Kiddie proves he can still play a little by taking title in Philadelphia Senior PGA Professional Championship at Bellewood

 

   Playing a little catch-up with the Philadelphia Section PGA guys. I especially hate to miss out on the local qualifiers for the national PGA of America championships that are played in the fall.

   You know it had to be a busy spring for Jeff Kiddie, the head pro at Aronimink Golf Club.

   Aronimink, the Donald Ross masterpiece in Newtown Square, played host to the PGA Championship, the PGA of America’s most important event.

   Kiddie was honored by the PGA of America in 2023 when he was named the Golf Professional of the Year, the highest honor the organization bestows on one of its members. So you know Kiddie was going to go all out to make sure that Aronimink put its best foot forward when it welcomed the best players in the game to Delaware County.

   And, from everything I’ve heard, Kiddie and Aronimink succeeded, by almost any measure, in putting on a great show in May.

   So maybe Kiddie could take a deep breath and relax and do what got him into the golf business in the first place: Play some golf.

   And guess what, Kiddie can still play a little. Teeing it up in the Philadelphia Senior PGA Professional Championship for the first time, Kiddie added a solid 3-under-par 68 to his opening-round 70 June 22^nd and 23^rd at Bellewood Country Club, just across the Schuylkill River from Pottstown, to capture the title with a 4-under 138 total.

   Kiddie had opened with a 1-under 70 in occasional rain showers to take a one-shot lead over Frank Bensel, the veteran club pro who has made Galloway National Golf Club his new base of operation.

   But Kiddie came out firing in the second round, taking control of the tournament with a birdie at the first hole, an eagle at the par-5 second and another birdie at four. Suddenly, he was 5-under for the tournament.

   Kiddie made a bogey at the fifth hole, got that shot back with a birdie at seven and stumbled a little with bogeys at eight and 12. But he had built a nice cushion with that fast start and a birdie at the 17^th hole enabled him to finish with a 4-under total as he cruised to a seven-shot victory.

   “This was the first time I’ve been able to play in this championship as it normally conflicted with our women’s Member-Member event at (Aronimink),” Kiddie told the Philadelphia Section website. “To win this championship, with so many awesome names on that trophy, it really means a lot.”

   The victory also means Kiddie will head a seven-man Philly Section contingent (maybe more if some of the alternates get in) to the Senior PGA Professional Championship, which will tee off Oct. 22 at Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club in Grand Canyon, Ariz.

   Kiddie’s victory also earned him a spot in the pre-qualifier for the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic, presented by Sodexo, as the PGA Tour Champions returns to the region for the first time in a while in October at Lehigh Country Club, an underrated William Flynn design in Allentown.

   A top-35 finish at Superstition Mountain sends a player to the Senior PGA Championship, a major championship on the PGA Tour Champions, which returns to The Concession Club in Bradenton, Fla. for the second straight year next spring.

   John Pillar, the Philly Section’s two-time reigning Robert “Skee” Riegel Senior Player of the Year, was part of the Corebridge Financial Team that reached the Senior PGA Championship this year with a solid showing at last fall’s Senior PGA Professional Championship at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

   Pillar, the director of golf at the Country Club at Woodloch Springs, made the cut and played the weekend at The Concession Club and that accomplishment exempted him to the Senior PGA Professional Championship at Superstition Mountain.

   Pillar added a 4-over 75 to his opening-round 76 at Bellewood as he finished in the group tied for 11^th place with a 9-over 151 total. Pillar had won the last two editions of the Philadelphia Senior PGA Professional Championship.

   Dave McNabb, the head pro at Applebrook Golf Club who has been one of the top senior players in the Philly Section for more than a decade, added a 1-under 70 in the second round at Bellewood to an opening round of 4-over 75 as he earned runnerup honors with a 3-over 145 total that left him seven shots behind Kiddie.

   Frank Bensel, who, like Pillar, represented the Philly Section in the Senior PGA Championship at The Concession Club in April, shared third place with Hugo Mazzalupi of the Radnor Golf Foundation, each landing on 4-over 146.

   Frank Bensel added a 4-over 75 in the second round at Bellewood after matching par in the opening round with a 71.

   Mazzalupi added a solid 1-under 70 in the second round at Bellewood to his opening round of 5-over 76.

   The ageless Dave Quinn, playing out of Laurel Creek Country Club, added a 1-over 72 to his opening-round 75 to finish in fifth place with a 5-over 147 total.

   Chris Krueger of Kings Creek Country Club and Brendon Post, the head coach of the men’s golf team at Delaware, nailed down the final two guaranteed berths to Superstition Mountain as they finished in a tie for sixth place, each recording a 6-over 148.

   Krueger and Post had identical splits, each bouncing back from an opening round of 5-over 76 with a 1-over 72 in the second round.

   Terry Hertzog, playing out of the Bent Creek Country Club pro shop, was also in the tie for sixth place at 6-over as he opened with a 2-over 73 and added a 75 in the second round.

   Looks like he lost out in a playoff and will be the first alternate to Superstition Mountain out of the Philly Section, but Hertzog should have a decent chance to make the field for the Senior PPC.

   Wayne Phillips, playing out of the aforementioned Lehigh Country Club pro shop, took top honors in the Super Senior division as he matched par in the opening round with a 71 and added 2-over 73 in the second round for a 2-over 144 total.

   Harvey Williams of Glen Oak Country Club was the runnerup to Phillips among the older guys as he added a 3-over 74 to an opening-round 73 for a 5-over 147 total.

   The Philadelphia Senior PGA Professional Championship was supported by PXG, The Golf Channel, Ohana Farm and SCNS Sports Foods.

   Anthony Sebastianelli, working out of the Whitford Country Club pro shop these days, captured the title in the Philadelphia Assistant PGA Professional Championship in a playoff with Logan Hay of Burlington Country Club in a one-day, 36-hole shootout June 15^th.

   The Philadelphia Assistant PGA Professional Championship honors the memory of the late, great Dick Smith Sr., a past president of both the PGA of America and the Philadelphia Section.

   Sebastianelli, who starred scholastically at Abington Heights and collegiately at Connecticut State, has emerged as one of the top players in the Philly Section and his talent was on display at Laurel Creek.

   Sebastianelli opened with a 1-over 72 that left him a shot behind Hay, Zac Oakley, out of Bidermann Golf Club, and Andrew Cornish, who works out of the pro shop at Llanerch Country Club.

   But Sebastianelli got off to a great start in the afternoon, making birdies at the second, fourth and fifth holes and an eagle at the par-5 ninth. He stumbled a little on the incoming nine with bogeys at the 11^th and 18^th holes, but posted a 3-under 68 that gave him a 2-under 140 total.

   Hay started a little slowly in the second round with a bogey at the first hole, but he heated up in the middle of the round with birdies at nine, 12 and 15 that got him to 2-under for the tournament.

   Hay dropped a shot with a bogey at the 17^th hole, but came up with a clutch birdie at the last for a second round of 2-under 69 that forced a playoff with Sebastianelli.

   Sebastianelli and Hay will head a group of six Philly Section players (again, maybe more if any of the alternates get in) who qualified for the Assistant PGA Professional Championship, which tees off Nov. 12 at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

   Oakley added a 1-under 70 to his opening-round 71 to share third place with Austin Barbin of the Chesapeake Bay Golf Club, each ending up with a 1-under 141.

   Oakley has competed and contended in so many events at the PGA Golf Club, he could probably play the Ryder and Wanamaker courses blindfolded. He finished in a tie for second place in the Assistant PPC in 2024.

   Austin Barbin, who capped his amateur career by capturing the title in the BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship in 2024 at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club, added a sparkling 3-under 68 in the second round to his opening-round 73 to join Oakley at 1-under.

   Austin Barbin’s older brother, Zach, was a shot behind Oakley and Zach’s little brother, in fifth place with an even-par 142 total as he added a 2-under 69 in the second round to his opening-round 73.

   Zach Barbin, also playing out of Chesapeake Bay – the Barbin family owns the place – was exempt into the Assistant PPC because he finished in a tie for second place last fall in the Assistant PPC at the PGA Golf Club.

   Zach Barbin, winner of the BMW Philadelphia Amateur at Lancaster Country Club in the pandemic summer of 2020, has quickly established himself as one of the top players in the Philly Section.

   Trevor Bensel, an assistant pro at LuLu Country Club, grabbed the final guaranteed berth to the Assistant PPC at the PGA Golf Club as he finished strong with a 3-under 68 after opening with a 4-over 75 that left him in sixth place with a 1-over 143 total.

   Trevor Bensel very nearly earned a berth in the field for the PGA Championship as he finished one spot outside the top 20 that formed the Corebridge Financial Team at Aronimink. He ended up in 21^st place in the PGA Professional Championship at the Bandon Dunes Resort on Oregon’s rugged coastline in April.

   Llanerch’s Cornish added a 2-over 73 in the second round to his opening-round 71 as he finished in seventh place at 2-over 144. Cornish is the first alternate to the Assistant PPC out of the Philly Section, which means he’s got a decent chance to join the party at the PGA Golf Club in November.

   The Philadelphia Assistant PGA Professional Championship was supported by Srixon/Cleveland Golf, The Golf Channel, Ohana Farm, SCNS Sports Foods and the PGA Tour.

   Zach Barbin flashed his considerable talent in capturing the title in the 40^th Burlington Classic, presented by WSFS Bank, at Burlington Country Club in Westampton, N.J. June 7^th and 8^th by a shot.

   Barbin and Michael Chanaud of Bear Trap Dunes hooked up in quite a shootout in the opening round at Burlington.

   Chanaud’s first nine included birdies at the second and third holes, an eagle at four and birdies at six and nine. It added up to a 6-under 29 on the outgoing nine at Burlington and he finished with a 6-under 64.

   Barbin, however, put on a pretty good show of his own on the incoming nine at Burlington, closing with five straight birdies and a back-nine 30 that left him with a 5-under 65 and a shot behind Chabaud.

   Barbin got off to a fast start in the second round with birdies at the first, fourth and fifth holes. Barbin stumbled with bogeys at the eighth, 11^th and 12 holes that dropped him back to 5-under.

   Barbin, however, made birdies at the 13^th and 16^th holes that gave him a 2-under 68 and a 7-under 133 total as he claimed a victory in the Rolex/Haverford Trust Company Player of the Year points event.

   Chanaud matched par in the second round with a 70 as he earned runnerup honors with a 6-under 134 total.

   Quinn, the talented senior who plays out of Laurel Creek, added a 1-under 69 in the second round to his opening-round 66 as he finished a shot behind Chanaud in third place with a 6-under 134 total.

   A couple of other players out of the Philly Section’s deep stable of talented seniors, Jason Wilson of Bethlehem Golf Club and Brian Kelly, the retired longtime head pro at the Bucknell Golf Club who represents Titleist Fitwear these days, finished in a tie for fourth place, each ending up with a 3-under 137 total.

   Wilson and Kelly had identical splits, each matching Quinn’s sparkling 4-under 66 in the opening round and adding a 1-over 71 in the second round.

   Quinn topped the Senior division with Wilson and Kelly tied for second place two shots behind Quinn.

   Bill Sautter, who works out of the Philadelphia Cricket Club pro shop, finished in first place in the Super Senior division as he added a 1-over 71 in the second round to his opening-round 74 for a 5-over 145 total.

   Greg Farrow, the longtime head pro at Deerwood Country Club, and Wayne Phillips, working out of the Lehigh Country Club pro shop, finished in a tie for second place with 8-over 148 totals that left them three shots behind Sautter.

   Farrow and Phillips each recorded a pair of 4-over 74s.

   Tom Byrne captured the Marotto Cup that goes to the winner of the Burlington Classic’s amateur division as he added a 6-over 76 in the second round to his opening-round 74 for a 10-over 150 total.

   Bill Murray had grabbed a one-shot lead over Byrne with an opening round of 3-over 73 before closing with a 79 that left him two shots behind Byrne in second place with a 152 total.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

O'Hara's Carson finishes strong to claim Philly Junior Tour victory in two-day event at Penn State

 

   Cardinal O’Hara junior Alaina Carson has fared pretty well at the Penn State Golf Courses in her first two appearances in the PIAA Class AAA Championship.

   Carson finished in a tie for third place at the White Course as a freshman, the highest finish for a Catholic League player ever at the state tournament, and in a tie for 10^th place at the Blue Course as a sophomore last fall.

   So, it made perfect sense for Carson to take on the two courses when the Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour conducted a two-day event at Penn State June 18^th and 19^th.

  And Carson’s familiarity with the two courses was apparent as she captured the overall title by five shots with an even-par 144 total.

   The Philly Junior Tour stop was a Junior Golf Scoreboard (JGS) event that offered players points that can earn them status on some of the higher-profile junior circuits, most notably the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA).

   And if you’re a high school golfer in Pennsylvania and your ultimate goal is to tee it up in a PIAA Championship, it can’t hurt to get in some competitive reps at the White Course and the Blue Course.

   The JGS scoring was for players ages 13-to-18. The Philly Junior Tour broke out its usual 13-to-15 and 16-to-18 divisions, so I’ll round them up while referring to the overall scoring.

   The overall boys title at Penn State went to Benjamin Allwein, who finished in a tie for seventh place in the PIAA Class AA Championship at the White Course as a freshman at Annville-Cleona last fall.

   Allwein tamed that same White Course to the tune of a sizzling 7-under 65 in the second round as he pulled away for a five-shot victory with an 8-under 136 total.

   I know that Thursday the 18^th featured steady 20 to 30 mph winds with gusts up to 40 -- your basic windstorm -- in the Philadelphia area and I’m pretty sure it was pretty much the same in the middle of the state. The scores seem to reflect that the first round was played in some challenging conditions.

   Carson carefully negotiated the Blue Course in the opening round as she made a birdie on the 12^th hole and had 13 pars on her scorecard, including a string of five straight pars from seven through 11, on her way to a 3-over 75 that left her two shots behind Makenna Heckman, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier in each of her first two seasons at Ephrata.

   But in much calmer conditions in the second round, Carson got it going at the White Course in the second round.

   She had three sets of back-to-back birdies at the second and third holes, at six and seven and again at 11 and 12 and had 11 pars on her card, including six straight pars to conclude her round. It all added up to a 3-under 69.

   Carson’s even-par 144 total gave her the top spot in the 16-to-18 division and in the overall scoring.

   Carson finished in a tie for 12^th place in defense of the Pennsylvania Junior Girls’ Championship title she won a year ago this week at Lebanon Country Club.

   Carson’s closest competitor turned out to be Raegan Young of Middletown, who closed with a solid 1-under 71 at the White Course for a 5-over 149 total that left her at the top of the leaderboard in the 13-to-15 division and earned her runnerup honors in the overall standings, five shots behind Carson.

   More on Young’s rounds later.

   York Suburban senior Vivienne Powers, who has qualified for the PIAA Class AAA Championship in each of the last two falls, added a 3-over 75 in the second round at the White Course to her opening round of 5-over 77 at the Blue Course for an 8-over 152 total that earned her runnerup honors behind Carson in the 16-to-18 division and in a tie for fourth in the overall scoring with Bryn Brandt, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a freshman at Cedar Crest last fall, from the 13-to-15 division.

   Powers made a birdie on the 10^th hole and had 13 pars on her card, including six straight pars to close out her round, in her 3-over second round at the White Course. Powers had 13 pars, including five straight pars to finish up her round, on her way to a 77 in the gusty conditions in the opening round at the Blue Course.

   Conestoga senior Jill Burks and Exeter senior Giulia Weisser, both three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifiers in their first three years of scholastic golf, finished in a tie for third place among the older girls and in a tie for sixth place in the overall scoring at 9-over 153.

   Burks, who led the Pioneers to the state Class AAA team crown last fall, struggled in the tough conditions in the opening round at the Blue Course, but still made birdies at the fifth, sixth and 10^th holes and had eight pars on her card, including four straight to finish her round, on her way to an 8-over 80.

   Burks bounced back with birdies at the third and 13^th holes and 13 pars, including a run of nine straight pars from four through 12, on her way to a solid 1-over 73 at the White Course in the second round.

   Weisser also struggled a little in the opening round at the Blue Course as she had 10 pars on her card, including a string of seven straight pars from the seventh through the 13^th holes, to match Burks’ 8-over 80.

   Weisser also matched Burks’ 1-over 73 in the second round at the White Course as Weisser made back-to-back birdies at the 15^th and 16^th holes and had 13 pars on her card, including separate runs of six straight pars, first to open her round and again from nine through 14.

   Ephrata’s Heckman and Holidaysburg’s Crosby Denis, who finished in a tie for fifth place in the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a junior last fall, finished in a tie for fifth place in the 16-to-18 division and ended up in a tie for eighth in the overall scoring with Chloe Donahue of Moorestown, N.J. from the 13-to-15 division, each landing on 10-over 154.

   Heckman, Denis and Donahue rounded out the top 10 in the overall scoring.

   Unlike most of the field, Heckman had that solid 1-over 73 in the wind in the opening round at the Blue Course, but couldn’t take any momentum to the White Course as she closed with an 81.

   Denis struggled to an 80 in the opening-round’s gusty winds at the Blue Course, but bounced back with a solid 2-over 74 in the second round at the White Course.

   Olivia Koshko, who finished in fifth place in the PIAA Class AA Championship as a sophomore at Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy last fall, bounced back from an opening-round 82 at the Blue Course with a 3-over 75 in the second round at the White Course to finish in seventh place among the older girls with a 157 total.

   Sarah Stumacher, a Gladwyne resident and a senior at Friends’ Central, finished a shot behind Koshko in eighth place in the 16-to-18 division with a 158 total as she rebounded from an opening-round 82 at the Blue Course with a 4-over 76 at the White Course in the second round.

   Corinne McReynolds, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a junior at Conestoga and Jill Burks’ teammate on the Pioneers’ state Class AAA championship team, finished a shot behind Stumacher in ninth place among the older girls with a 159 total.

   Coming off a Philly Junior Tour victory earlier in the week at Indian Valley Country Club, McReynolds opened with an 81 at the Blue Course and added a 78 in the second round at the White Course.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division was Harriton junior Megan Choi, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier in each of her first two scholastic seasons, as she finished a shot behind her Central League rival McReynolds in 10^th place with a 160 total. After opening with an 81 at the Blue Course, Choi added a 79 at the White Course in the second round.

   Middletown’s Young opened her second round at the White Course with birdies at the first and third holes, then really got it going on the incoming nine with birdies at 13, 14 and 18 as she toured the White Course’s back nine in 3-under 33.

   Young had nine pars on her scorecard in a 1-under 71 that left her atop the leaderboard in the 13-to-15 division and five shots behind Carson in second place in the overall standings with a 5-over 149 total.

   Like much of the field, Young struggled a little in the opening round’s challenging conditions. Still, she made birdies at the seventh, ninth and 11^th holes and had seven pars on her card, including a string of five straight pars from 13 through 17, on her way to a 6-over 78 at the Blue Course.

   Nice showing by Madison Cabot, the reigning Philly Junior Tour Player of the Year in the 13-to-15 division, as she made birdies at the third and sixth holes and had 11 pars on her card in a steady 3-over 75 in the second round at the White Course that left her in second place among the younger girls and third overall with a 7-over 151 total.

   Madison Cabot made a birdie on the sixth hole and had 13 pars on her card, including six straight pars to conclude her round, as she opened with a 4-over 76 on the Blue Course.

   After a solid freshman season at Council Rock South, Madison Cabot, a Newtown resident, is transferring across the Delaware River to The Pennington School.

   Cedar Crest’s Brandt had the lead in the 13-to-15 division and was just a shot out of the overall lead following her opening round of 2-over 74 in the wind at the Blue Course. Brandt made a birdie at the 12^th hole and was a par machine with 14 pars on her card, including a stretch of nine straight pars from two through 10 and four straight pars to finish out her round.

   Brandt made birdies at the third, seventh and ninth holes and had nine pars on her card in a closing 6-over 78 in the second round at the White Course as she finished in third place in the 13-to-15 division, a shot behind Madison Cabot, and in a tie for fourth in the overall scoring with Conestoga’s Jill Burks and Exeter’s Weisser out of the 16-to-18 division at 8-over 152.

   Moorestown’s Donahue added a 3-over 75 in the second round at the White Course to her opening-round 79 at the Blue Course as she finished in fourth place among the younger girls and in a tie for eighth in the overall standings with Ephrata’s Heckman and Holidaysburg’s Denis from the 16-to-18 division with a 10-over 154 total.

   Donahue, Heckman and Denis rounded out the top 10 in the overall scoring.

   It was another six shots back to Westmont Hilltop sophomore Gabby Filia in fifth place in the 13-to-15 division as she added a 6-over 78 at the White Course to her opening-round 82 at the Blue Course for a 160 total.

   Council Rock North sophomore Noor Mehta finished five shots behind Filia in sixth place among the younger girls with a 165 total as Mehta added a 7-over 79 at the White Course to her opening-round 86 at the Blue Course.

   Radnor junior Sara Fanelli bounced back from an opening-round 91 at the Blue Course with an 83 at the White Course as she finished in seventh place in the 13-to-15 division with a 174 total.

   Brianna Stwalley, a junior on the Central Bucks West golf team, and Caroline Wallace, a talented 13-year-old from Chambersburg, finished in a tie for eighth place among the younger girls, each registering a 184 total.

   Stwalley bounced back from an opening-round 97 at the Blue Course with an 87 in the second round at the White Course. Wallace added a 91 in the second round at the White Course to her opening-round 93 at the Blue Course.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division was Addison Murphy of Phoenixville as she added a 93 in the second round at the White Course to her opening-round 92 at the Blue Course to finish a shot behind Stwalley and Wallace in 10^th place with a 185 total.

   Annville-Cleona’s Allwein had the round of the tournament in his second round at the White Course to finish atop the leaderboard in the 16-to-18 division and in the overall scoring with an 8-under 136 total.

   After a couple of early birdies at the second and fourth holes, Allwein ripped off three straight birdies at nine, 10 and 11 and added birdies at 13 and 15. He had 11 pars on his scorecard and toured the incoming nine at the White Course in a sizzling 4-under 32 on his way to a 7-under 65.

   Allwein made birdies at the first, ninth, 12^th and 18^th holes and had 11 pars on his card, including a run of four straight pars from five through eight, as he opened with a solid 1-under 71 in the difficult conditions at the Blue Course.

   Fleetwood senior Cameron Peffel, who finished in a tie for second place in the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a sophomore in the fall of 2024, had grabbed the lead with a fairly spectacular, considering the conditions, 3-under 69 at the Blue Course.

   After an early birdie at the third hole, Peffel made an eagle at the par-5 eighth, added back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11 and had nine pars on his card, finishing up his round with six straight pars.

   Peffel made birdies at the fourth, eighth, ninth, 13^th, 16^th and 18^th holes and had nine pars on his card as matched par in the second round at the White Course with a 72 that earned him runnerup honors among the older guys and in the overall standings with a 3-under 141 total that was five shots behind Allwein.

   Spring-Ford senior Michael Gravinese, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a sophomore in the fall of 2024, made birdies at the sixth, ninth, 10^th, 12^th, 13^th and 17^th holes and had nine pars on his card as he closed with a sparkling 3-under 69 at the White Course to finish in third place in the 16-to-18 division and in the overall scoring with a 2-under 142 total.

   Gravinese had made birdies at the sixth, ninth and 12^th holes and had 10 pars on his card as he opened with a 1-over 73 at the Blue Course.

   Gravinese had captured the overall title a week earlier in a similar JGS two-day event at Turtle Creek Golf Course, Spring-Ford’s home course and the home of the District One Championship. Pretty strong showings for Gravinese as he traced the path District One golfers need to take in the scholastic postseason.

   Anderson Narzisi, a junior on the Souderton golf team, and Kaden Schuette, an invader from Independence, Ohio, finished in a tie for fourth place in the 16-to-18 division and shared fourth in the overall standings with incoming Williamsport freshman Logan McGinn, who finished atop the leaderboard in the 13-to-15 division, as each ended up with a 1-under 143 total.

   Narzisi opened with a solid 2-under 70 in the opening-round’s challenging conditions at the Blue Course before closing with a 1-over 73 at the White Course. Schuette added a sparkling 4-under 68 at the White Course in the second round to his opening round of 3-over 75 at the Blue Course.

   Cole Powell, a Fell Township resident who captured the PIAA Class AA crown at the White Course as a sophomore at Scranton Prep last fall, and Colin McAskin, an invader from New York City, finished in a tie for sixth place in the 16-to-18 division and in a tie for seventh in the overall standings, each landing on even-par 144.

   Powell matched par with 72s at both the Blue Course in the opening round and at the White Course in the second round. McAskin added a solid 2-under 70 in the second round at the White Course to his opening round of 2-over 74 at the Blue Course.

   Malvern Prep senior Colby Komancheck, one of the Inter-Ac League’s top returning players, finished in eighth place in the 16-to-18 division and in a tie for ninth place in the overall standings with Callen Edmonston of Thurmont, Md., the runnerup to McGinn in the 13-to-15 division, each posting a 1-over 145 total.

   Komancheck finished in a tie for third place in the Bert Linton Invitational for the Inter-Ac’s individual title at The 1912 Club and captured the individual crown a week later in the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) Championship at Radley Run Country Club to cap his junior season last fall.

   Komancheck put together a solid 2-under 70 in the opening round’s difficult conditions at the Blue Course before adding a 3-over 75 in the second round at the White Course.

   Komancheck and Edmonston rounded out the top 10 in the overall standings.

   Holden Sparks, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a sophomore at Nazareth last fall, matched par with a 72 in the second round at the White Course after opening with a 2-over 74 at the Blue Course as he finished in ninth place among the older guys with a 2-over 146 total.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division was Brendan Bell, a Dickson City resident and a teammate of Powell’s on Scranton Prep’s back-to-back PIAA Class AA championship teams the last two falls, as Bell closed with a 1-under 71 at the White Course after opening with a 4-over 76 at the Blue Course and finished in 10^th place with a 3-over 147 total.

   South Williamsport’s McGinn was coming off the biggest win of his young career when he arrived at Penn State as he had prevailed in a playoff three days earlier to claim the title in the Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship at Bellewood Country Club that punched his ticket to the Boys Junior PGA Championship at Fields Ranch East and West at the PGA of America’s national headquarters in Frisco, Texas.

   The 14-year-old will tee it up in one of the major national events for juniors before he ever plays a shot in a high school match.

   McGinn made birdies at the third, sixth, 11^th, 15^th and 17^th holes and had eight pars on his scorecard as he closed with a solid 1-under 71 at the White Course that left him atop the leaderboard in the 13-to-15 division and in a tie for fourth in the overall standings with Narzisi and Schuette from the 16-to-18 division with a 1-under 143 total.

   In the opening round at the Blue Course, McGinn stayed patient in the windy conditions as he made a birdie on the 16^th hole and had 16 pars on his card, including a run of 11 straight pars from five through 15, as he matched par with a 72.

   Edmonston, the Maryland invader, closed with three straight birdies at the 16^th, 17^th and 18^th holes in a sparkling 3-under 69 at the White Course that left him two shots behind McGinn in second place among the younger guys and in a tie for ninth place with Malvern Prep’s Komancheck from the 16-to-18 division in the overall scoring with a 1-over 145 total.

   Edmonston also made birdies at the second, fourth, ninth and 13^th holes and had eight pars on his card, touring the incoming nine at the White Course in 3-under 33, in his second round.

   Edmonston made birdies on the third, ninth and 12^th holes and had 10 pars on his card in an opening round of 4-over 76 at the Blue Course.

   Sophomore Bobby Stott, another member of Scranton Prep’s PIAA Class AA championship team last fall, and Harriton sophomore Jack Sokol, a District One Class AAA qualifier last fall, finished in a tie for third place in the 13-to-15 division, each ending up six shots behind Edmonston with a 7-over 151 total.

   Stott made birdies at the fifth, 10^th and 11^th holes and had eight pars on his card in a final round of 4-over 76 at the White Course. In the opening round at the Blue Course, Stott made birdies at the 10^th, 12^th and 14^th holes and had 10 pars on his card, including a string of five straight pars from five through nine.

   Sokol, who got a chance to tee it up in qualifying for match play in the BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship at The 1912 Club and Sunnybrook Golf Club, had the lead in the 13-to-15 division following his opening round at the Blue Course in which he made birdies at the second, 12^th and 18^th holes and had 13 pars on his card, including a run of seven straight pars from five through 11. on his way to a solid 1-under 71.

   Sokol struggled a little in the second round at the White Course as he made birdies at the fifth, 10^th and 11^th holes and had eight pars on his card while registering an 80.

   William Quartermain, a District One Class AAA qualifier as a freshman at Haverford High last fall, and Sam Vinc, a PIAA Class AA qualifier as a freshman at Tamaqua last fall, finished in a tie for fifth place in the 13-to-15 division as each landed on 8-over 152.

   Quartermain bounced back from an opening round of 7-over 79 in the tough conditions at the Blue Course with a 1-over 73 in the second round at the White Course. Vinc signed for a pair of 4-over 76s at the two courses.

   Jacob Davis of Bellefonte matched par in the second round with a 72 at the White Course after struggling a little in an opening-round 83 at the Blue Course as he finished in seventh place in the 13-to-15 division with a 155 total.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division was the trio of Daniel Ross, a District One Class AAA qualifier as a freshman at Souderton last fall, Rithvik Nimma, a District One Class AAA qualifier as a freshman at Council Rock North as a freshman last fall, and Helmut Dang of Newtown Square as they shared eighth place, each ending up with a 158 total.

   Ross added a 4-over 76 in the second round at the White Course to his opening-round 82 at the Blue Course. Nimma opened with a 5-over 77 at the Blue Course and added an 81 in the second round at the White Course. Dang opened with a 6-over 78 at the Blue Course and added an 80 in the second round at the White Course.

   James Wilson of Wilmington, Del. carded a bogey-free 3-under 33 on the outgoing nine at the White Course in the second round as he bested the field of 12-and-under boys nine-holers with a 3-under 69 total.

   Wilson made an eagle at the par-4 second hole, added a birdie at three and had seven pars on his scorecard, including six straight pars to close out his round, in a sizzling second round.

   Wilson had matched par with a 36 on the outgoing nine at the Blue Course in the opening round as he made a birdie on the ninth hole and had seven pars on his card, including four straight pars from five through eight.

   Niko Muego of Bryn Mawr finished three shots behind Wilson in second place with an even-par 72 total.

   Muego had grabbed the lead when he made back-to-back birdies at the eighth and ninth holes after recording seven straight pars to open his round in a bogey-free, 2-under 34 in the opening round at the Blue Course.

   Muego made birdies at the third and seventh holes and had four pars on his card as he closed with a 2-over 38 at the White Course in the second round.

   Joey Charpentier of Schwenksville rounded out the field in the boys 12-and-under division as he took third place with an 81.

   Charpentier, coming off a runnerup finish in a Nine-Hole Series stop at the Sweet Water Golf Course, had four pars on his card in a 5-over 41 in the final round at the White Course. Charpentier had six pars, bookending the round with three straight pars to open the round and three straight pars to close out his round, in a 4-over 50 in the opening round at the Blue Course.

   Katelyn Burks of Paoli, the younger sister of Conestoga senior Jill Burks, had four pars on her scorecard in a final-round 43 at the White Course as she bested the field of girls 12-and-under nine-holers with an 84.

   Katelyn Burks made bookend birdies at the first and ninth holes and had two pars on her card as she opened with a 5-over 41 at the Blue Course.

   Charlotte Cabot, another member of Newtown’s Team Cabot, added a 50 in the second round at the White Course to her opening-round 49 at the Blue Course as she earned runnerup honors with an 89 total.

   Addison Sabatini of West Chester tallied a pair of 51s at the White Course in the second round and at the Blue Course in the opening round as she finished in third place with a 102 total.

   Rounding out the field in the girls 12-and-under division was Aashi Chakraborty of Kennett Square as she finished a shot behind Sabatini in fourth place with a 103 total. Chakraborty opened with a 49 at the Blue Course and added a 54 in the second round at the White Course.