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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buchanan gets share of individual title, leads Southern Cal to team crown in Western Intercollegiate

 

   It almost had the feel of the old Pac-12 Championship with Southern California edging California by a shot for the team title.

   In reality, it was the 79^th Western Intercollegiate, presented by Titleist, a tournament with a pretty rich tradition of its own. 

   In this case it was the final tuneup for conference championships, the Trojans headed for the Big Ten Championship, which will be played, in a nod to the conference’s new West Wing, at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Ore., and the Cal Bears headed for the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship, which will be played at the Shark’s Tooth Golf Club in Panama City, Fla.

   Much like the old Pac-12 Championship, the format was six-count-five as opposed to the usual five-score-four, giving coaches one last chance to figure who will be the five players who will tee it up in the conference championships.

   And the Western Intercollegiate is certainly played on a quality golf course in Pasatiempo Golf Course, the Alister MacKenzie gem in Santa Cruz, Calif. Yes, that would be the same Alister MacKenzie you might have heard mentioned as the brains behind the Augusta National Golf Club layout you’ve become so familiar with from watching The Masters over the years.

   The presence of The Golf Channel’s cameras added to the Western Intercollegiate’s big-tournament field.

   Getting the first collegiate victory from Jack Buchanan, a sophomore from South Africa who shared medalist honors with Stanford’s Dean Greyserman, a senior from Boca Raton, Fla., Southern Cal closed with a 3-over-par 353 over the 6,511-yard, par-70 Pasatiempo layout in Wednesday’s final round to hold off its old Pac-12 rival with a 13-under 1,037 total.

   The Trojans won the tournament in Tuesday’s second round when, fueled by a scintillating 8-under 72 by Buchanan, they put together a sizzling 16-under 334. Southern Cal had matched par in the opening round with a 350.

   It was the fourth tournament win of the season for Southern Cal, which moved up four spots in the Scoreboard, powered by clipped rankings, from No. 30 to No. 26 in the aftermath of its Western Intercollegiate victory.

   It was the second straight tourney title for the Trojans, who were coming off a victory in the Wyoming Cowboy Classic at the Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Ariz.

   Buchanan led the way as he opened with a 3-under 67 before surging in front with his breathtaking 62 that included two eagles and six birdies. He closed with a 1-over 71 to earn his share of medalist honors with a 10-under 200 total.

   Southern Cal got two more top-10 finishes at Pasatiempo as Jaden Dumdumaya, a sophomore from Benicia, Calif., finished alone in sixth place with a 6-under 204 total and Nicolas Dominguez, a junior from Mexico, landed among a foursome tied for 10^th place at 4-under 206.

   Dumdumaya added a sparkling 5-under 65 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening-round 67 before closing with a 2-over 72. Dominguez contributed a sizzling 6-under 64 in the final round as Southern Cal was trying to hold off Cal. He had opened with a 3-over 73 before adding a 1-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round.

   California was right with Southern Cal the whole way as the Bears actually grabbed the lead with their opening round of 7-under 343, but fell four shots behind the Trojans, despite adding a solid 5-under 345 in Tuesday’s second round going into the final round.

   California matched par in the final round with a 350 to come up just a shot behind Southern Cal with a 12-under 1,038 total. Not sure where the Bears were in the rankings before the Western Intercollegiate, but they were at No. 50 following their solid runnerup finish.

   The Bears were led by the pair of Zeqin Zhou, a sophomore from China and No. 96 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), and Charlie Bundy, a redshirt junior from Bethesda, Md., both of whom joined Southern Cal’s Dominguez in the quartet tied for 10^th place at 4-under.

   After opening with a 2-over 72, Zhou recorded a sparkling 5-under 65 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a solid 69. Bundy signed for back-to-back 3-under 68s in the first two rounds before matching par in the final round with a 70.

   After earning a spot in the match-play bracket in its debut in the ACC Championship at The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Ky. last spring, California survived the weather-challenged Reno Regional last spring with a fifth-place finish that earned it a trip to the NCAA Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.

   UNLV, a Mountain West representative, and Brigham Young, out of the Big 12, shared third place, each ending up four shots behind California with an 8-under 1,042 total.

   The Rebels opened with a 6-under 344 and added a 2-over 352 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 4-under 346. UNLV’s strong showing at Pasatiempo enabled it to move up from No. 50 to No. 42 in the Scoreboard rankings.

   UNLV was led by Mason Snyder, a junior home boy from Las Vegas, Nev. who rounded out the foursome tied for 10^th place with a 4-under total. After opening with a 2-under 68, Snyder registered back-to-back 1-under 69s in the final two rounds.

   The Rebels advanced to the NCAA Championship at La Costa last spring by finishing in third place as a six seed in the Urbana Regional.

   It was the final tuneup for UNLV before the Mountain West Championship, which tees off May 3 at the Omni Tucson National Resort in Tucson, Ariz.

   The Cougars were solid throughout the tournament, as they carded back-to-back 2-under 348s in the first two rounds before closing with a 3-under 346.

   Leading the way for BYU was Kehei Akina, a freshman from Alpine, Utah who finished alone in fifth place in the individual standings with a 7-under 203 total. Akina sandwiched a 1-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round with a pair of 3-under 67s.

   No one handled the adverse conditions of the Reno Regional last spring better than BYU did as the Cougars claimed the team title as a six seed and advanced to the NCAA Championship at La Costa.

   BYU made the 54-hole team cut at La Costa and played right to the final day of stroke-play qualifying, but was unable to land a spot in the match-play bracket.

   It was the final tuneup for BYU before the Big 12 Championship, which tees off April 27 at the challenging Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan.

   Stanford, behind Greyserman, the individual co-medalist, and a former Pac-12 rival, Arizona, finished in a tie for fifth place, each ending up with a 6-under 1,044 total.

The Cardinal, coming off a victory in its home tournament, The Godwin at the Stanford Golf Course, opened with a 4-under 346 and struggled in Tuesday’s second round with a 10-over 360 before closing with a sparkling 12-under 338.

   Stanford, one of California’s ACC rivals, maintained its No. 18 spot in the Scoreboard rankings with its performance at Pasatiempo.

   Greyserman matched Buchanan’s 8-under 62 in Tuesday’s second round with a fairly spectacular 62 of his own in the final round that included an eagle and seven birdies as he caught Bucanan for a share of medalist honors at 10-under.

   Greyserman had opened with a 4-under 66 before adding a 2-over 72 in Tuesday’s second round.

   It capped a pretty good week for Team Greyserman.

   Dean Greyserman’s older brother Max, a PGA Tour regular, teed it up in The Masters the previous Thursday and Friday. He failed to make the cut, but getting to Augusta National is a feat in itself.

   Dean Greyserman’s younger brother Reed, a sophomore at Princeton, was a runaway winner of the individual title in the Princeton Invitational, which wrapped up Sunday at Springdale Golf Club, the Tigers’ home course.

   While the two younger Greyserman siblings list Florida as their home, they all grew up in Short Hills, N.J. with Max, who played his college golf at Duke, playing his scholastic golf at the Peddie School.

   With younger brother Reed on the bag, Dean Greyserman captured the title in the Metropolitan Amateur Championship last summer at Old Oaks Country Club in Purchase, N.Y. So yeah, still a Jersey guy at heart.

   Jay Leng, a sophomore from San Diego, Calif., joined Dean Greyserman among the top-seven finishers for Stanford as Leng landed in a trio tied for seventh place at 5-under that included host San Jose State’s Ivan Barahona, a senior from Van Nuys, Calif., and Chattanooga’s Evan Rogers, a freshman from Duluth, Ga.

   After opening with a 2-over 72, Leng posted a 3-under 67 in Tuesday’s second round before contributing a 66 to the Cardinal’s strong finishing kick.

   It was a disappointing spring a year ago for Stanford as the Cardinal failed to advance to the NCAA Championship at La Costa as a seven seed in the Amherst Regional.

   The Wildcats, one of BYU’s Big 12 rivals, opened with a 3-under 347 and added a 1-over 351 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 4-under 346. Arizona moved up a couple of spots in the Scoreboard rankings from No. 22 to No. 20 following the Western Intercollegiate.

   Arizona was led by Taishi Mato, a sophomore from Japan and No. 42 in the WAGR, as he finished a shot behind the co-medalists Buchanan and Greyserman in a tie for third place with San Diego State’s Harry Takis, a sophomore from Australia and No. 37 in the WAGR, each ending up with a 9-under 201 total.

   After opening with a sparkling 5-under 65, Moto added a 1-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 3-under 67.

   Arizona will join BYU for the Big 12 Championship at Prairie Dunes later this month. 

   Like Stanford, Arizona was unable to advance to the NCAA Championship at La Costa last spring as a six seed in the Amherst Regional.

   Backing up Buchanan, Dumdumaya and Dominguez for Southern California was Luke Stock, a redshirt senior from England who finished among the group tied for 30^th place with a 1-over 211 total.

   Stock matched par in Tuesday’s second round with a 70 after opening with a 1-under 69 before closing with a 2-over 72.

   Raghav Gulati, a freshman from India, finished in the group tied for 73^rd place at 223 for Southern Cal as he added a 3-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening-round 74 before closing with a 76.

   Rounding out the Southern Cal lineup was Antonio Safa, a senior from Mexico who finished among the trio tied for 83^rd place with a 226 total. Safa bounced back in a big way from an opening-round 84 with a 2-under 68 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 74.

   It was a disappointing spring for Southern Cal a year ago as well as the Trojans failed to advance to the NCAA Championship at La Costa as a nine seed in the Tallahassee Regional.

   San Diego State’s Takis added a 4-under 66 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening-round 67 before closing with a 68 to get a share of third place in the individual standings with Arizona’s Moto with a 9-under 201 total.

   Takis led the way for the Aztecs, the reigning four-time Mountain West Conference champions, as they finished in 12^th place in the team standings with a 23-over 1,073 total. San Diego State fell from No. 35 to No. 37 in the Scoreboard rankings in the aftermath of the Western Intercollegiate.

   Host San Jose State’s Barahona closed with a sparkling 5-under 65 to get his share of seventh place with Stanford’s Leng and Chattanooga’s Rogers at 5-under. Barahona had opened with a 1-under 69 before adding a 1-over 71 in Tuesday’s second round.

   Barahona led the Spartans, another Mountain West entry, to an 11^th-place finish in the team standings with a 22-over 1,072 total. San Jose State is No. 86^th in the latest Scoreboard rankings.

   Chattanooga’s Rogers opened with a sparkling 5-under 65 and struggled a little in Tuesday’s second round with a 3-over 73 before closing with a 67 to get his share of seventh place at 5-under.

   Rogers led the Moccasins, a Southern Conference representative, to a seventh-place finish in the team standings with a 2-over 1,052 total. Chattanooga returned from its California sojourn at No. 67 in the Scoreboard rankings.