Gross punches his ticket to the U.S. Amateur at Merion by grabbing a share of medalist honors at Llanerch

 

   Nick Gross hadn’t quite turned 15 when he teed it up in the Pennsylvania Amateur Championship in the summer of 2021 at Merion Golf Club’s historic East Course.

   The kid, going into his sophomore season of scholastic golf at Downingtown West, made the cut – a tough cut as only the top 40 and ties survived to play the final 18 holes of the 54-hole event – on the number at 8-over-par 148.

   That experience will come in handy next month when Gross, now 19 going on 20 and a junior at Alabama, returns to Merion to tee it up in the U.S. Amateur.

   Gross, returning to competitive golf after taking some time to get a left knee injury right and his mind a little better focused, carded a sizzling 5-under 66 Monday at Llanerch Country Club, the underrated layout in Havertown, only a little more than three miles from Merion, to share medalist honors with recent Princeton graduate Riccardo Fantanelli, a native of Italy, in a U.S. Amateur Final Qualifying administered by the Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP).

   It was in the U.S. Amateur that Gross made his biggest splash to date. It was just a year after his solid showing in the Pennsylvania Amateur when Gross earned a spot in the field for the 2022 U.S. Am at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J. and proceeded to reach the quarterfinals a week before his 16^th birthday.

   Gross struggled to make the lineup for Southeastern Conference power Alabama last fall, then dislocated his left knee in a workout during college golf’s midseason pause.

   Gross gutted it out in the spring, the Crimson Tide ending up one frustrating shot out of advancing to the NCAA Championship with a sixth-place finish in the Marana Regional at the Gallery Golf Club in Arizona.

   But Gross decided to shut it down for the summer, preferring to work out some kinks in his game. I’m guessing most of that work happened at Kennett Square Golf & Country Club, where he became a member a couple of years ago and played in a couple of BMW GAP Team Matches in the spring of his senior year in high school in 2024.

   Gross had played very little competitive golf in that 2023-2024 winter, but showed up for the Pennsylvania Golf Association’s George Dressler Memorial at LedgeRock Golf Club that spring and erupted with a spectacular 10-under 62 in the opening round, going on to beat a pretty strong field by eight shots.

   The script was very similar Monday. Despite not playing a competitive round this summer, Gross made six birdies against a lone bogey over the 6,825-yard, par-71 Llanerch layout, home of the 1958 PGA Championship, to grab one of the coveted eight tickets to the U.S. Amateur at Merion that were up for grabs.

   Making a U.S. Amateur is pretty special in any year, but for a local player to make it to a U.S. Amateur at Merion is next-level special.

   I can vividly recall covering the local qualifier for the 2005 U.S. Amateur at Merion in my previous life at the Delaware County Daily Times back when it was a one-day, 36-hole test. The qualifier that year was at Rolling Green Golf Club and Llanerch.

   Really wanted to get down there Monday, but I was busy shooting a million in the Caddy Tournament at Stonewall’s Old Course. It is the social highlight of the summer for me and my fellow Stonewall loopers.

   Starting off the 10^th tee at Llanerch Monday, Gross nearly drove the green at the par-4 15^th hole, chipped to 13 feet and dropped the putt for his first birdie of the day.

   With his high school coach Rob Coyne, the best player in the history of Downingtown West golf before Gross arrived on the scene, on the bag, Gross got a second birdie on Llanerch’s incoming nine by hitting a pitching wedge to eight feet and rolling in the putt.

   Gross’ game heated up on Llanerch’s front side as he rattled off three straight birdies at the first, second and third holes.

   A 56-degree wedge to 12 feet on Llanerch’s opener was quickly converted into a birdie. Gross stuck a 9-iron from 162 yards to three feet at the second hole and made that putt. Gross hit a pitching wedge to 25 feet at the 465-yard, par-4 third hole and watched the birdie bomb fall.

   Suddenly, he was 5-under for the round.

   Gross’ sixth birdie of the day came at the 559-yard, par-5 fifth hole as he wedged his approach from 90 yards to six feet and made the birdie putt.

   The only blemish on his card came at the 365-yard, par-4 seventh hole as Gross laid back with a 3-wood off the tee, caught a flyer in the rough and eventually missed a six-footer for par.

   “I’m super excited,” Gross told the GAP website. “It was hard not to put pressure on myself for this qualifier, knowing where this U.S. Amateur is. It’s a fun opportunity to play at home. It’s a 35-minute drive to the course. You can’t beat that. And Merion is obviously a top-notch golf course.”

   Fantanelli was the best player in the Ivy League during his time at Princeton, earning Player of the Year honors in the Ancient Eight in 2024 and again in 2025. He was a semifinalist in the Royal & Ancient’s Amateur Championship a year ago at Royal St. George’s Golf Club.

   Chuck Tragresser III, the PIAA Class AAA runnerup as a senior at Franklin Regonal in the pandemic fall of 2020, finished a shot behind Gross and Fantanelli in third place, punching his ticket to Merion with a 4-under 67.

   Tragresser began his college career at Rhode Island before transferring to Robert Morris to finish it out.

   Liberty junior Michael Lugiano, who capped his scholastic career at Lake Lehman by finishing in a tie for second place in the PIAA Class AA Championship in 2023, is headed for Merion as he finished in a tie for fourth place with ChiChun Chen, another international invader from Chinese Taipei, each posting a 3-under 68 at Llanerch.

   Lugiano played some tremendous golf in capturing the individual title in the NCAA Corvallis Regional at the Trysting Tree Golf Club by three shots in the spring. He competed as individual in the NCAA Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.

   Anyone who followed last week’s Philadelphia Open at Lancaster Country Club wouldn’t be surprised to see the two participants in the playoff for that title, Drue Nicholas, the former Drexel standout, and Josh Ryan, a teammate of Lugiano’s in his final season at Liberty in the spring, among the three players who nabbed the final three tickets to the U.S. Amateur available at the Llanerch qualifying site.

   Nicholas was a member at Galloway National Golf Club when he won the Philadelphia Open a year ago, but he has moved to Merion and will be playing on his new home course in the U.S. Amateur. Nicholas defeated Ryan in the playoff to repeat as the Philly Open champion last week at LCC.

   Ryan, a Norristown native, won the GAP Junior Boys’ Championship three straight years from 2020 to 2022. He said last week he plans to turn pro, but he would delay the start of his professional career for a few weeks if he was able to qualify for the U.S. Amateur at Merion. Well, he’s in.

   And, as I mentioned in my Philadelphia Open post last week, Ryan was in the field for that 2021 Pennsylvania Amateur at Merion and was very much in contention right to the very end.

   Ryan, who will represent The 1912 Club at Merion, had just earned his high school diploma from Commonwealth Connections Academy when he finished in a tie for fourth place in the Pennsylvania Am with a 2-over 212 total for three rounds at the East Course.

   Rounding out the trio tied for sixth place at 2-under and earning one of the final spots in the U.S. Amateur out of the Llanerch qualifier was another local favorite in Huntingdon Valley Country Club’s Patrick Isztwan.

   That gives the Inter-Ac League a second representative in the U.S. Amateur at Merion as Isztwan was a standout at Penn Charter, capturing the title in the Bert Linton Invitational for the Inter-Ac’s individual crown on his home course at Huntingdon Valley as a freshman in the fall of 2017.

   Another Bert Linton winner, Aronimink Golf Club’s Hunter Stetson, the 2021 champion as a sophomore at Episcopal Academy, punched his ticket to the U.S. Amateur by capturing the title in last month’s Delaware Amateur Championship at Rehoboth Beach Country Club.

   Isztwan went on to have a solid college career at Richmond and has twice been a beaten finalist in the BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship, most recently falling to Nicholas a year ago at Aronimink.

   The battle for somebody to have his name inscribed on the Havemeyer Trophy begins with the first of two rounds of qualifying for match play at Merion’s East Course, in the Ardmore section of Haverford Township, and Philadelphia Country Club, in the Gladwyne section of Lower Merion Township, Monday, Aug. 10.

   Philly Country is a William Flynn design and anybody who knows the history of Merion is aware that Flynn, the first greenkeeper at Merion, had a lot to do with how the tricky green complexes at the East Course turned out.

   Match play will get under way Wednesday, Aug. 12 at Merion. It is the seventh time a U.S. Amateur will be contested at the East Course.

   If you’re a golf fan, I can’t more highly recommend getting over there to watch some golf that week. You can feel the history oozing out of the ground while the present and the future performs right before your eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Galucci matches par at Southmoore to claim a weather-shortened Philly Junior Tour victory

 

   Emmett Galucci of Cresco got it around the outgoing nine at Southmoore Golf Course in Bath, Northampton County in even-par 36 to capture a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour victory in the 16-to-18 division July 10^th.

   There was a lot of rain around that Friday, more in some places, less in others, but it looks like it limited that Philly Junior Tour players to nine holes in the boys and girls divisions and the nine-holers were only able to get in four holes.

   Galucci made a birdie on the fourth hole and had seven pars on his scorecard, twice making three pars in a row at one, two and three to open his round and again at seven, eight and nine to finish up his round.

   Lucas Keysock of Schwenksville had seven pars on his card, closing out his round with six straight pars, as he earned runnerup honors with a 2-over 38.

   Cooper Aspen, a senior on the Southern Lehigh golf team, had six pars on his card as he finished a shot behind Keysock in third place with a 3-over 39.

   The trio of Tim Croyle, a senior on the Pennridge golf team, Jack Ferm, a District One Class AAA qualifier as a junior at Garnet Valley last fall, and Cole Eckenroth, a junior on the York Suburban golf team, shared fourth place, each ending up a shot behind Aspen with a 40.

   Joey Solt, a junior on the Palmerton golf team, and Braydon Dolan, a senior on the Springfield golf team, shared seventh place, each posting a 40. Solt was coming off a Philly Junior Tour victory a day earlier at Woodstone Country Club.

   Tucker Dempsey, a Philadelphia resident and a junior on the Episcopal Academy golf team, took ninth place with a 42 and Jaxon Law of Souderton and Sahil Manjeshwar, another Philly guy, finished in a tie for 10^th, each tallying a 45.

   Rounding out the field in the 16-to-18 division was Kyle Talley of Springfield as he finished in 12^th place with a 60.

   Mason Kim of Blue Bell also matched par with a 36 on Southmoore’s outgoing nine to capture a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 13-to-15 division.

   Kim registered back-to-back birdies at the fourth and fifth holes, added another bogey at eight and had three pars on his scorecard.

   Henry Small of Berwyn made a birdie at the fourth hole and had six pars on his card as he finished a shot behind Kim in second place with a 1-over 37.

   Aiden Jose of Brick, N.J. made birdies at the sixth and eighth holes and had four pars on his card as he finished a shot behind Small in third place with a 2-over 38.

   Jack Gilbert of Bryn Mawr took fourth place with a 39, Sam Nelligan, an incoming freshman at Boyertown, was fifth with a 40 and Chase Fogli of Wayne finished sixth with a 41.

   Connor Bates of Schwenksville, Lucas Shank of West Chester and Jonah Lowenberg of Villanova shared seventh place, each posting a 42.

   James Keegan of Newtown and Auggie Furlong, a Phoenixville resident and a sophomore on the golf team at The Hill School, rounded out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division as each recorded a 43 to finish in a tie for 10^th place.

   Alexa Mcelwain of Schwenksville made a par on the eighth hole on her way to a 48 as she earned a Philly Junior Tour victory in the girls 13-to-15 division. It was the second straight Philly Junior Tour victory for Mcelwain as she earned a win a day earlier at Woodstone.

   Nazareth’s Team Soporowski, Natalie Soporowski and Lindsay Soporowski, rounded out the field in the 13-to-15 division, finishing in second and third place, respectively. Natalie Soporowski had a par on the fourth hole on her way to a 51 that earned her runnerup honors and Lindsay Soporowski was third with a 58.

   Jace Collins of Spring Brook Township and Sid Joshi of Coopersburg finished in a tie atop the leaderboard among the boys 12-and-under nine-holers, each signing for a 1-over 17 for four holes.

   Collins made birdies at the second and fourth holes around a par at three. Joshi made three straight pars at the second, third and fourth holes.

   Niko Muego of Bryn Mawr opened his round with back-to-back pars at the first and second holes as he finished two shots behind Collins and Joshi with a 3-over 19.

   Leonardo Rossi of Ambler took fourth place with a 20 and Kash Gray of Eagleville rounded out the field in the boys 12-and-under division as he finished fifth with a 22.

   Gray had been on a heater in the days before the stop at Southmoore as he had wins in a Nine-Hole Series event at DuPont Country Club’s Montchanin Nine July 6^th, at Medford Lakes Country Club July 8^th and at Woodstone a day earlier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Solt feels right at home on his way to a Philly Junior Tour victory at Woodstone

 

   Joey Solt, a junior on the Palmerton golf team, matched par with a 72 at Woodstone Country Club in Danielsville, Northampton County to claim a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour victory in the 16-to-18 division July 9^th.

   It was basically a home game for Solt, a Kunkletown resident, and he put together a really solid round, opening with a birdie at the first hole and finishing up with a birdie at 18. In between he had 14 pars on his scorecard, rattling off 13 straight pars from the second through the 14^th holes.

   Solt toured the outgoing nine at Woodstone in 1-under 35.

   Joey Bilotta, who wrapped up his scholastic career at Boyertown last fall, got off to a fast start with back-to-back birdies at the second and third holes, added birdies at 14 and 17 and had eight pars on his card as he earned runnerup honors with a 3-over 75.

   Charles Ball of West Chester made a birdie on the ninth hole and had 12 pars on his card, including a string of seven pars in a row from two through eight, as he finished in third place with a 4-over 76.

   Mason Matlack of Boyertown, Tucker Dempsey, a Philadelphia resident and a junior on the Episcopal Academy golf team, and Cooper Aspen, a senior on the Southern Lehigh golf team, shared fourth place, each posting a 77.

   Jack Ferm, a District One Class AAA qualifier as a junior at Garnet Valley finished alone in seventh place with a 78.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division was the trio of Braydon Dolan, a senior on the Springfield golf team, Brayden Hughes of Hockessin, Del. and Ty Miller, a senior on the State College golf team, all of whom signed for a 79.

   Brody Campell, a Plymouth Meeting resident and a sophomore on the Malvern Prep golf team, matched Solt’s even-par 72 to earn a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 13-to-15 division.

   Campbell made a birdie on the sixth hole and then really got it going on the incoming nine with birdies at 12, 14 and 17. He also had 10 pars on his scorecard, finishing his round with five straight pars while touring the back at Woodstone in 1-under 35.

   Sam Whitehouse of Pottstown opened his round with a birdie at the first hole and finished up the front nine with another birdie at nine. He had 11 pars on his card, rattling off eight straight pars from the 10^th through the 17^th holes, as he earned runnerup honors among the younger guys with a solid 4-over 76.

   Mason Kim of Blue Bell had 11 pars on his card as he finished in third place with a 79.

   Henry Small of Berwyn took fourth place with an 80, Benjamin Lear of West Chester was fifth with an 81 and the foursome of M.J. Nestor of Greenville, Del., Jonah Lowenberg of Villanova, Chase Schmidt of Waterford, N.J. and Sam Nelligan, an incoming freshman at Boyertown, finished in a tie for sixth, each signing for an 82.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division were Thomas Airoldi of Bryn Mawr and Lucas Shank of West Chester as they finished in a tie for 10^th place, each recording an 83.

   The best score of the day among the girls came out of the 13-to-15 division as Alexa Mcelwain of Schnecksville had three pars on Woodstone’s incoming nine on her way to a Philly Junior Tour victory with a 95.

   Mae Racowski of Newtown Square rounded out a short field in the 13-to-15 division as she finished in second place with a 116.

   Kallista Spence of Phoenixville was the lone entry in the 16-to-18 division and she finished up her round with a par at the 18^th hole to register a 110.

   A red-hot Kash Gray of Eagleville bested the field of 12-and-under nine-holers for the third time in four days as he made a birdie at the seventh hole and had four pars on his scorecard on his way to a 3-over 39.

   Gray had claimed a Philly Junior Tour victory a day earlier at Medford Lakes Country Club and was the winner July 6^th in a Nine-Hole Series event at DuPont Country Club’s Montchanin nine.

   Niko Muego of Bryn Mawr had four pars on his card as he earned runnerup honors with a 42.

   Sid Joshi of Coopersburg finished up his round with a birdie at the ninth hole and had two pars on his card as he finished in third place with a 45.

   Leonardo Rossi of Ambler took fourth place with a 49, Andrew Winkler of Macungie was fifth with a 51 and Mason Freeborn of Reading rounded out the field in the boys 12-and-under division as he finished sixth with a 55.