Fifer finishes strong to claim a Philly Junior Tour victory at Newark

 

   Ben Fifer of Wyoming, Del. carded a solid 1-over-par 72 at Newark Country Club to capture a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour victory in the 16-to-18 division July 13^th.

   It was a busy day for the Philly Junior Tour as it also staged an event in Reading at The Berkshire Country Club.

   Fifer made birdies at the second, 10^th and 15^th holes and had 11 pars on his scorecard. Fifer toured the incoming nine in 1-under 35 to hold onto his lead.

   Frank Kunze, a junior on the Garnet Valley golf team, made birdies on the sixth, 11^th, 15^th and 18^th holes and had eight pars on his card, including a string of four straight pars from seven through 10, as he earned runnerup honors with a 2-over 73 that left him a shot behind Fifer.

   Kunze toured the outgoing nine at Newark in even-par 35.

   Caiden Jordan of Rising Sun, Md. made birdies at the 10^th and 15^th holes and had 11 pars on his card as he finished a shot behind Kunze in third place with a 3-over 74. Jordan toured the incoming nine in even-par 36.

   Shane Cornell, a District One Class AAA qualifier as a junior at Avon Grove last fall, took fourth place with a 76 and Jack Ferm, a District One Class AAA qualifier as a junior at Garnet Valley last fall, finished a shot behind Cornell in fifth with a 77.

   Jack Tunnell of Lewes, Del. and K.J. DeSantis, a senior on the West Chester Rustin golf team, shared sixth place, each signing for a 78 and Robert Rittereiser, a sophomore on the Salesianum golf team, was eighth with a 79.

   Rittereiser was coming off a Philly Junior Tour victory the previous week at Medford Lakes Country Club.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division was the trio of Landon Wolfe of Middletown, Del., Everett Harrold, a senior on the Central York golf team, and Grady O’Hair of Downingtown as they finished in a tie for ninth place, each recording an 80.

   O’Hair, the son of PGA Tour pro Sean O’Hair, is a junior at Malvern Prep and plays football for the Friars.

   Liam Woznicki, a sophomore on the Hazleton golf team, made birdies on the fourth and sixth holes and had 11 pars on his scorecard, including a run of five straight pars from seven through 11, as he earned a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 13-to-15 division with a 3-over 74.

   Woznicki’s early birdies helped him tour the outgoing nine at Newark in 1-under 34.

   Charlie Wei of Cochranville ripped off three straight birdies at the second, third and fourth holes, added another birdie at 14 and had seven pars on his card as he finished two shots behind Woznicki in second place with a 5-over 76.

   Jacob Russell of Wilmington, Del. and Dean Matta of West Grove shared third place, each registering a 78.

   Russell had 13 pars on his card, including a string of four straight pars from the 13^th through the 16^th holes. Matta had 12 pars on his card, closing out his round with five straight pars.

   Michael Perry, another Wilmington, Del. guy, took fifth place with a 79, Reed Starzecki of Bryn Mawr was sixth with an 81 and Chase Fogli of Wayne was seventh with an 83.

   Jack Venne of Moorestown, N.J. and Mason Arnold of Ambler shared ninth place, each tallying an 84, and Matthew Pilcher, another Wilmington, Del. entry, rounded out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division as he finished 10^th with an 85.

   Nicole Tarquinio of Bridgeton, N.J. made birdies at the third and 18^th holes and had 11 pars on her scorecard, including a run of six straight pars from 12 through 17, as she posted a solid 4-over 75 that gave her a Philly Junior Tour victory in the girls 16-to-18 division.

   Tarquinio finished strong, touring Newark’s incoming nine in even-par 36.

   Annie Corrigan, a Huntingdon Valley resident and a junior on the Mount St. Joseph golf team, made birdies at the second and 15^th holes and had six pars on her card as she earned runnerup honors with an 84.

   Patty Post, the director of golf programs at Delaware, could drop her daughter, Kiera Post, a junior on the Avon Grove golf team, off at Newark on her way to her office. Kiera Post made a birdie at the second hole and had six pars on her card as she finished in third place with an 86.

   Brooke Burge, a senior on the Appoquinimink golf team, took fourth place with an 87, Emmerson Gleber, a senior on the golf team at The Charter School of Wilmington, was fifth with an 88 and Madeline VanBuskirk, a senior on the Pocono Mountain East golf team, rounded out the field in the girls 16-to-18 division as she finished sixth with a 90.

   Lanie Whitehead of Swedesboro, N.J. had six pars on her scorecard as she finished at the top of the leaderboard in the 13-to-15 division with a 95.

   Mae Racowski of Newtown Square made a birdie at the 17^th hole and added a par at 16 as she earned runnerup honors with a 101.

   Karena Boyd of Kennett Square rounded out the field in the 13-to-15 division as she finished in third place with a 129.

   Brody Rollins of Milton, Del. had seven pars on his scorecard, rattling them off consecutively from the second through the eighth holes, as he headed a strong group of Delaware youngsters in the boys 12-and-under division with a 2-over 37.

   James Wilson of Wilmington, Del. had three pars on his card as he took second place among the boys 12-and-under nine-holers with a 6-over 41.

   Victor Wang of Hockessin, Del. had four pars on his card as he finished a shot behind Wilson in third place with a 42.

   A couple of Wilmington, Del. guys, Julian Kelley and Caelan Gillen, shared fourth place, each recording a 43, and another Wilmington, Del. entry, Jackson Larrabee, finished in a tie for sixth with Landon Post, another member of Lincoln University’s Team Post, each tallying a 44.

   Chris Pilcher, another member of Team Pilcher out of Wilmington, Del., and Kelly Salvesen of Cape May Court House, N.J. finished in a tie for eighth place, each registering a 46.

   Rounding out the field in the boys 12-and-under division were Conrad Kelley, another member of Team Kelley out of Wilmington, Del., and Quinn Haberman of Ocean View, N.J. as they finished in a tie for 10^th place, each carding a 50.

   Aashi Chakraborty of Kennett Square was the lone entry in the girls 12-and-under division and she made pars at the fifth and eighth holes on her way to a 52.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Muhlenberg's Nikolaidis matches par at Berkshire to cruise to a Philly Junior Tour victory

 

   Billy Nikolaidis, a junior on the Muhlenberg golf team, matched par with a solid 71 at The Berkshire Country Club in Reading to earn a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour victory in the 16-to-18 division July 13^th.

   Nikolaidis made birdies on the first and eighth holes while touring the outgoing nine at Berkleigh in 1-under 35.

   He finished with 14 pars on his scorecard, grinding out eight straight pars to finish up his round.

   Harris Stanislawczyk, a sophomore on Unionville’s PIAA Class AAA championship team last fall, made birdies on the fourth and sixth holes and had 12 pars on his card, including five straight pars to close out his round, as he earned runnerup honors with a 2-over 73 that left him two shots behind Nikolaidis.

   Victor Frederico of Moorestown, N.J. got hot on Berkshire’s incoming nine with birdies at the 12^th, 14^th, 17^th and 18^th holes to go along with a birdie at three as he finished a shot behind Stanislawczyk in third place with a 3-over 74.

   Frederico also had six pars on his card. The birdie barrage on the back nine enabled Frederico to tour that side in even-par 35.

   Emmett Galucci of Cresco, coming off a victory the previous week in a weather-shortened stop at Southmoore Golf Course, took fourth place with a 76 and Grant Okonak, a senior on the Bishop Guilfoyle Academy golf team, made a road trip from Altoona and finished fifth with a 79.

   The quartet of Tim Croyle, a senior on the Pennridge golf team, Pierce Drake, a senior on the Downingtown East golf team, Lucas Keysock of Schwenksville and Nathan Goblirsch of Hammonton, N.J. shared sixth place, each signing for an 80.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division was Parker Bohn, a senior on the North Penn golf team, as he finished in 10^th place with an 81.

   Jack Lobley, a Gladwyne resident and a sophomore on the Shipley golf team, and Preston Minio of Lansdale finished tied atop the leaderboard in the 13-to-15 division as each recorded a 3-over 74.

   Lobley made birdies at the fourth, 14^th and 18^th holes and had 11 pars on his scorecard.

   Minio, moving up from the ranks of the 12-and-under nine-holers, where he was a consistent performer, made birdies at the first, fourth and sixth holes and had 10 pars on his card, including a string of five straight pars from eight through 12.

   Thomas Airoldi of Bryn Mawr made birdies on the third, 11^th and 18^th holes and had eight pars on his card as he finished a shot behind Minio in third place with a 75.

   Chandler Lutz, a sophomore on the Exeter golf team, took fourth place with a 76, Jonathan Thomas of Landenberg was fifth with a 77, Cole Jacobson of Phoenixville was sixth with a 78, Nathan Barker of Malvern was seventh with a 79, and Connor Bates of Schwenksville was eighth with an 81.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division was the trio of Kaden Scholz, another Phoenixville guy, Cole Blew of Reading and Jack Bishay of West Chester as they finished in a tie for ninth place, each tallying an 83.

   Alexa Shure, a junior on the Great Valley golf team, made back-to-back birdies at the 10^th and 11^th holes and had five pars on her scorecard as she earned a Philly Junior Tour victory in the girls 16-to-18 division with a 92.

   Emily Stauffer, who wrapped up her scholastic career at Warwick last fall, had three pars on her card, including back-to-back pars at the 11^th and 12^th holes, as she finished in second place with a 98.

   Faridah Ismaila, another junior on the Great Valley golf team, rounded out the field in the 16-to-18 division as she finished in third place with a 115.

   Lila Collingwood, a Collegeville resident and a sophomore on the Villa Maria Academy golf team, had three pars on her scorecard, including back-to-back pars on the fifth and sixth holes, as she finished at the top of the leaderboard in the 13-to-15 division with a 95.

   Alexa Mcelwain of Schnecksville made a birdie at the second hole and had three pars on Berkleigh’s incoming nine as she finished a shot behind Collingwood in second place with a 96.

   Hridya Shah of Downingtown made pars at the 15^th and 17^th holes as she finished in third place with a 101.

   Kate Benson, a sophomore on the Great Valley golf team, rounded out the field in the 13-to-15 division as she finished in fourth place with a 114.

   Niko Muego of Bryn Mawr came out of the gate with an eagle at Berkshire’s par-5 10^th hole as he bested the field of boys 12-and-under nine-holers with a 1-under 36.

   Muego, who makes frequent appearances on the boys 12-and-under division leaderboard, also had a birdie at the 16^th hole and had five pars on his scorecard.

   Ryan Kaye of Lansdale made a birdie at the 12^th hole and had four pars on his card as he earned runnerup honors with a 3-over 40.

   There was a four-player logjam tied for third place at 43 that included Joey Charpentier of Schwenksville, Leonardo Rossi of Ambler, Sid Joshi of Coopersburg and Keith Gray of Eagleville.

   Charpentier made a birdie at the 18^th hole and had two pars on his card, Rossi had five pars on his card, including a string of four straight pars from 12 through 15, Joshi had four pars on his card and Gray had five pars on his card, matching Rossi’s run of four straight pars from 12 through 15.

   Mason Freeborn, playing close to his Reading home, and Jacob Salansky of Gilbertsville shared seventh place, each posting a 49 and Bennett Cho of Chesterbrook finished ninth with a 54.

   Rounding out the field in the boys 12-and-under division was Soren Cohen of Bala Cynwyd as he finished in 10^th place with a 59.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rolling Green's Bottos captures title in WGAP Junior Girls' Championship at Honeybrook

 

   Rolling Green Golf Club’s Nicolette Bottos outdueled a strong field, including a couple of her teammates on Conestoga’s PIAA Class AAA championship team from last fall, to capture the title in the Prep Division of the Women’s Golf Association of Philadelphia Junior Girls’ Championship July 15^th and 16^th at Honeybrook Golf Club in the northwest corner of Chester County.

   Bottos, who will be a junior at Conestoga this fall, trailed her fellow Pioneer Corinne McReynolds by two shots after Bottos opened with a 1-over 71, but she pulled away from the field with a final round of 1-under 69 that gave her a five-shot victory over DuPont Country Club’s Meredith Finger, Stella Bernard of Sewell, N.J. and York Suburban senior Vivienne Powers.

   The opening round was played in high heat and humidity and the second round featured more of the same with an added dose of smoke from faraway Canadian wildfires.

   Bottos got off to a slow start in the opening round with bogeys at the first, second and fifth holes. She righted the ship with a birdie at the sixth hole, but fell back to 2-over with a bogey at nine.

   Bottos, however, got it going on Honeybrook’s incoming nine with birdies at the 11^th and 14^th holes and seven pars to get it to the house at 1-over.

   Bottos, who finished in fifth place in last month’s Pennsylvania Junior Girls’ Championship at Lebanon Country Club, got her second round off to a better start as she made birdies at the second and sixth holes.

   After a bogey at the eighth hole, Bottos got it back to 2-under for the round with a birdie at 11. Bottos made a bogey at the 13^th hole, but grinded out five pars to finish out her solid second round in red figures for the day.

   Finger captured the WGAP Junior Girls’ crown two summers ago and capped her scholastic career at Archmere Academy with a runaway 12-shot victory in the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA) Championship at Baywood Greens in May.

   Finger, who will join the program at Bradley University later this summer, led the Auks to the Delaware state team crown at Baywood Greens.

   Finger opened with a 2-over 72 and added a 3-over 73 in the second round to get a share of runnerup honors at 4-over 145.

   Bernardi bounced back from an opening round of 5-over 75 by matching par in second round with a 70 to get a share of second place at 5-over.

   Powers, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier, opened with a solid 1-over 71 and added a 74 in the second round to round out the trio tied for second place.

   Bottos, Finger, Bernardi and Powers all earned exemptions to the WGAP Mary Thayer Farnum Cup, the Class A Stroke Play Championship, Aug. 12 and 13 at Northampton Country Club.

   Valerie Danby, the 12-year-old phenom from Avondale, finished two shots behind the trio tied for second place as her 7-over 147 total left her alone in fifth place. Valerie Danby added a 4-over 74 in the second round to her opening-round 73.

   Whitford Country Club’s McReynolds, a senior at Conestoga, got it going in the opening round to grab the lead with a 1-under 69.

   McReynolds got off to a fast start with back-to-back birdies at the second and third holes. A double bogey at the fifth hole slowed her roll a little, but McReynolds bounced right back with a birdie at six to get back to 1-under for her round.

   McReynolds made a bogey at the 13^th hole, but a birdie at 16 enabled her to finish in red figures for the day.

   McReynolds struggled in the second round with a 79 to finish a shot behind Valerie Danby in sixth place with an 8-over 158 total.

   White Manor Country Club’s Jill Burks, a senior at Conestoga, and Nazareth Academy senior Adriana Seravalli finished in a tie for seventh place, each landing on 9-over 149.

   Burks, Bottos and McReynolds were teammates on Conestoga’s PIAA Class AAA championship team last fall at Penn State.

   Burks defeated Bottos in the semifinals last summer at Trenton Country Club on her way to the title in the WGAP Match Play Championship. McReynolds was also a semifinalist in the WGAP Match Play Championship last summer.

   Burks, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier individually, opened with a 3-over 73 at Honeybrook before adding a 76 in the second round.

   Seravalli, a PIAA Class AA qualifier last fall, opened with a solid 2-over 72 and added a 77 in the second round to earn a share of seventh place with Burks.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the Prep Division were Overbrook Golf Club’s Katelyn Bodge, a freshman on the Notre Dame golf team, Vidushi Gupta of Malvern and Madison Meng as each ended up in a tie for ninth place with a 10-over 150 total.

   Bodge, who finished in sixth place in the Inter-Ac League Championship at Sandy Run Country Club in May, bounced back from an opening-round 79 with a solid 1-over 71 in the second round.

   Gupta added a solid 3-over 73 in the second round to her opening-round 77. Meng opened with a solid 2-over 72 before adding a 78 in the second round.

   Really strong showing by Sara Sun in finishing at the top of the leaderboard in the Futures Division as she carded a pair of 1-under 69s for a 2-under 138 total that gave her a four-shot victory.

   Sara Sun was solid in her opening round as she made a birdie on the second hole, gave a shot back with a bogey at eight and added another birdie at nine before matching the card on the incoming nine with nine straight pars.

   Sara Sun opened the second round with a birdie at the first hole and added birdies at 11 and 13 before cooling off a little with bogeys at 16 and 18.

   Emilie Davoli of Ambler was Sara Sun’s closest pursuer as she grabbed the lead with an opening round of 2-under 68 before adding a 4-over 74 in the second round that left her four shots behind Sara Sun in second place with a 2-over 142 total.

   Davoli had it going in the opening round as she made birdies at the fifth, ninth, 11^th and 14^th holes to get it to 4-under for the round before cooling off a little with bogeys at 15 and 17.

   Another member of Team Sun, Mona Sun, posted a pair of 2-over 72s to finish two shots behind Davoli in third place with a 4-over 144 total.

   Allison Murphy of Phoenixville added a 6-over 76 in the second round to her opening-round 74 to finish in fourth place with a 150 total.

   Katelyn Burks, younger sister of Jill Burks, closed with a solid 2-over 73 after opening with a 78 as she finished a shot behind Murphy in fifth place with a 151 total.

   Evelyn Kong recorded back-to-back 78s as she finished in sixth place with a 156 total.

   Gigi Gratz, a junior on the North Penn golf team, and Joslen Bannon shared seventh place, each ending up two shots behind Kong with a 158 total.

   Gratz and Bannon had identical splits, each adding a 7-over 77 in the second round to an opening-round 81.

   Stella Varano of Schwenksville added an 82 in the second round to her opening-round 80 as she took ninth place with a 162 total.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the Futures Division was Lillian Fry of Pennsburg as she added an 81 in the second round to her opening-round 85 to finish in 10^th place with a 166 total.

   Sophie Kim edged another member of Team Danby, Victoria Danby, by a shot in a spirited battle for the top spot in the Discovery Division.

   Sophie Kim made a bogey at the 10^th hole and a birdie at 15 as she matched par in the opening round with a 35 on Honeybrook’s incoming nine.

   Sophie Kim again opened with a bogey at the 10^th hole in the second round, but proceeded to rattle off birdies at 11, 12 and 14 for a 2-under 33 that gave her a 2-under 68 total.

   Victoria Danby trailed Sophie Kim by a shot following an opening round of 1-over 36 as she made a bogey at the 10^th hole, added birdies at 11 and 13 and made bogeys at 15 and 16.

   Victoria Danby got off to a fast start in her second round with birdies at 12^th, 14^th and 15^th holes before a bogey at 16 left her with a 3-under 33 and a 1-under 69 total that was just a shot behind Sophie Kim in second place.

   Another member of Team Kim, Eleanor Kim, and Aashi Chakraborty of Kennett Square finished in a tie for third place, each ending up three shots behind Victoria Danby with a 2-over 72 total.

   Eleanor Kim and Chakraborty had identical splits, each matching par in the second round with a 35 after opening with a 2-over 37.

   Susannah Portadin added a 41 in the second round to her opening-round 39 to finish alone in fifth place with an 80 total.

   It was another six shots back to Charlotte Cabot of Newtown in sixth place as she added a 41 in the second round to her opening-round 45 for an 86 total.

   Elizabeth Wheeler opened with a 47 and added a 46 in the second round to finish in seventh place with a 93 total.

   Avery Jaffe of Richboro added a 47 in the second round to her opening-round 50 as she finished in eighth place with a 97 total.

   Emilia Laign opened with a solid 45 and added a 53 in the second round to finish a shot behind Jaffe in ninth place with a 98 total.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the Discovery Division was Caelan Chalfant as she added a 57 in the second round to her opening-round 56 to finish in 10^th place with a 113 total.