Roberts will return to Girls Junior PGA Championship after repeat victory at DuPont

 

   Still playing catch-up in my reporting on the Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour results, but this one was too important to wait for …

   Kayley Roberts, who capped her outstanding scholastic career at Phoenixville with a runnerup finish in last fall’s PIAA Class AAA Championship, is heading for the Girls Junior PGA Championship, one of the major national events for juniors staged by the PGA of America each year, for a second straight summer.

   Roberts, who will join her older sister Kate at Delaware later this summer, was rock solid, adding a 4-under-par 68 in the afternoon to her opening round of 3-under 69 Monday at the Nemours Course at DuPont Country Club outside of Wilmington, Del. to capture the title in the Philadelphia Girls Junior PGA Championship for the second year in a row with a 7-under 137 total.

   Given the weather forecast, you’d have thought the Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour, which was running the event, would have felt fortunate to get in 18 holes Monday.

   Maybe Mother Nature felt we were due a break following a Fourth of July week that featured three straight days of 100-degree plus temperatures and a couple of heavy thunderstorms.

   The last of that weather broke early Monday morning and what followed was perfect weather for golf, maybe a little humid, but nothing compared to last week’s unrelenting heat. Turned out there was more than enough of a weather window for the one-day, 36-hole shootout that annually brings together the very best junior players from the region, and beyond.

   Only the winner is guaranteed a spot in the Girls Junior PGA Championship, which tees off July 28 at PGA Frisco’s Fields Ranch East and West Courses at the PGA of America’s national headquarters in Frisco, Texas.

   But Kiersten Bodge, a senior at Notre Dame Academy and winner of the Inter-Ac League and Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) individual crowns in the spring, claimed runnerup honors, ending up two shots behind Roberts with a 5-under 139 total and will likely get a wild card to the Junior Girls PGA Championship.

   As for any other wild cards out of the Philadelphia Girls Junior PGA Championship, we’ll see.

   Girls ages 13-to-18 are eligible for the Junior Girls PGA Championship. The Philly Junior Tour broke out its usual 16-to-18 and 13-to-15 age groups, so I’ll round them up while referring to the overall scoring.

   Roberts and Kiersten Bodge were clearly the two best players in this field, although the two players who finished in a tie at the top of the leaderboard in the 13-to-15 division and in a tie for third place in the overall scoring at 3-under 141, Valerie Danby, the precocious 12-year-old from Avondale, and Maddie Chang, an invader from New York City, weren’t too far behind.

   With Kiersten Bodge keeping the pressure on in front of her, Roberts made birdies on the first, third, eighth, ninth and 11^th holes in her afternoon round to get it 7-under for the tournament. Roberts stumbled briefly with back-to-back bogeys at the 13^th and 14^th holes, but a birdie at 18 gave her a final round of 4-under 68 and the top spot in the 16-to-18 division and in the overall scoring.

   In the morning, Roberts made birdies at the eighth and 11^th holes, recorded the lone bogey on her scorecard at 12 and made birdies at 13 and 18 to record the only sub-70 round in the opening round with a 3-under 69.

   Roberts survived the 36-hole cut in last year’s Girls Junior PGA Championship with two solid rounds at Purdue’s Birck Boilermaker Complex in West Lafayette, Ind., but came up short of surviving the 54-hole cut.

   Playing on that final day this summer at PGA Frisco would be a likely goal for Roberts later this month.

   This will be the debut on a national stage for Kiersten Bodge, who plans to join the program at Penn State at the end of next summer, as far as I’m aware. She contended for the Inter-Ac title as far back as seventh grade and finally broke through in the spring, showing a lot of poise on a day when Sandy Run Country Club was buffeted by steady 20-to-30 mph winds with gusts that reached 40, at least.

   Chasing Roberts and starting off the 10^th tee in the afternoon, Kiersten Bodge rattled off seven straight pars. Birdies at the 17^th, first, third and seventh holes got Kiersten Bodge to 6-under for the tournament.

   A bogey at the eighth hole, the only blemish on her card, left her with a 3-under 69 and a 5-under total that was two shots behind Roberts.

   Starting off the 10^th tee in the morning, Kiersten Bodge made a birdie at the 10^th hole and gave a couple of shots back with bogeys at 11 and 16 before getting it back to even-par with a birdie at 18. Birdies at the third and fifth holes left her with a 2-under 70 and trailing Roberts by just a shot going into the second round.

   Roberts was coming off a fourth-place finish in last week’s Pennsylvania Junior Girls’ Championship at Lebanon Country Club. Bodge finished in sixth place at Lebanon.

   Really solid showing by Harriton junior Megan Choi, who has reached the PIAA Class AAA Championship in each of her first two seasons of scholastic golf.

   Choi matched par in the afternoon with a 72 after opening with a 1-over 73 that left her in third place in the 16-to-18 division and fifth overall with a 1-over 145 total that was six shots behind Kiersten Bodge.

   After opening her second round with a bogey at the first hole, Choi rattled off birdies at two, three, five, seven and 11 to get it to 4-under for her round. After a bogey at the 15^th hole, Choi made a birdie at 16 to get it back to 4-under before stumbling at the finish with back-to-back double bogeys at 17 and 18 that dropped her back to even-par for the round.

   Choi was really steady in the morning, making a birdie at the second hole and bogeys at eight and 17 in her 1-over round.

   Nina Zhuang, an invader from Blairstown, N.J., was another shot behind Choi in fourth place among the older girls and sixth overall with a 2-over 146 total. Zhuang added a 1-under 71 in the afternoon to her opening round of 3-over 75.

   Cardinal O’Hara junior Alaina Carson, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier in each of her first two scholastic seasons, and Exeter senior Giulia Weisser, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier, finished in a tie for fifth place in the 16-to-18 division and in a tie for seventh in the overall scoring with Newtown phenom Myra Tomer and Athena Lin of Princeton Junction, N.J. out of the 13-to-15 division, the foursome all ending up at 3-over 147.

   Carson added a 1-over 73 in the afternoon after opening with a 2-over 74. Weisser bounced back from an opening round of 6-over 78 with a sparkling 3-under 69 in the afternoon.

   Stella Bernardi of Sewell, N.J. and Ephrata junior Makenna Heckman, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier in each of her first two scholastic seasons, finished in a tie for seventh place in the 16-to-18 division with a 5-over 149 total.

   Bernardi added a 2-over 74 in the afternoon to her opening-round 75. Heckman posted a 1-over 73 in the afternoon after opening with a 4-over 76.

   Hannah Webb, a Woolwich, N.J. resident and a senior on the Archmere Academy golf team, finished alone in ninth place among the older girls with a 6-over 150 total.

   Webb also represented the Philly Section in the Girls Junior PGA Championship at Purdue a year ago after finishing as the runnerup to Roberts in the Philadelphia Girls Junior PGA Championship at DuPont.

   Webb, the runnerup in the girls division of the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA) Championship at Baywood Greens in May, opened with a solid 2-over 74 before adding a 76 in the afternoon.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division were Conestoga senior Nicollette Bottos, who helped the Pioneers capture the PIAA Class AAA team crown last fall, and Piper Smith, who capped an outstanding scholastic career at Warwick by finishing right behind Roberts in third place in the PIAA Class AAA Championship last fall, as each ended up with a 7-over 151 total.

   Bottos, coming off a fifth-place finish in last week’s Pennsylvania Junior Girls at Lebanon, opened with a 3-over 75 before adding a 76 in the afternoon. Smith had the identical splits, adding a 76 in the afternoon to her opening round of 3-over 75.

   It’s no longer surprising to see Danby performing at a high level, despite not quite officially being a teen-ager.

   After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Danby recorded a sparkling 3-under 69 in the afternoon to join New York City’s Chang in a tie for first place in the 13-to-15 division and in a tie for third in the overall chase at 3-under.

   Danby jump-started her afternoon round with an eagle at the par-5 third hole. She gave a shot back with a bogey at the fourth hole, made a birdie at six and a bogey at nine before making a couple more birdies at 11 and 14 to get it to 3-under for her round. Danby made a bogey at the 17^th hole, but got it to the clubhouse at 3-under with a birdie at the last.

   Danby was a little steadier in the morning, offsetting bogeys at the eighth and 13^th holes with birdies at 11 and 18.

   Chang was in red figures in both of her rounds as she added a 1-under 71 in the afternoon to her opening-round 70.

   Chang got her afternoon round off to a fast start with birdies at the third and fourth holes. After a bogey at the 10^th hole, Chang made a birdie at 14 and bogeys at 15 and 17 before closing with a birdie at the last that enabled her to join Danby at 3-under for the tournament.

   In the morning, Chang made a bogey at the second hole, but quickly recovered with birdies at three and six, an eagle at the par-4 eighth and another birdie at nine as she made the turn at 4-under.

   Chang fell back to 1-under with bogeys at the 13^th, 16^th and 17^th holes, but a birdie at 18 left her at 2-under, just a shot behind Roberts and tied with Bodge going into the second round.

   The 14-year-old Tomer and Lin finished seven shots behind Danby and Chang in a tie for third place in the 13-to-15 division and in a tie for seventh in the overall standings with Carson and Weisser from the 16-to-18 division at 3-over 147.

   Tomer, who finished in a tie for second place in the Pennsylvania Junior Girls at Lebanon last week, matched par in the opening round with a 72 before closing with a 3-over 75.

   Tomer started fast in the afternoon with birdies at the second and third holes. She struggled a little on the Nemours Course’s incoming nine with a bogey at the 12^th hole, a double bogey at 13 and bogeys at 16 and 18.

   Tomer got off to a great start in the morning with birdies at the third, fourth and sixth holes. After a bogey at the seventh hole, Toomer got it back to 3-under for the round with a birdie at 10 before stumbling a little down the stretch with bogeys at 11,14 and 17.

   After opening with a 1-over 73, Lin added a 74 in the afternoon to join Tomer at 3-over.

   In the afternoon, Lin, starting off the 10^th tee, made a birdie at the 10^th hole and bogeys at 13 and 16 and was 1-over heading to the front nine. After making a birdie at the first hole, Lin made bogeys at four and eight to finish at 1-over.

   Lin, again starting off the 10^th tee in the morning, made bogeys at the 13^th, 16^th and 17^th holes before embarking on an eventful tour of the Nemours Course’s outgoing nine.

   Lin made birdies at the second and third holes, a double bogey at four, a birdie at five and a bogey at seven before finishing up the front with back-to-back birdies at eight and nine.

   The foursome of Carson, Weisser, Toomer and Lin rounded out the top 10 in the overall scoring.

   Emilie Davoli, a 12-year-old from Ambler, tallied a pair of 79s to finish 11 shots behind Tomer and Lin in fifth place among the younger girls with a 158 total.

   Dahlia Garrick, coming off her freshman season at the Tower Hill School, and Katelyn Bodge, younger sister of Kiersten Bodge and a freshman at Notre Dame, finished in a tie for sixth place in the 13-to-15 division, each posting a 160 total.

   Garrick, who finished in a tie for fourth place in the DIAA Championship at Baywood Greens in May, bounced back from an opening-round 84 with a 4-over 76 in the afternoon.

   Katelyn Bodge, who finished in sixth place behind her older sister in the Inter-Ac League Championship at Sandy Run as an eighth-grader, added a 6-over 78 in the afternoon to her opening-round 82.

   Mia DeCarlo of Glen Mills, one of the top players in the Philly Junior Tour's 12-and-under division a year ago, finished a shot behind Garrick and Katelyn Bodge in eighth place in the 13-to-15 division as she added a 6-over 78 in the afternoon to her opening-round 83 for a 161 total.

   Trisha Lobo, the talented 11-year-old from Collegeville, tallied a pair of 81s to finish in ninth place among the younger girls with a 162 total. Lobo was the Player of the Year in 2025 among the Philly Junior Tour's 12-and-under nine-holers.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division were Stella Varano of Schwenksville and Chloe Pridie, a junior on the Oley golf team, as they finished in a tie for 10^th place, each registering a 175 total.

   Varano added a 90 in the afternoon to her opening-round 85. Pridie had the opposite splits, adding an 85 in the afternoon to her opening-round 90.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thomas packs the patience to claim a Philly Junior Tour victory at Inniscrone

 

   Jonathan Thomas of Landenberg was a par machine at Inniscrone Golf Club, an early Gil Hanse design in London Grove Township, Chester County, as his 4-over-par 74 was the best score of the day and enabled him to claim the top spot in the 13-to-15 division in a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour stop June 23^rd.

   Thomas had 14 pars on his scorecard, including eight straight pars to open his round, and his patience over the tough Inniscrone layout was rewarded.

   Dean Matta, a West Grove resident playing close to home, Nathan Barker of Malvern and Jack Bishay of West Chester finished in a tie for second place, each ending up seven shots behind Thomas with an 81.

   Matta had eight pars on his card. Barker had 10 pars on his card, including five straight pars to close out his round. Bishay had nine pars on his card, including four straight pars to finish up his round.

  Kaycen Subbio of Blue Bell and Ryan Agan of Avondale shared fifth place, each signing for an 82 and Sam Nelligan, an incoming freshman at Boyertown, and Ethan Moran, a sophomore on the Spring-Ford golf team, finished in a tie for seventh place, each posting an 84.

   Carter Bove of Kennett Square took ninth place with an 86 and Jackson Ehrlich of Berwyn and Johnny Terzaghi of Wilmington, Del. rounded out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division as they finished in a tie for 10^th place, each carding an 89.

   Brayden Hughes of Hockessin, Del. made birdies at the fifth and seventh holes and had eight pars on his scorecard, including five straight pars from 10 through 14, as he earned a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 16-to-18 division with a 9-over 79.

   Jaden Irvin, a senior on the Hershey High golf team, finished out his round with a birdie at the 18th hole and had seven pars on his card as he earned runnerup honors with an 80 that left him a shot behind Hughes.

   Vaughn Smartt of Bryn Mawr had 10 pars on his card as he finished in third place with an 82.

   Robert Rittereiser, coming off his freshman season with the Salesianum golf team, and Joseph Gangemi Jr. of Downingtown shared fourth place, each tallying an 84.

   Nicholas Milone of Bryn Mawr took sixth place with an 84 and Matt DeMarco, a senior on the Cardinal O’Hara golf team, and Ryan Eisenhart, a junior on the Spring-Ford golf team, finished in a tie for seventh place, each recording an 87.

   David Dempsey of Franklinville, N.J. took ninth place with a 91 and John Gross of Swedesboro, N.J. rounded out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division as he finished 10^th with a 92.

   Emma Gangemi, a junior on the Downingtown East golf team and a member of Downingtown’s Team Gangemi, had five pars on her scorecard as she captured a Philly Junior Tour victory in the girls 16-to-18 division with an 87.

   Foridah Ismaila, a junior on the Great Valley golf team, made pars on the third and 14^th holes as she earned runnerup honors with a 113.

   Emily Renouf of Cinnaminson, N.J. rounded out the field in the 16-to-18 division as she finished in third place with a 115.

   Molly Wagner, a junior on the St. Mark’s golf team, had six pars on her scorecard as she matched Emma Gangemi’s 87 while claiming a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 13-to-15 division.

   Allison Choi of Penn Valley made a birdie on the ninth hole and finished out her round with a par at 18 as she earned runnerup honors with a 100.

   A couple of teammates on the Great Valley golf team, Kate Benson, a sophomore, and Olivia Rosen, a junior, finished in third and fourth place, respectively, as Benson posted a 113 and Rosen tallied a 120.

   Hridya Shah of Downingtown rounded out the field in the 13-to-15 division as she finished in fifth place with a 124.

   The competitive balance among the boys 12-and-under nine-holers was on display as Samuel Karas of Blue Bell, Kash Gray of Eagleville and Niko Muego of Bryn Mawr finished in a tie at the top of the leaderboard, each signing for a 4-over 39.

   Karas, coming off a victory the previous week in a Nine Hole Series stop at the Sweet Water Golf Course, had five pars on his scorecard, three of them consecutively at the second, third and fourth holes.

   Gray and Muego both had five pars on his card in joining Karas at 4-over.

   Landon Post of Lincoln University, the son of Patty Post, the overall director of the men’s and women’s programs at the University of Delaware, and Brendon Post, who is the head coach of the men’s team for the Blue Hens, took fourth place with a 42.

   Joey Charpentier of Schwenksville, coming off a victory a day earlier in a Philly Junior Tour stop at the Chapel Hill Golf Course, took fifth place with a 43, Ryan Scully of Chesterbrook was sixth with a 45 and Victor Wang of Hockessin, Del. and Ryan Stefanski of Newtown Square finished in a tie for seventh, each recording a 46.

   Nolan English of Villanova took ninth place with a 48 and Jackson Larrabee of Wilmington,
Del. rounded out the top 10 in the boys 12-and-under division as he finished 10^th with a 49.

   Addison Sabatini of West Chester bested the field of girls 12-and-under nine-holers as she carded a 50.

   Vivian Anderson of Wilmington, Del. made a par on the fifth hole as she rounded out a short field in the girls 12-and-under division as she finished in second place with a 55.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coatesville's Jakatt solid at Chapel Hill on his way to a Philly Junior Tour victory

 

   Braydon Jakatt, a senior on the Coatesville golf team, carded a solid 1-over-par 71 at the Chapel Hill Golf Course near Reading to claim a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour victory in the 16-to-18 division June 22^nd.

   Jakatt made birdies at the fourth and seventh holes, went back-to-back with birdies at 10 and 11 and had 10 pars on his scorecard, including five straight pars to finish out his round.

   John Thompson, a junior on the Phoenixville golf team, and Radek Ramaley, a senior on the Nazareth golf team, shared second place, each ending up three shots behind Jakatt with a 4-over 74.

   John Thompson jump-started his round with an eagle at the par-5 fourth hole, added birdies at 10 and 15 and had eight pars on his card. Ramaley made birdies at the fourth and 14^th holes and had 11 pars on his card, including a string of five straight pars from five through nine.

   Grady Rupe, a senior on the Perkiomen Valley golf team, took fourth place with a 79 and Max Berish, a senior on the Owen J. Roberts golf team, Morgan Thompson, a senior and another member of Team Thompson on the Phoenixville golf team, and Victor Frederico of Moorestown, N.J. finished in a tie for fifth, each posting an 80.

   Landon Wolfe of Middletown, Del. took eighth place with an 82, Matthew Quinn of Abington was ninth with an 85 and Denny Deering, a junior on the golf team at The Haverford School, and Jaden Irvin, a senior on the Hershey golf team, rounded out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division, each ending up in a tie for 10^th with 88s.

   Ruben Yoon, a sophomore on the Archmere Academy golf team, got off to a hot start and went on to capture a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 13-to-15 division with a 5-over 75.

   Yoon made a birdie at the second hole and then an eagle at the par-5 fourth before making another birdie at five. He ended up with eight pars on his scorecard.

   Jesse Kanefsky, a Bryn Mawr resident and a sophomore at The Haverford School, made birdies at the fourth, 11^th, 13^th and 16^th holes and had five pars on his card, four of them coming consecutively from five through eight, as he finished two shots behind Yoon in second place with a 7-over 77.

   Peter Heilman of Mechanicsburg and Harry Nepereny of Devon shared third place, each signing for an 80.

   Heilman made a birdie on the fourth hole and had nine pars on his card. Nepereny had 10 pars on his card.

   Charlie Murray of Berwyn took fifth place with an 85 and James Dugan of Villanova and Dylan Henzel of Wallingford finished in a tie for sixth, each recording an 87.

   Will Sylvester of Wayne and Michael McCalla of Newtown Square shared eighth place, each registering an 88, and Toby Parker of Chester Springs and Chase Fogli, another Wayne guy, rounded out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division as they finished in a tie for 10^th, each posting a 90.

   Emily Stauffer, who wrapped up her scholastic career at Warwick last fall, was the lone entry in the girls 16-to-18 division and delivered the best score of the day among the girls with an 89.

   Stauffer made a birdie at the 13^th hole and had four pars on her scorecard.

   Alexa Mcelwain of Schnecksville made a birdie on the 10^th hole and had three pars on her scorecard as she earned a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 13-to-15 division with a 90.

   Naaya Patel of Moorestown, N.J. made pars on the first and 11^th holes as she earned runnerup honors with a 94.

   Lanie Whitehead of Swedesboro, N.J. rounded out the field in the 13-to-15 division as she made a birdie on the 10^th hole and a par at the first to finish in third place with a 106.

   Joey Charpentier of Schwenksville, who has been a fixture on the boys 12-and-under division leaderboards in 2026, made birdies at the fourth and ninth holes and had five pars on his scorecard, including three straight at six, seven and eight, as he bested the field of nine-holers with an even-par 36 on Chapel Hill’s outward nine.

   Blake Shurman of Villanova had six pars on his card as he earned runnerup honors with a 4-over 40.

Kash Gray of Eagleville made a birdie on the third hole and had six pars on his card, including a string of five pars in a row from five through eight, as he finished in third place with a 41.

   Niko Muego of Bryn Mawr took fourth place with a 42, Jaxon Price of York was fifth with a 43 and Grayson Wright of Philadelphia rounded out the field in the 12-and-under division as he finished sixth with a 44.