Holes-in-one by Riley, Ma propel Harvard to team title in Princeton Invitational

 

   Harvard captured the team title in the Princeton Invitational, which wrapped up Sunday at Springdale Golf Club in Princeton, N.J., by six shots over Georgetown and had a pair of holes-in-one over the weekend.

   You’d have to say it was a pair of aces that had a lot to do with the outcome.

   The first hole-in-one came from Morgan Riley, a freshman from Raleigh, N.C. whose tee shot at the 126-yard, par-3 13^th hole found the bottom of the cup in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round and led to a 4-under-par 67 for Riley that matched the low round of the tournament over the 6,444-yard, par-71 Springdale layout.

   Riley’s sparkling second round also helped the Crimson gain a share of the team lead with Georgetown and Harvard’s Ivy League rival and tournament host Princeton going into Sunday’s final round.

   The second hole-in-one was authored by William Ma, a sophomore from San Diego, Calif. whose tee shot at Springdale’s 193-yard, par-3 fifth hole in Sunday’s final round ended up in the hole.

   The ace helped Ma close with a 2-under 69 and finish in a tie for second place in the individual standings at even-par 213.

   It was a windy weekend at Springdale, the wind blowing in from the north-northwest during Saturday’s double round and then switching to the south-southeast for Sunday’s final round. But it was balmy compared to some previous Princeton Invitationals with temperatures in the 60s.

   Harvard opened with a 3-over 287 and added a 1-over 285 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round, getting a boost from Riley’s heroics.

   With Ma playing the ace card in Sunday’s final round, the Crimson closed with a sparkling 7-under 277, easily the low team round of the tournament, to finish with a 3-under 849 total.

   Ma had opened with a 2-over 73 and matched par in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round with a 71 before his closing 69 left him in a tie for second place with Columbia’s Neil Kulkarni, a freshman from Ashburn, Va., each ending up at even-par 213.

   Nobody was going to catch Princeton’s Reed Greyserman, a sophomore from Boca Raton, Fla., for the individual title as he claimed the crown on his home course for the second straight spring with a 7-under 206 total.

   Riley had opened with a 79, but, boosted by his hole-in-one at the fifth hole, he bounced back with a 67 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round before closing with a 3-under 68 that left him in a group of six players tied for fourth place at 1-over 214.

   Georgetown, a Big East representative, finished six shots behind Harvard in second place with a 3-over 855 total.

   The Hoyas, coming off a runnerup finish to host Villanova in the Wildcat Fazio Invitational at Galloway National Golf Club at the Jersey Shore, opened with a solid 4-under 280 and added an 8-over 292 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round before closing with a 1-under 283.

   Georgetown was led by Barnes Blake, a junior from Westfield, N.J., and Carson Erick, a freshman from Hingham, Mass, both of whom landed in the bulky group of six players tied for fourth place a 1-over 214.

   After opening with a 1-under 70, Blake added a 2-over 73 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round before matching par in the final round with a 71.

   Erick, who had been the medalist in the Wildcat Fazio Invitational at the tough Galloway National layout, closed with a solid 3-under 68 to join the group at 1-over. Erick had opened with a 1-over 72 and added a 3-over 74 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round.

   Host Princeton, behind a stellar performance from Greyserman, finished two shots behind Georgetown in third place with a 5-over 857 total.

   The reigning Ivy League champion Tigers, at No. 92 the highest-ranked team in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings in the field, opened with a 5-over 289 and had a share of the team lead after adding a 1-under 283 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round. Princeton closed with a 1-over 285.

   A year ago, Greyserman was keeping half-an-eye on big brother Max, a Peddie School product, as he made the cut and played the weekend while teeing it up in The Masters for the first time in his PGA Tour career.

   Perhaps inspired by his big brother, Reed Greyserman captured the individual title in a Princeton Invitational shortened to 36 holes by rainy weather.

   Max Greyserman, a collegiate standout at Duke, was back at Augusta National this year, but didn’t make the cut this time, so Reed could give the Princeton Invitational his undivided attention.

   After matching the low round of the tournament with an opening round of 4-under 67, Reed Greyserman added a 2-under 69 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round before closing with a 70 to run away with the individual title by a whopping seven shots with his 7-under total.

   In addition to his two wins in the Princeton Invitational, Reed Greyserman claimed medalist honors when the Tigers ventured across the pond for the St. Andrews Links Collegiate at the Old Course in Scotland and then led Princeton to the team title in the final against California.

   It’s always good to win, but a victory at the Home of Golf is just a little extra special.

   Princeton had two other top-10 finishers in its home tournament as Charlie Palmer, a junior from Paradise Valley, Ariz., finished in that large group tied for fourth place at 1-over and Eric Yun, a sophomore from Menlo Park, Calif., ended up in a foursome tied for 10^th at 2-over 215.

   Palmer closed with a solid 3-under 68 after opening with a 4-over 75 and matching par with a 71 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round. After opening with a 3-over 74, Yun added a 1-under 70 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round before matching par in the final round with a 71.

   It was 16 shots back to Seton Hall, one of Georgetown’s Big East rivals, in fourth place with a 21-over 873 total.

   The Pirates bounced back from an opening-round 304 by matching par in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round with a 284 before closing with a solid 1-over 285.

   Seton Hall was led by David Lally, a senior from Ireland who landed among the quartet tied for 10^th place at 2-over. Lally bounced back from an opening round of 5-over 76 with a 1-under 70 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round and finished up with a 2-under 69.

   Penn, a third Ivy League entry, finished a shot behind Seton Hall in fifth place with a 22-over 874 total as the Quakers opened with a 7-over 291 and added a 299 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round before matching par in the final round with a 284.

   Saint Joseph’s, an Atlantic 10 representative, finished a shot behind Penn in sixth place with a 23-over 875 total as the Hawks bounced back from an opening-round 300 with a 7-over 291 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round before, like Penn, matching par in the final round with a 284.

   St. Joe’s got a really nice showing from junior Noah Moelter, who was part of the group of six players tied for fourth place at 1-over.

   Moelter, who capped his scholastic career at Central Bucks South by finishing in a tie for sixth place in the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a senior in 2022, closed with a 2-under 69 to climb up the leaderboard. Moelter had opened with a 3-over 74 before matching par with a 71 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round.

   Temple, an American Athletic Conference entry and the third Big 5 member in the field, finished in 10^th place in the 13-team field with a 52-over 904 total. The Owls added a 14-over 298 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round to their opening-round 300 before closing with a 306.

  Temple got a real nice showing from Mason Tome, a sophomore from West Palm Beach, Fla. who rounded out the group of six players tied for fourth place at 1-over. After opening with a solid 3-under 68, Tome added back-to-back 2-over 73s in the final two rounds for the highest finish for an Owl in the wraparound 2025-2026 season.

   Backing up Ma and Riley for Harvard were Ieuan Jones, a sophomore from Ann Arbor, Mich., and Isaac Ahn, a freshman from Rochester, Minn., as they were among the group tied for 14^th place with a 3-over 216 total.

   Jones opened with a solid 2-under 69 and added a 4-over 75 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round before closing with a 1-over 72. After posting a pair of 3-over 74s in Saturday’s double round, Ahn contributed a solid 3-under 68 to the strong finish by the Crimson.

   Rounding out the Havard lineup was Barry Zhang, a sophomore from Winter Garden, Fla. who finished in a tie for 23^rd place with a 5-over 218 total. After matching par in the opening round with a 71, Zhang added a 2-over 73 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round before closing with a 74.

   Jonathan Hartono, a junior from Indonesia, competed as an individual for Harvard and closed with a 3-under 68 to finish in the group tied for 18^th place with a 4-over 217 total. After opening with a 6-over 77, Hartono added a 1-over 72 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round.

   Rounding out the Havard contingent was Reese Jensen, a freshman from Duxbury, Mass. who was also competing as an individual and finished in a tie for 63^rd place with a 235 total. Jensen bounced back from an opening-round 83 with a 4-over 75 in the afternoon of Saturday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 77.

   Columbia’s Kulkarni carded a pair of 1-over 72s in Saturday’s double round before closing with a 2-under 69 to join Harvard’s Ma in the tie for second place in the individual standings with an even-par 213 total.

   Kulkarni led the way for the Lions, another Ivy League entry, as they finished in eighth place in the team standings with a 32-over 884 total.

   Joining Princeton’s Yun and Seton Hall’s Lally in the quartet tied for 10^th place at 2-over were a couple of Yalies in Will Lodge, a senior from Darien, Conn., and Colin Li, a sophomore from San Diego, Calif.

   Lodge added a 2-over 73 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round to his opening-round 72 before closing with a 1-under 70. After recording a pair of 1-over 72s, Li matched par in the final round with a 71.

   Lodge and Li led the way as Yale, a perennial Ivy League power, finished two shots behind Saint Joseph’s in seventh place with a 25-over 877 total.

   Leading the way for Penn were Hayden Adams, a junior from Lexington, Ky., and Kayden Wang, a freshman from San Diego, Calif., both of whom finished in the group tied for 18^th place with a 4-over 217 total.

   Adams, who has had a really nice spring for the Quakers, closed with a solid 3-under 68. He had opened with a 3-over 74 before adding a 75 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round. Wang started strong with a 3-under 68 and added a 2-over 73 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round before closing with a 76.

   Backing up Adams and Wang for Penn was Arjun Caprihan, a freshman from Short Hills, N.J. who ended up in the trio tied for 32^nd place with a 9-over 222 total. After struggling in Saturday’s double round with a 5-over 76 in the morning and a 77 in the afternoon, Caprihan contributed a 2-under 69 to the Quakers’ solid closing round.

   Ryan Chang, a sophomore from Brookline, Mass., finished in a tie for 46^th place for Penn with a 225 total as he opened with a 2-over 73 and added a 74 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round before closing with a 78.

   Rounding out the Penn lineup was Wesley Hu, a sophomore from Suwanee, Ga. who finished in a tie for 60^th place with a 233 total. After opening with a 6-over 77, Hu struggled in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round with an 85 before matching par in the final round with a 71.

   Owen Hayes, a senior from Bedford Hills, N.Y., competed as an individual for Penn and finished in a tie for 63^rd place with a 235 total as he sandwiched an 81 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round with a pair of 6-over 77s.

   Backing up Moelter for Saint Joseph’s was freshman Michael Henry Jr., a scholastic standout at Malvern Prep in the Inter-Ac League, as he finished among the group tied for 18^th place with a 4-over 217 total.

   Henry recorded a pair of 2-over 73s in Saturday’s double round before matching par in the final round with a 71.

   Senior Christian Matt, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Wissahickon, finished in a tie for 30^th place for the Hawks at 8-over 221 as bounced back from an opening round of 6-over 77 with a 2-over 73 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round before matching par in the final round with a 71.

   George Williamson Jr. of Sykesville, Md. finished in the group tied for 39^th place with a 224 total for St. Joe’s as he added a 4-over 75 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round to his opening-round 76 before closing with his best round of the weekend, a 2-over 73.

   Rounding out the Saint Joseph’s lineup was freshman Sam Feeney, the District One Class AAA champion as a senior at West Chester Rustin in 2023 who finished in a tie for 51^st place with a 227 total. After opening with a 7-over 78, Feeney rebounded with a 3-over 74 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round before finishing up with 75.

   Junior Tyler Leyden, who finished in a tie for 10^th place in the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a senior with Catholic League power La Salle in 2022, competed as an individual in the Princeton Invitational and finished in a tie for 68^th place at 238.

   Leyden sandwiched an 84 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round with a pair of 6-over 77s.

   It was the final tuneup for St. Joe’s for the Atlantic 10 Championship, which tees off April 27 at the Evermore Resort in Orlando, Fla.

   Backing up Tome for Temple was Aidan Emmerich, a senior from Swampscott, Mass. who finished among the trio tied for 27^th place with a 7-over 220 total. After opening with a 4-over 75, Emmerich added a solid 3-under 69 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round before closing with a 77.

   Jake Naese, a graduate student from Bradenton, Fla., finished in a tie for 60^th place with a 233 total for the Owls as he carded a pair of 7-over 78s in Saturday’s double round before closing with a 77.

   Nicholas Pilarski, a freshman from Orlando, Fla., registered three straight 8-over 79s to finish in a tie for 66^th place for Temple at 237.

   Rounding out the Temple lineup was William Jun, a sophomore from Jupiter, Fla. who posted 8-over 79s in the first and final rounds and no-carded in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round.

   Temple head coach Brian Quinn brought along senior Darren Nolan, another of the long of scholastic standouts at La Salle, to compete as an individual and Nolan finished in a tie for 46^th place with a 225 total. Nolan bounced back from an opening-round 79 with a solid 1-over 72 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round before closing with a 74.

   It was the final tuneup for Temple before it tees it up in the AAC Championship, which tees off April 27 at the Ritz-Carlton Members Club in Sarasota, Fla.

   Junior Eli Shah, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier during an outstanding scholastic career at Penncrest, competed as an individual for Seton Hall and finished among the trio tied for 32^nd place with a 9-over 222 total. After opening with a 7-over 78, Shah posted a pair of solid 1-over 72s in the final two rounds.

   Shah’s old Central League rival, Cornell junior Tyler Debusschere, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a senior at Strath Haven in 2022, finished in the group tied for 39^th place with a 224 total. After opening with a 4-over 75, Debusschere matched par in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round with a 71 before closing with a 78.

   Debusschere was joined in the group at 224 by teammate Weston Warden, a senior with the Big Red who was a scholastic standout at Shady Side Academy. Warden added a 2-over 73 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round to his opening-round 75 before closing with a 76.

   Cornell, another Ivy League representative, finished in 12^th place in the team standings in the Princeton Invitational with a 56-over 908 total.

   Debusschere and the rest of the Ivy League players will get a chance to tee it up at Baltusrol Golf Club’s Lower Course in Springfield, N.J., site of several major championships over the years, when the Ivy League Championship opens April 24.

   Sophomore Andrew Bilson, who finished in a tie for 10^th place in the PIAA Class AAA Championship in 2023 as a senior at Manheim Township, finished in the group tied for 35^th place for Rider, a Metro Atlantic Athletic Association entry, with a 224 total.

   After opening with a 3-over 74, Bilson added a 76 in the afternoon of Saturday’s double round before closing with his best round of the weekend, a 2-over 73.

   Rider finished in 11^th place in the team standings with a 54-over 906 total.

   It was the final tuneup for the Broncs before they tee it up in the MAAC Championship, which gets under way April 28 at the Walt Disney World Resort’s Magnolia Course in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Central Bucks South's Traczykiewicz solves Rancocas to earn a Philly Junior Tour victory

 

   Nolan Traczykiewicz, a District One Class AAA qualifier as a junior at Central Bucks South last fall, put together a solid 2-over-par 73 at Rancocas Golf Club in Willingboro, N.J. in some tricky winds Sunday to capture a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour victory in the 16-to-18 division.

   It was the back end of a Junior Golf Scoreboard (JGS) Jersey Series weekend on the Philly Junior Tour, although Traczykiewicz did not tee it up in the front end of the series Saturday at Golden Pheasant Golf Club.

   JGS events offer points that can earn players some status on some of the higher profile junior circuits, most notably the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA).

   Traczykiewicz made birdies on the third and 16^th holes and had 12 pars on his scorecard, including a string of eight pars in a row from five through 12.

   Pierce Drake, a junior on the Downingtown East golf team, went back-to-back with birdies at the sixth and seventh holes and had 12 pars on his card as he earned runnerup honors among the older guys with a 5-over 76.

   Drake had a pair of four-hole runs of pars, one on the first four holes of his round and again from the 12^th through the 15^th holes.

   Of the players who teed it up in both ends of the Jersey series, it looks like Drake was the runnerup in the overall scoring – including both the 16-to-18 and 13-to-15 divisions -- with a 158 total. Drake had posted an 82 in even windier conditions Saturday at Golden Pheasant and finished in a tie for eighth place in the 16-to-18 division.

   Lucas Solano of Vineland, N.J. had the best score among all the guys in claiming a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 13-to-15 division with a 3-over 75 at Golden Pheasant and came back with an 82 Sunday at Rancocas that left him in third place among the younger guys.

   That gave Solano a 157 total that was the best among the guys who completed both ends of the Jersey Series.

   Shane Cornell, a District One Class AAA qualifier as a junior at Avon Grove last fall, and Ryan Sun of Morganville, N.J. finished in a tie for third place in the 16-to-18 division at Rancocas as each tallied an 8-over 79.

   Cornell made birdies at the third and 10^th holes and had six pars on his card and Sun made birdies at five and 16 and had seven pars on his card.

   Both were on the leaderboard in the overall standings for the Jersey Series as Cornell had a 160 total and Sun completed the two rounds with a 162 total.

   Jack Sokol, a District One Class AAA qualifier as a freshman at Harriton last fall, took fifth place with an 80 and Benjamin Perticari of West Deptford, N.J. was sixth with an 81.

   Henry Sokol, Jack Sokol’s twin brother and a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a freshman at Harriton last fall, and Johnny LaViola of Berlin, Md. finished in a tie for seventh place, each signing for an 82.

   The Sokol twins were on the leaderboard in the overall scoring for the Jersey Series as Henry Sokol finished in a tie for second place in the 16-to-18 division at Golden Pheasant with a 78 and had a 160 total and Jack Sokol finished in a tie for eighth with an 82 at Golden Pheasant for a 162 total for the weekend.

   Adam Boyce of Yardley took ninth place at Rancocas with an 83 and Hayden Bartie, a junior on the Southern Lehigh golf team, rounded out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division as he finished 10^th with an 84.

   Jason Leekley of Moorestown, N.J. made birdies at the fourth, 12^th, 14^th and 17^th holes and had five pars on his scorecard as he earned a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 13-to-15 division with a 7-over 78.

   Richard Davoli of Ambler wrapped up a solid weekend in South Jersey as he made a birdie at the 16^th hole and had 10 pars on his card as he finished a shot behind Leekley in second place with a 79.

   Davoli was the runnerup to Solano Saturday at Golden Pheasant with an 82 and his 79 Sunday at Rancocas had him on the leaderboard in the overall scoring for the Jersey Series with a 161 total.

   Solano had eight pars on his card as he finished in third place among the younger guys with an 82. That score, combined with his 3-over 75 at Golden Pheasant that was the best score of the day among all the guys, left him atop the leaderboard in the Jersey Series with a 157 total.

   Helmut Dang of Newtown Square took fourth place at Rancocas with an 84 and the trio of Parker Kriews of Manahawkin, N.J., Nathan Lobo of Collegeville, and Ethan Clouser, a freshman on the golf team at Catholic League power La Salle and a Newtown resident, finished in a tie for fifth place, each recording an 85.

   William Quartermain, a District One Class AAA qualifier as a freshman at Haverford High last fall, and Jack Gilbert of Bryn Mawr shared eighth place, each registering an 86 and Bryce Moyer, another Bryn Mawr guy, rounded out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division as he finished 10^th with a 91.

   Emma Bergey, a junior on the Bishop Shanahan golf team and a Kennett Square resident, made a birdie on the 11^th hole and had four pars on her scorecard as she claimed a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 16-to-18 division with an 89.

   Bergey was one of the few girls who completed both ends of the Jersey Series as she finished in second place among the older girls Saturday at Golden Pheasant with an 82 and was the overall girls winner in the series with a 171 total.

   Emily Renouf of Moorestown, N.J. made a birdie on the 16^th hole and had two pars on her card as she earned runnerup honors among the older girls with a 95.

   Madison Gibson of Cinnaminson, N.J. had three pars on her card, including back-to-back pars at the second and third holes as she rounded out the field in the 16-to-18 division, finishing in third place with a 104.

   Sara Fanelli, coming off a solid sophomore season at Radnor, had five pars on her scorecard, including a closing stretch in which she made pars at the 15^th, 16^th and 18^th holes, as she claimed a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 13-to-15 division with a 95.

   Sonia Rosenman of Moorestown, N.J. and Julie Costello of Ocean City, N.J. finished in a tie for second place as each tallied a 99.

   Rosenman finished strong with pars at the 16^th and 18^th holes and Costello also had two pars on her card.

   Rounding out the field in the 13-to-15 division was Emma Cowan, another Moorestown, N.J. entry, as she finished in fourth place with a 103.

   Give Cowan credit for teeing it up in both ends of the Jersey Series on a weekend when the wind was always a factor. She had opened with a 99 at Golden Pheasant.

   Niko Muego of Bryn Mawr had three pars on his scorecard as he bested the field of 12-and-under nine-holers with a 6-over 41.

   Muego was coming off a fifth-place finish in the boys 12-and-under division with a 43 Saturday at Golden Pheasant.

   Luke George of Mullica Hill, N.J. had two pars on his card as he earned runnerup honors with a 43 that left him two shots behind Muego.

   Grayson Wright of Philadelphia and Dillon Tierney of Marlton, N.J. finished in a tie for third place, each posting a 46.

   Wright had three pars on his card and Tierney also had three pars on his card, including back-to-back pars at the second and third holes.

   Andrew Herman of Telford and Chase Venne of Moorestown, N.J. shared fifth place, each carding a 47 and Alex Cheng of Wilmington, Del. finished seventh with a 49.

   Kayaan Patel of Mullica Hill, N.J. took eighth place with a 50 and Victor Wang of Hockessin, Del. and Joseph Sherman of Gladwyne rounded out the top 10 in the boys 12-and-under division as they finished in a tie for 10^th, each landing on 51.

   Arianna Testaiuti of Newtown Square was the lone entry in the girls 12-and-under division and she made two pars on her way to a 49.