LaScala heats up on a dreary day at Rock Manor as he leads 23 qualifiers for Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship

 

   It was chilly and rain eventually arrived Saturday, but a lot of junior golfers showed up at Rock Manor Golf Club near Wilmington, Del. looking for a spot in the field for the Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship in June.

   And it was a Wilmington guy, Luke LaScala, a junior on the Salesanium golf team who scorched the Rock Manor layout with a sparkling 3-under-par 68 for the best score of the day.

   It was also the first day of a Junior Golf Scoreboard (JGS) Delaware Series for the weekend with another Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour stop scheduled for Sunday at Maple Dale Country Club near Dover, Del.

   Players can accumulate points in JGS events that can earn them status on some of the higher-profile junior circuits, most notably the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA).

   LaScala led a group of 23 players who qualified for the Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship, a one-day 36-hole test which tees off June 15 at Bellewood Country Club, just across the Schuylkill River from Pottstown.

   The top finishers – and it’s usually only two or three players – at Bellewood will qualify for the Boys Junior PGA Championship, a marquee national event for juniors conducted by the PGA of America which will tee off July 28 at Fields Ranch East and West at the PGA of America’s national headquarters in Frisco, Texas.

   The qualifiers came from players ages 13 to 18. The Philly Junior Tour broke out its usual 16-to-18 and 13-to-15 divisions for the boys, so I’ll round up the top finishers in those divisions while referring to the overall scoring.

   Nobody was better than LaScala, who made birdies at the first, third, sixth, ninth, 16^th and 17^th holes and had 10 pars on his scorecard, including a string of six straight pars from 10 through 15. Those four front-nine birdies enabled LaScala to tour the outgoing nine in 3-under 33.

   LaScala’s 68 gave him the top spot in the 16-to-18 division and in the overall scoring.

   Liam Crowley, a Wayne resident and the winner of the Bert Linton Memorial for the Inter-Ac League’s individual title at The 1912 Club as a junior at Episcopal Academy last fall, was the runnerup among the older guys and in the overall scoring with a solid 1-under 70.

   Crowley, who helped the Churchmen capture the Inter-Ac title last fall, made birdies on the second, third and ninth holes on Rock Manor’s front nine and then heated up on the incoming nine with four straight birdies at 14, 15, 16 and 17. He also had six pars on his card.

   Quinn Gallagher, a Bryn Mawr resident and a junior on the golf team at The Haverford School, matched par with a 71 to finish a shot behind his Inter-Ac rival Crowley in third place in the 16-to-18 division and in the overall scoring.

   Gallagher made birdies at the 11^th and 18^th holes and an eagle at the par-5 13^th to go along with 12 pars, including seven straight pars to open his round.

   Cole Powell, a Fell Township resident who capped his sophomore season at Scranton Prep by capturing the PIAA Class AA crown at Penn State’s White Course, was a shot behind Gallagher in fourth place among the older guys and in the overall scoring with a 1-over 72.

   Powell also helped Scranton Prep repeat as the state Class AA team champion at Penn State last fall.

   Ravi Gohel of Mount Laurel, N.J. and Jack Tunnell of Lewes, Del. each posted a 3-over 74 to finish in a tie for fifth place in the 16-to-18 division and in a tie for sixth in the overall scoring.

   Daniel Herzchel of Linwood, N.J. was another shot behind Gohel and Tunnell in seventh place in the 16-to-18 division with a 4-over 75 that left him in a tie for eighth in the overall scoring with Jack Sokol, a District One Class AAA qualifier as a freshman at Harriton last fall, in the 13-to-15 division.

   Chase Andrews, a junior on the Souderton golf team, and Jake Yerkes, a Wyncote resident and a sophomore with Catholic League power La Salle, finished in a tie for eighth place among the older guys, each signing for a 5-over 76 that left them in a tie for 10^th place in the overall scoring with Jack Sokol’s twin brother Henry Sokol, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a freshman at Harriton last fall, also playing in the 13-to-15 division.

   Bryce Erwin, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a junior at Hershey last fall, and Pierce Drake, a junior on the Downingtown East golf team, finished in a tie for 10^th place in the 16-to-18 division and in a tie for 13^th in the overall scoring as each tallied a 77.

   Johnny LaViola of Berlin, Md. finished in 12^th place among the older guys with a 78 and shared 15^th in the overall scoring with Taimoor Naseem of Sinking Spring from the 13-to-15 division.

   Ian Larsen, a junior on the Downingtown West golf team, finished in 13^th place in the 16-to-18 division with a 79 and shared 17^th in the overall scoring with Ben Meixell of Wilmington, Del. and Beckett Kush of Yardley from the 13-to-15 division.

   Gus Stoltzfus, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a junior at Avon Grove last fall, Trevor Sieben of Marlton, N.J., Billy Nikolaidis, a sophomore on the Muhlenberg golf team, and Johnny Lee of Glenside finished in a tie for 14^th place in the 16-to-18 division and made the cut for a spot in the Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship on the number as they were tied for 20^th in the overall scoring, each recording an 80.

   Nathan Lobo of Collegeville finished atop the leaderboard in the 13-to-15 division and was fifth in the overall scoring as he made birdies on the third, ninth, 11^th and 18^th holes and had nine pars on his scorecard in registering a solid 2-over 73.

   The Sokol twins, Jack and Henry, went 2-3, respectively, in the 13-to-15 division.

   Jack Sokol made birdies on the first, ninth and 16^th holes and had 10 pars on his card on his way to a 4-over 75 that earned him runnerup honors among the younger guys and left him in a tie for eighth in the overall standings with Herzchel in the 16-to-18 division.

   Henry Sokol made birdies on the first and 13^th holes and had 11 pars on his card, including a run of four straight pars from four through seven, as he carded a 5-over 76 that left him a shot behind his twin brother in third place in the 13-to-15 division and in a tie for 10^th in the overall scoring with Andrews and Yerkes from the 16-to-18 division.

   Naseem put together a solid 7-over 78 as he finished in fourth place among the younger guys and in a tie for 15^th in the overall scoring with LaViola.

   Meixell and Kush were the final two players out of the 13-to-15 division to punch their ticket to Bellewood for the Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship as they each tallied a 79 to finish in a tie for fifth place among the younger guys and in a tie for 17^th in the overall standings with Larsen out of the 16-to-18 division.

   Chase Yakaitis, a freshman on the Salisbury golf team, and Richard Davoli of Ambler finished in a tie for seventh among the younger guys, each registering an 81.

   Lucas Shank of West Chester took ninth place with an 82 and Samuel Nelligan of Gilbertsville rounded out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division as he finished 10^th with an 83.

   Mariana Walker, who wrapped up her scholastic career at Council Rock North last fall, had 10 pars on her scorecard, opening her round with five straight pars, as she earned a Philly Junior Tour victory in the girls 16-to-18 division with an 85.

   It was not a qualifier for the girls. There will be a Philadelphia Girls Junior PGA Championship July 6 at DuPont Country Club, but, I’m pretty sure, it’s an open tournament. The top finishers at DuPont will qualify for the Girls Junior PGA Championship, which will be contested simultaneously with the boys at Fields Ranch East and West in Frisco, Texas beginning July 28.

   Emma Bergey of Kennett Square had five pars on her card as she earned runnerup honors with an 88.

   Ellie Walls of Millsboro, Del. made an eagle at the par-5 ninth hole and had five pars on her card, rattling off three straight pars at 15, 16 and 17, as she rounded out the field in the 16-to-18 division by finishing in third place with a 96.

   Ella Buerhaus of Abingdon, Md. and Mia DeCarlo of Glen Mills, one of the top performers in the girls 12-and-under division last year, finished tied atop the leaderboard in the 13-to-15 division, each signing for an 86.

   Buerhaus made a birdie at the 14^th hole and had five pars on her scorecard and DeCarlo had seven pars on her card. Buerhaus was coming off a Philly Junior Tour victory April 19th at Running Deer Golf Club.

   Evelyn Brillman of Elkins Park made a birdie on the 14^th hole and had eight pars on her card, including three straight pars to open her round, as she finished a shot behind Buerhaus and DeCarlo in third place with an 87.

   Another member of Elkins Park’s Team Brillman, Eleanor Brillman, finished in fourth place with an 89.

   Annabelle Barr of Gladwyne took fifth place with a 90, Hannah LeGrow of Wilmington, Del. was sixth with an 86 and Kate Benson, a freshman on the Great Valley golf team, rounded out the field in the 13-to-15 division as she finished seventh with a 113.

   Jack Kolmer of Wayne made a birdie on the sixth hole and had five pars on his scorecard, including back-to-back pars to close out his round at eight and nine, as he bested the field of boys 12-and-under nine-holers with a 2-over 38.

   James Wilson of Wilmington, Del. made birdies at the first and third holes and had three pars on his card, also finishing up his round with back-to-back pars at eight and nine, as he finished a shot behind Kolmer in second place with a 3-over 39.

   Grayson Wright of Philadelphia and Luke George of Mullica Hill, N.J. shared third place, each ending up a shot behind Wilson with a 40.

   Wright made a birdie on the fifth hole and had four pars on his card, including three straight pars at seven, eight and nine to close out his round. George finished up his round with a birdie at the ninth hole and had five pars on his card, including a string of four straight pars from five through eight.

   Victor Wang of Hockessin, Del. took fifth place with a 41, Niko Muego of Bryn Mawr was sixth with a 42, Ben Adkins of Lewes, Del. was seventh with a 43 and Jamie Cahn of Penn Valley was eighth with a 46.

   A couple of Wilmington, Del. guys, Chris Pilcher and Alex Cheng, rounded out the top 10 in the boys 12-and-under division with Pilcher taking ninth place with a 48 and Chen finishing 10^th with a 50.

   Trisha Lobo, another member of Collegeville’s Team Lobo, made a birdie on the sixth hole and had two pars on her scorecard as she bested the field of girls 12-and-under nine-holers with a solid 6-over 42.

   Lillian Fry of Pennsburg had three pars on her card as she earned runnerup honors with a 47.

   Addison Sabatini of West Chester took third place with a 53 and Arianna Testaiuti of Newtown Square rounded out the field in the girls 12-and-under division as she finished fourth with a 54.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Martin Sampedro takes individual title to lead dominant performance by Stanford in ACC Championship at Porters Neck

 

   The redemption tour is under way for the Stanford women’s golf team.

   A year ago a formidable Stanford team made its first foray into an Atlantic Coast Conference Championship. A stunning loss in the semifinals to old-school ACC stalwart Wake Forest at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C. seemed to be a temporary setback for a top-ranked Cardinal team that seemed destined to win a national championship.

   Maybe a tiny flaw in Stanford’s match-play prowess was exposed at Sedgefield and a few weeks later, the Cardinal came up short of a national championship when Northwestern edged them in the NCAA Championship’s Final Match at the Omni Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.

   In their second shot at an ACC Championship, Stanford made no mistake. With the same starting lineup it had when it fell to Northwestern in the Final Match last May, Stanford claimed the top seed in qualifying for match play and dropped just one match in two rounds of match play to cruise to its first ACC Championship at Porters Neck Country Club in Wilmington, N.C.

   Stanford, now as it was a year ago, the No. 1 team in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings, wrapped up its first ACC crown April 19^th with a 5-0 sweep of upstart Southern Methodist, another recent addition to the ACC roster.

   The Mustangs entered the week at Porters Neck at No. 26 in the Scoreboard rankings and left at No. 20 and with a big jolt of confidence after they took down North Carolina, which dropped a spot in the Scoreboard rankings from No. 12 to No. 13 in the aftermath of the ACC Championship, 4-1 in the semifinals.

   But SMU was simply no match for Stanford in the final.

   Paula Martin Sampedro, a junior from Spain and No. 2 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), put the finishing touch on Stanford’s championship run with a 4 and 3 victory over Emily Odwin, a senior from Barbados and No. 70 in the Women’s WAGR, that gave the Cardinal an insurmountable 3-0 lead.

   Earlier in the week, Martin Sampedro had won the ACC’s individual title in qualifying for match play with a 14-under-par 202 total over the 7,132-yard, par-72 Porters Neck layout.

   A year ago, it was Martin Sampedro’s fellow Spaniard, Andrea Revuelta, who claimed the ACC’s individual crown.

   Revuelta, a sophomore and right behind Martin Sampedro in the Women’s WAGR at No. 3, was ahead in her match with Celine Chen, a junior from Australia, when Martin Sampedro clinched the victory with her win.

   Meja Ortengren, a sophomore from Sweden and No. 5 in the Women’s WAGR, put the first point on the board for Stanford as she blitzed Grace Jin, a junior from Huntsville, Texas, in a 4 and 3 decision. Ortengren was 5-under for her round when the match ended on the 15^th hole.

   Megha Ganne, a senior from Holmdel, N.J. and No. 8 in the Women’s WAGR, added a full point for the Cardinal with a 3 and 2 verdict over a tough customer in Mackenzie Lee, a senior from North Little Rock, Ark. and No. 42 in the Women’s WAGR.

   Pretty sure Ganne is putting the finishing touches on an amateur career that has been nothing short of brilliant.

   Watched her the summer before she started at Stanford as a member of the winning United States Curtis Cup team at Merion Golf Club’s iconic East Course.

   A year later Ganne was a freshman on a Rose Zhang-led Stanford team that fell in the NCAA Championship’s semifinals at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. As a sophomore, Ganne was on a Rachel Heck-led Stanford team that captured the Cardinal’s third national title at La Costa.

   There was the disappointment of a year ago, but Stanford did make a run to the Final Match. Ganne followed that up by putting her name on the Robert Cox Trophy by winning the title in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at the Bandon Dunes Resort on the rugged Oregon coastline.

   Ganne has been a little inconsistent as a senior, but she’s got a lot on her table. Last week at Porters Neck it looked like the Jersey girl was fully focused on hoisting another NCAA Championship trophy as a Stanford Cardinal.

   Rounding out the Stanford lineup was its other stalwart senior, Kelly Xu, the Claremont, Calif. native who is No. 17 in the Women’s WAGR.

   Xu was comfortably ahead in her match with Kirra St. Laurent, a freshman from French Polynesia, when Martin Sampedro clinched the title for Stanford.

   It was a matchup of women’s college golf royalty in the semifinals as Stanford rolled to a 4-1 decision over seven-time NCAA champion Duke.

   Revuelta got things started with a 5 and 4 victory over Katie Li, the talented junior from Basking Ridge, N.J. An eagle at the seventh hole gave Revuelta a commanding 4-up lead and she never looked back.

   Ortengren was equally impressive in a 3 and 2 victory over Duke freshman Avery McCrery, the Wilmington, Del. native whose scholastic career started at Tower Hill School.

   Ganne clinched a spot in the final for Stanford by putting on a match-play clinic in a 3 and 2 victory over Andie Smith, a graduate student from Hobe Sound, Fla. and No. 94 in the Women’s WAGR.

   Xu was trailing in her match with Duke’s freshman phenom Rianne Malixi, the native of the Philippines who pulled off the difficult double of taking the titles in both the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship and the U.S. Women’s Amateur in the summer of 2024, when Ganne clinched the victory for Stanford.

   Martin Sampedro was ahead in her match with fellow Spaniard Anna Canado Espanil, a sophomore at Duke, when the outcome of the overall match was no longer in doubt.

   Duke dropped a spot in the Scoreboard rankings from No. 10 to No. 11 in the aftermath of the ACC Championship.

   SMU’s 4-1 victory over North Carolina was sparked by St. Laurent’s stunning 5 and 4 victory over Megan Streicher, a senior from South Africa and No. 43 in the Women’s WAGR.

   Jin’s 3 and 2 decision over Marie Prats-Rigual, a sophomore from France, clinched the outcome for the Mustangs.

   Chen delivered another point for SMU with her 4 and 3 verdict over Ing Iadpluem, a junior from Thailand.

   Odwin was leading in her match with Helen Yeung, a sophomore from Clarksville, Md., when victory was assured for SMU.

   The lone point for the Tar Heels came from Reagan Southerland, a junior from Atlanta, Ga. who claimed a 2 and 1 win over SMU’s Lee.

   North Carolina dropped a spot in the Scoreboard rankings from No. 12 to No. 13 following its week at Porters Neck.

   Stanford and SMU earned byes into the April 18^th semifinals by going 1-2, respectively, in stroke play qualifying.

   Earlier in the day, North Carolina pulled out a 3-2 victory over Wake Forest and Duke knocked off North Carolina State, 3.5-1.5, to earn their spots in the semifinals.

   North Carolina got match wins from Streicher, who cruised to a 5 and 3 victory over Anne-Sterre Den Dunnen, a senior from The Netherlands and No. 96 in the Women’s WAGR, Iadpluem, who pulled out a hard-fought 3 and 2 decision over Macy Pate, a junior home girl from Winston-Salem, N.C. and No. 35 in the Women’s WAGR, and Prats Rigual, who pulled out a 1-up win over Chloe Kovelesky, a sophomore from Boca Raton, Fla. and No. 31 in the Women’s WAGR.

   Wake Forest maintained its No.-9 spot in the Scoreboard rankings in the aftermath of the ACC Championship.

   Smith sparked Duke’s victory over N.C. State with a 1-up victory over Marie Eline Madsen, a sophomore from Denmark and No. 20 in the Women’s WAGR.

   Malixi pulled out a 2 and 1 verdict over Ellie Hildredth, a freshman from Wrightsville Beach, N.C. and Canado Espanil earned a 4 and 3 win over Lindsay McGrath, a freshman from Canada, for Duke’s two other full points.

   Li finished in a deadlock with N.C. State’s Betsy Sullivan, a freshman from Atlanta, Ga., and McCrery, the Wilmington, Del. native, suffered a 3 and 2 setback at the hands of Vania Simont, a senior from Mexico, to account for Wolfpack’s full point.

   N.C. State improved three spots in the Scoreboard rankings from No. 46 to No. 43 following its solid showing at Porters Neck.

   Stanford took control of the team chase in qualifying for match play right from the outset as the Cardinal ripped off rounds of 13-under 275 and 10-under 278 in the opening-day double round April 16^th that gave them a commanding 11-shot lead over SMU and Duke going into the final round.

   Stanford closed with another 10-under 278 for a 33-under 831 total that gave it an 11-shot margin of victory over SMU.

   Martin Sampedro, winner of last summer’s Women’s Amateur Championship at Nairn Golf Club in Scotland, likewise took control of the individual chase right from the git-go with a sizzling 8-under 64 in the opening round, the low individual round of the tournament.

   Martin Sampedro followed that up with back-to-back 3-under 69s for a 14-under 202 total that left her three shots clear of Duke’s Malixi, the runnerup at 11-under 205.

   Xu, ever the unsung hero of this wildly successful era of Stanford women’s golf, backed up Martin Sampedro by finishing in fifth place with a 7-under 209 total. Xu sandwiched a 5-under 67 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round with a pair of 1-under 71s.

   SMU earned its bye into the match-play semifinals as the Mustangs opened with a sparkling 11-under 277 and added a 1-under 287 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round before closing with a 10-under 278 that earned them a runnerup finish with a 22-under 842 total.

   Lee led the way for SMU as she opened with a 3-under 69 and matched par in the afternoon of the opening-day double round with a 72 before closing with a sparkling 5-under 67 that left her alone in fourth place with an 8-under 208 total.

   Odwin gave the Mustangs another top-10 finisher as she opened with a 1-under 71 and matched par in the afternoon of the opening-day double round with a 72 before closing with a 4-under 68 that left her among a trio tied for eighth place with North Carolina’s Streicher and California’s Jasmine Kahler, a junior from Carlsbad, Calif., each landing on 5-under 211.

   Wake Forest finished another eight shots behind SMU in third place with a 14-under 850 total as the Demon Deacons opened with a solid 9-under 279, but struggled a little in the second round with a 5-over 293 before closing with a 10-under 278.

   Wake Forest was led by Kovelesky, who opened with a 4-over 68 and added a 69 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round before closing with a 70 that left her two shots behind Duke’s Malixi in third place with a 9-under 207 total.

   Duke matched Stanford’s sizzling opening round of 13-under 275 before backing off a little with a 1-over 289 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round. The Dookies closed with a 1-under 287 to finish a shot behind Wake Forest in fourth place with a 13-under 851 total.

   Duke was led by Malixi, who opened with a 5-under 67 and added a 68 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round and only trailed Martin Sampedro by two shots going into the final round. Malixi closed with a 2-under 70 to earn runnerup honors with an 11-under 205 total that left her three shots behind Martin Sampedro.

   N.C. State outperformed its ranking as the Wolfpack put together steady rounds of 4-under 284, 5-under 283 and 3-under 285 to finish a shot behind Duke in fifth place with a 12-under 852 total.

   Madsen led the way for N.C. State as she opened with a sparkling 5-under 67 and fell back with a 2-over 74 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round before closing with a 3-under 69 to finish in a tie for sixth place with Florida State’s Haruhi Nakatani, a freshman from Japan, each ending up with a 6-under 210 total.

   North Carolina nailed down the final spot in the match-play bracket as the Tar Heels opened with a 6-under 282 and added a 6-over 294 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round before closing with a solid 8-under 280 that left them in sixth place, four shots behind N.C. State with an 8-under 856 total.

   Streicher led the way for North Caroline as she closed with a 5-under 67 to climb into the tie for eighth place at 5-under. Streicher had opened with a 1-under 71 before adding a 1-over 73 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round.

   Backing up Martin Sampedro and Xu for Stanford was the talented duo of Ortengren and Revuelta as they finished among the group tied for 11^th place, each ending up with a 4-under 212 total.

   Both were coming off strong showings in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship, Revuelta earning runnerup honors with a 10-under 206 total that left her four shots behind the champion, reigning NCAA individual champion Maria Jose Marin of Arkansas, and Ortengren finishing in a tie for fourth place with an 8-under 208 total.

   Ortengren matched par in the opening round at Porters Neck with a 72 and added a 1-under 71 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round beore closing with a 3-under 69. Revuelta opened with a solid 4-under 68, but fell back a little with a 2-over 74 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round before closing with a 2-under 70.

   Rounding out the Stanford lineup at Porters Neck was Ganne as she added a 1-under 71 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round to her opening round of 1-over 73 before closing with a 2-under 70 to finish in the group tied for 21^st place with a 2-under 214 total.

   It was a solid showing for defending ACC champion Florida State’s Nakatani as she matched par in the afternoon of the opening-day double round with a 72 after opening with a 1-under 70 before closing with a solid 68 that gave her a share of sixth place with N.C. State’s Madsen at 6-under.

   It was an otherwise disappointing week at Porters Neck for the Seminoles as they finished in 12^th place in the team standings with a 13-over 877 total.

   Cal’s Kahler closed with a sparkling 5-under 67 to join SMU’s Odwin and North Carolina’s Streicher in the trio tied for eighth place at 5-under. Kahler had opened with a 2-under 70 and added a 2-over 74 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round.

   It was an otherwise tough week for the Golden Bears, who had made an unlikely run to the semifinals in their first shot in the ACC Championship at Sedgefield a year ago. California finished in a tie for 13^th place in the 15-team field with Notre Dame at 16-over 880.

   Duke’s Li finished in the group tied for 11^th place at 4-under as she opened with a 3-under 69 and added a 71 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Duke’s McCrery, making her ACC Championship debut, also opened with a 3-under 69, but struggled a little after that, adding a 2-over 74 in the afternoon of the opening-day double round and a 75 in the final round that left among the group tied for 35^th place with a 2-over 218 total.