but was not included in the overall standings.

   Wushouyi Sun of State College took sixth place in the division and was seventh in the overall scoring with an 82.

   Logan Stoney of Hillsborough, N.J. finished in seventh place in the 13-to-15 division and ninth in the overall standings with an 84. Owen Ciesielka of West Chester finished two shots behind Stoney in eighth place in the division and rounded out the top 10 in the overall scoring by taking 10^th with an 86.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division was a trio of players, including Jack Pavuk of Clarks Summit, Wil Simonson of Haddonfield, N.J. and Jaxon Piccoli of Berlin, N.J., all of whom signed for a 93 to finish in a tie for ninth place.

   Chase Dillman, who recently wrapped up a standout scholastic career at Boyertown by earning a trip to the PIAA Class AAA Championship, and Rory Asselta of Ramsey, N.J. finished in a tie atop the leaderboard in the 16-to-18 division and shared second in the overall standings as each registered a 5-over 77.

   Dillman made birdies at the seventh and 16^th holes and had 10 pars on his scorecard as he claimed his 11^th Philly Junior Tour victory in his 31^st start of 2024.

   Asselta’s round featured bookend birdies at the first and 18^th holes and he had 10 pars on his card, including a string of seven straight pars from the 11^th through the 17^th holes. Asselta’s showing at Shore Gate capped a solid weekend at the shore as he earned a share of runnerup honors in the 16-to-18 division a day earlier at The Shore Club.

   Christopher Parrish of Woolwich Township, N.J. capped a solid weekend at the shore and a really strong 2024, particularly in the second half of the season, as he took third place in the 16-to-18 division and was fourth in the overall scoring with a 78.

   Parrish made birdies at the ninth and 16^th holes and had 12 pars on his card, including six straight pars to open the incoming nine at Shore Gate from the 10^th through the 15^th holes. Parrish had claimed a Philly Junior Tour victory a day earlier at The Shore Club.

   Andrew Brendlinger, a junior on the Perkiomen Valley golf team this fall, took fourth place among the older guys with his 79, but did not appear in the overall standings.

   Carson Holmes, a junior at Coatesville who qualified for the PIAA Class AAA Championship for the second straight fall, posted an 83 as he took fifth place in the 16-to-18 division. Holmes was the last of the players in the 16-to-18 division to appear in the top 10 in the overall standings as he finished eighth.

   Holmes had a strong weekend at the shore as he finished in a tie for second place with Asselta behind Parrish in the 16-to-18 division a day earlier at The Shore Club.

   Chase Mitchell of Medford, N.J. took sixth place in the 16-to-18 division with an 86, Daniel Herzchel of Linwood, N.J. was seventh with a 90, Patrick Hiltner of Northfield, N.J. was eighth with 91 and Donato Stridacchio of Doylestown was ninth with a 93.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division was Michael Doyle of Haddonfield, N.J. as he finished alone in 10^th place with a 95.

   Jonathan Thomas of Landenberg made a birdie at the second hole and had four pars on his scorecard as he bested the field of nine-holers with a 3-over 39.

   It was the sixth victory in the coed 12-and-under division for Thomas in 21 Philly Junior Tour starts.

   Aiden Jose of Brick, N.J. and Gavin Lane, another member of Team Lane out of Cinnaminson, N.J., shared second place, each ending up two shots behind Thomas with a 5-over 41.

   Jose made a birdie on the fifth hole and had three pars on his card.

   Gavin Lane had six pars on his card, finishing up his round with five straight pars from the fifth through the ninth holes. It was a strong weekend at the shore for Gavin Lane as he was coming off a victory in the coed 12-and-under division a day earlier at The Shore Club.

   Jameson Foreman of Somers Point, N.J., coming off a runnerup finish to Gavin Lane a day earlier at The Shore Club, took fourth place with a 44.

   Grayson McCann of Downingtown, coming off a third-place finish behind Foreman a day earlier at The Shore Club, took fifth place with a 47.

Victor Wang of Hockessin, Del. and Connor Clayton of Mays Landing, N.J. shared sixth place, each signing for a 49, Joseph (Joey) Charpentier of Schwenksville was eighth with a 50 and Michael Antolino III of Richboro was ninth with a 51.

Zheng Yan of Malvern took 10^th place with a 54 and Jack Spear of Villanova rounded out the field in the coed 12-and-under division as he finished 11^th with a 62.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parrish racks up another Philly Junior Tour victory with a 77 at The Shore Club

 

   Christopher Parrish of Woolwich Township, N.J. continued what has been a fall-long roll on the Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour as he carded a 5-over-par 77 at The Shore Club in Cape May Court House, N.J. for a victory Nov. 9^th in the 16-to-18 division.

   Parrish made a birdie on the 15^th hole and had 11 pars on his scorecard over a Shore Club layout that proved to be challenging for the junior standouts as the Philly Junior Tour concluded its ambitious 2024 schedule with a weekend at the Jersey Shore. It was the 11^th Philly Junior Tour victory of the season for Parrish.

   Coatesville junior Carson Holmes, on the heels of his second straight appearance in the PIAA Class AAA Championship, and Rory Asselta of Ramsey, N.J. shared runnerup honors, each finishing two shots behind Parrish with a 7-over 79.

   Holmes made a birdie on the second hole and had 10 pars on his card. Asselta had 13 pars on his card, including a string of five straight pars from the sixth through the 10^th holes.

   Chase Dillman, who capped his scholastic career at Boyertown with a trip to the PIAA Class AAA Championship this fall, finished another two shots behind Holmes and Asselta in fourth place with an 81.

   Patrick Hiltner of Northfield, N.J. took fifth place with an 82, Daniel Herzchel of Linwood, N.J. was sixth with an 84, Matthew Duphorn of Erial, N.J. was seventh with an 85, Drake Brogan of Ocean View, N.J. was eighth with a 94 and it was pretty much a home game for Cole Bada as he hopped over from Cape May, N.J. to finish ninth with a 98.

   Matteo Finelli of Manahawkin, N.J. took 10^th place with a 99 and Ian Miller of Sinking Spring rounded out the field in the 16-to-18 division as he finished 11^th with a 111.

   Ryan Sun of Morganville, N.J. had 10 pars on his scorecard as he finished at the top of the leaderboard in the 13-to-15 division with an 8-over 80.

   Samuel Vinc of Brockton and Wushouyi Sun of State College shared runnerup honors, each ending up a shot behind Ryan Sun with an 81.

   Vinc made a birdie on the seventh hole and had nine pars on his card. Wushouyi Sun made a birdie on the ninth hole and had 10 pars on his card.

   Jackson Lane of Cinnaminson, N.J. took fourth place with an 84, Tyler Whitney of Cherry Hill, N.J. was fifth with an 85, Jordan Stott of West Creek, N.J. was sixth with an 88 and Wil Simonson of Haddonfield, N.J. was seventh with a 92.

   Logan Stoney of Hillsborough, N.J. and Tucker Detwiler of West Chester shared eighth place, each recording a 94, and Owen Ciesielka, another West Chester guy, rounded out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division as he finished alone in 10^th with a 95.

   Andi Jones of Glenside was the lone entry in the girls 16-to-18 division and made back-to-back pars at the 13^th and 14^th holes as she claimed a Philly Junior Tour victory with a 107.

   Juliana Gatt of Newtown was the lone entry in the 13-to-15 division and she made a par at the 10^th hole while matching Jones’ 107 to claim a Philly Junior Tour victory.

   Gavin Lane, another member of Team Lane out of Cinnaminson, N.J., made birdies on the second and fourth holes and had two pars on his scorecard as he bested the field of nine-holers with a 5-over 41.

   Jameson Foreman of Somers Point, N.J. made a birdie on the seventh hole and had two pars on his card as he finished a shot behind Gavin Lane in second place with a 6-over 42.

   Grayson McCann of Downingtown made a birdie on the ninth hole and had four pars on his card as he finished another shot behind Foreman in third place with a 43.

   Damien Dollard, another Cinnaminson, N.J. entry, took fourth place with a 45. Dollard was coming off a weekend sweep of the coed 12-and-under division the previous weekend with wins in Philly Junior Tour stops at Deerfield Golf Club and Pitman Golf Course.

   Aiden Jose of Brick, N.J. took fifth place with a 48, Victor Wang of Hockessin, Del. was sixth with a 52, Carter Tracy of Smyrna, Del. was seventh with a 53 and Michael Antolini III of Richboro finished eighth with a 54.

   Joseph (Joey) Charpentier of Schwenksville rounded out the field in the coed 12-and-under division as he finished in ninth place with a 55.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oakley's late charge falls short as he finishes in a tie for second in NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship

 

   Zac Oakley, an instructor at Bidermann Golf Club, took a run at Domenico Geminiani in the final round of the National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship Sunday at the PGA Golf Club’s Wanamaker Course in Port St. Lucie, Fla., but ultimately had to settle for a share of second place.

   Oakley began the day in a tie for fifth place and trailing Geminiani of Old Corkscrew Golf Course in Estero, Fla. by nine shots.

   But an eagle at the par-5 13^th hole and birdies at 15 and 16 enabled Oakley to creep within two shots of Geminiani. However, Geminiani, who made pars on 14 of his first 15 holes, was able to withstand Oakley’s charge with a final round of 2-over 74 that gave him a 12-under 276 total.

   Oakley made a double bogey at the final hole that left him with a final round of 4-under 68 for a 9-under 279 total as he ended up in a tie for second place with Preston Cole of the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., the NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship’s defending champion.

   The three-shot margin of victory was a bit deceiving, though, as Oakley, who finished in a tie for third place a year ago and tied for fourth two years ago, made quite a charge.

   Oakley made birdies at the first and third holes to get his final round started. He stumbled briefly with a bogey at the fourth hole before making a birdie at seven.

   That set the stage for his startling burst when he went 4-under in a space of four holes before giving two shots back with his double bogey at the last.

   “I made an eagle on 13 and I had a really good look for eagle at 16, but I misread that putt,” Oakley told Craig Dolch of the PGA of America website. “Then I just completely botched the final hole.”

   Neat story in Dolch’s account of the final round of the NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship on the PGA of America’s website concerning Oakley. Seems he locked his clubs in his car right before the start of his third round.

   Oakley was about to tee off for his third round with just three clubs when his dad Pete, a dominant player in the Philadelphia Section PGA back in the day, showed up with a spare key and Zac Oakley was able to retrieve his sticks and go out and card a solid 2-under 70.

   Pete Oakley was a complete mystery to the world of golf outside of the Philadelphia Section when he showed up at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland in 2004 and captured the title in the Royal & Ancient’s Senior Open Championship. Sounds like he was pretty clutch once again Saturday at the PGA Golf Club.

   Meanwhile, Geminiani did a great job of protecting the seven-shot lead he held entering Sunday’s final round. He made a bogey at the third hole, but otherwise had 14 pars on his card when Oakley got within two shots of him.

   Geminiani made his only birdie of the day at the 16^th hole and finished up with bogeys at 17 and 18, but he was still able to hold on to grab the winner’s check of $14,700. It was the 28-year-old Italian’s second victory in the NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship in the last three years as he captured the crown two years ago as well.

   “I was playing the same way, just wasn’t playing as well,” Geminiani told Dolch on the PGA of America website. “I really hung in there, which is important on this course with the greens so firm.

   “My words for today were patience and maturity. In the beginning of my career when I’m not playing well, I might have forced it and tried to make birdies. I stayed really patient and let the game come to me.”

   It was a spirited title defense for Cole as he closed with a 2-under 70 that enabled him to get a share of second play with Oakley at 9-under 279.

   Evan Brewser, playing out of the pro shop at LaPlaya Golf Club in Naples, Fla., and Michael Kartrude of The Bear’s Club in Jupiter, Fla. both finished strong to finish in a tie for fourth place, two shots behind Oakley and Cole at 7-under 281.

   Oakley headlined a group of five Philadelphia Section representatives who survived the 36-hole cut and played the weekend at the Wanamaker Course.

   Trevor Bensel, an assistant pro at Sandy Run Country Club, closed with a 1-over 73 to finish among the group tied for 15^th place with a 1-under 287 total. It was a second straight strong showing in the NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship for Bensel, who finished in a tie for seventh place a year ago.

   Brian Bergstol, the head of instruction at the Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, always seems to play well in the NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship. He finished in a tie for second place behind Geminiani two years ago and was the runnerup a year earlier in 2021.

   Bergstol closed with a solid 1-under 71 to finish in the group tied for 25^th place with a 2-over 290. Bergstol had finished in a tie for 26^th place at the PGA Golf Club a year ago.

   Rusty Harbold, who works out of the Philadelphia Cricket Club pro shop, matched par in the final round with a 72 to finish among the group tied for 48^th place with an 8-over 296 total.

   Jeff Fick, an assistant pro at Moselem Springs Golf Club, closed with a 4-over 76 to end up in the group tied for 60^th place with a 302 total.

   The NCR Assistant PGA Professional Championship is supported by Srixon Golf and Cleveland Golf.