Gioffre sizzles with a 32 at Huntingdon Valley to help Episcopal open defense of title with an Inter-Ac sweep

 

   Junior Jack Gioffre tamed the Centennial nine at Huntingdon Valley Country Club with a sizzling 3-under-par 32 as Episcopal Academy opened defense of its Inter-Ac League crown Thursday with an impressive sweep of the Penn Charter Invitational field.

   Gioffre claimed medalist honors for the day as the Churchmen put together a 2-over 177 team total that was 11 shots better than their perennial rivals for Inter-Ac supremacy, Malvern Prep and The Haverford School.

   Gioffre also put together a solid 37 at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club that helped Episcopal Academy edge perennial Catholic League power La Salle, 231-235, in a nonleague meeting of two of the region’s heavyweight programs a day earlier.

   Malvern Prep shared second place in the Penn Charter Invitational with the Fords with a 188 total, but was awarded runnerup honors in a tiebreaker involving each team’s sixth scorer.

   Gioffre was backed up by senior Freddy Hartmann, who also finished in red figures for the day with a sparkling 1-under 34. Hartmann finished atop the Inter-Ac’s regular-season points race a year ago in leading the Churchmen to their first league title since 2016.

   Senior Liam Crowley, winner of the Bert Linton Invitational for the Inter-Ac’s individual title last fall at The 1912 Club, backed up Episcopal Academy’s top two with a solid 1-over 36. Hartmann and Crowley are two of the Churchmen’s three tri-captains.

   Two more seniors on this veteran Episcopal Academy team, Connor Smolenski, and Carson Jakuc, rounded out the scoring for the Churchmen with Smolenski tallying a 2-over 37 and Jakuc adding a 3-over 38.

   Sophomore Charlie Blok led the way for Malvern Prep, the runnerup to Episcopal Academy in a tight battle for the Inter-Ac title a year ago, as he matched par with a 35.

   Senior co-captain Ayden Gallen added a 2-over 37 for the Friars and Colby Komancheck, Malvern Prep’s other senior co-captain, and classmate Timmy Burns each chipped in with a 3-over 38.

   Komancheck captured the individual title in the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) Championship at Radley Run Country Club last fall, helping the Friars earn a share of the team title with Episcopal Academy.

   Komancheck finished in a tie for third place in the Bert Linton at The 1912 Club, his third straight finish inside the top five in the battle for the Inter-Ac’s individual crown.

   Senior Michael DiDomenico and junior Mason Matlack each added a 3-over 39, both important counters for the Friars. A final counter of 39 gave Malvern Prep a 188 total that left it tied with Haverford School for second place and the other 39 gave the Friars the tiebreaker edge that gave them second place and a 4-1 mark for the day.

   Haverford School, which had a streak of three straight Inter-Ac titles halted by Episcopal Academy a year ago, was led by freshman Eric Cunningham, who matched par with a 34 at Huntingdon Valley’s Centennial nine.

   Sophomore William Thorkelson added a 2-over 37 and senior Quinn Gallahger, coming off a solid summer, chipped in with a 3-over 38.

   Rounding out the Haverford School lineup were seniors Harry Neilly and Jack Luterman, both of whom recorded a 4-over 39.

   Germantown Academy finished three shots behind Malvern Prep and Haverford School in fourth place with a 191 total.

   The Patriots were led by talented junior Onyu Park and sophomore Dominic Kelly, both of whom registered a 1-over 36.

   The William Penn Charter School, the host, took fifth place with a 199 total. Sophomore Henry Kessler led the way for the Quakers with a solid 1-over 36.

Springside Chestnut Hill Academy rounded out the field in the Penn Charter Invitational by finishing in sixth place with a 211 total.

 

 

 

 

Muego goes low to claim another Philly Junior Tour victory in a weather-shortened Nine-Hole Series stop at Merchantville

 

   Niko Muego of Bryn Mawr, who has been one of the top players among the boys 12-and-under nine-holers all summer, was 2-under-par for six holes at Merchantville Country Club in Cherry Hill Township, N.J. when play was halted in a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour Nine-Hole Series event Aug. 27^th.

   Muego made birdies at the second and sixth holes and had four pars on a bogey-free scorecard for a 22 total that gave him another Philly Junior Tour victory in the boys 12-and-under division. Muego made consecutive pars at the third, fourth and fifth holes.

   Muego was the co-medalist in a Nine-Hole Series event a day earlier at Walnut Lane Golf Club in Philadelphia. Earlier in August, he captured the title in the Philly Junior Tour 12-and-under Championship at McCall Golf & Country Club.

   The Nine-Hole Series stop at Merchantville marked the end of a busy summer schedule for the Philly Junior Tour. The schedule shifted to the weekends beginning last weekend and I’ll start rounding up those events in short order.

   It was likely weather that shortened the stop at Merchantville to six holes. Overall, it was a pretty good summer weather-wise for the Philly Junior Tour, a little hot, to be sure, but most of the events were played.

   Brody Rollins of Milton, Del. had four pars on his card as he finished four shots behind Muego in second place with a 2-over 26 total.

   A trio of players, including Bennett Cho of Chesterbrook, Leonardo Rossi of Ambler and Matthew Meiswich of West Chester shared third place, each ending up a shot behind Rollins with a 3-over 27.

   Cho had three pars on his card, including back-to-back pars at the fifth and sixth holes. Rossi had three pars on his card, going back-to-back with pars at the fourth and fifth holes. Meiswich opened his round with four straight pars.

   Damien Dollard of Cinnaminson, N.J., the Philly Junior Tour Player of the Year in the boys 12-and-under division in 2025, took sixth place with a 28 and the duo of James Hanson of Egg Harbor Township, N.J. and Kash Gray of Eagleville finished in a tie for seventh, each signing for a 29.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the boys 12-and-under division was the trio of Krishen Arora of Harrison Township, N.J., Kamran Patel of Moorestown, N.J. and Ethan Hong of Radnor as they finished in a tie for ninth place, each recording a 31.

   Addison Sabatini of West Chester made a par at the sixth hole as she bested the field of girls 12-and-under nine-holers with a 9-over 33.

   Allison Hong of Wayne made a par at the third hole as she earned runnerup honors with a 39.

   Rounding out the field in the girls 12-and-under division was Victoria Leonard of Merion Station as she finished a shot behind Allison Hong in third place with a 40.

 

 

 

Muego, Kaye share top spot in Philly Junior Tour Nine-Hole Series event at Walnut Lane

 

   Niko Muego of Bryn Mawr and Ryan Kaye of Lansdale each carded a solid 2-over-par 33 at Walnut Lane Golf Club in northwest Philadelphia to top the field of boys 12-and-under nine-holers in a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour Nine-Hole Series event Aug. 26^th.

   Muego has been one of the most consistent players in the boys 12-and-under division this summer. He had a Philly Junior Tour victory two days earlier at Philmont Country Club and was the winner of the Philly Junior Tour 12-and-under Championship earlier in August at McCall Golf & Country Club.

   Muego had seven pars on his scorecard, opening his round with three straight pars.

   Kaye made a birdie at the sixth hole and had five pars on his card, finishing out his round with three straight pars.

   Samuel Karas of Blue Bell and Blake Shurman of Villanova shared third place, each ending up two shots behind Muego and Kaye with a 4-over 35.

   Karas, the medalist in the boys 12-and-under division a day earlier at Indian Spring Country Club, had five pars on his card, going back-to-back with pars at the fifth and sixth holes and again to finish out his round at eight and nine.

   Shurman had five pars on his card, including back-to-back pars at the fifth and sixth holes.

   Kash Gray of Eagleville took fifth place with a 36, Michael Antolino of Richboro was sixth with a 38 and Adam Feith of Merion Station and James Schneider of Penn Valley finished in a tie for seventh, each signing for a 39.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the boys 12-and-under division were Leonardo Rossi of Ambler and Bennett Cho of Chesterbrook as they finished in a tie for ninth place, each tallying a 41.

   Julie Prickitt of Ambler, whose improvement has been noticeable from her most recent results, made a birdie at the seventh hole on her way to a 41 that gave her a Philly Junior Tour victory in the girls 12-and-under division.

   Kasey Bell of Wilmington, Del. rounded out a short field in the girls 12-and-under division as she finished in second place with a 51.