Shurman lights it up at Iron Valley to capture a Philly Junior Tour victory

 

   Jesse Shurman was in the lineup for The Haverford School as a sophomore in each of the Inter-Ac League’s six invitationals that made up the regular season.

   It was a typically tight race and Jesse Shurman and a youthful bunch of Fords were in contention right to the final day before ending up in second place as Episcopal Academy captured a second straight Inter-Ac crown.

   Jesse Shurman, a Villanova resident, took a ride out to Lebanon for a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour stop at Iron Valley Golf Club Oct. 25^th and the experience he gained competing against the tough Inter-Ac competition was apparent.

   Jesse Shurman carded a sizzling 1-under 71, easily the best score of the day among the guys, as he captured a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 16-to-18 division.

   Jesse Shurman finished strong at Iron Valley as he made a birdie at the 15^th hole and closed out his round with back-to-back birdies at 17 and 18 while scorching the incoming nine with a 2-under 34.

   Jesse Shurman had 13 pars on his scorecard, including a stretch of nine consecutive pars from the second through the 10^th holes.

   Jaden Irvin, who wrapped up his scholastic career at Hershey this fall, and Collin Padovani, a junior on the Northern Lebanon golf team, shared runnerup honors at Iron Valley as each posted an 81.

   Irvin made a birdie at the 16^th hole and had 10 pars on his card. Padovani made a birdie at the 10^th hole and had nine pars on his card, including a string of four straight pars from 14 through 17.

   Felix Chen, a junior on the Lancaster Country Day School golf team, took fourth place with an 84 and Shane Cornell, who wrapped up his scholastic career at Avon Grove this fall, finished fifth with an 86.

   Rounding out the field in the 16-to-18 division was Clifton Beam of West Chester as he finished in sixth place with a 92.

   Blake Coppolino, a sophomore on the Downingtown East golf team, had 11 pars on his scorecard, including a run of nine straight pars from the fifth through the 13^th holes, as he claimed a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 13-to-15 division with an 8-over 80.

   Nathan Barker of Malvern had nine pars on his card as he earned runnerup honors among the younger guys with an 83.

   Jonathan Thomas of Landenberg had 10 pars on his card, opening his round with four straight pars, as he finished in third place with an 84.

   Dean Matta, a District One Class AAA qualifier this fall as a freshman at Avon Grove, took fourth place with an 86, Toby Parker of Chester Springs and Nolan Sweigert, a freshman on the Lancaster Catholic golf team, shared fifth, each tallying an 88, and Jaxson Freeborn of Reading finished seventh with an 89.

   Justin Burke, a sophomore on the Owen J. Roberts golf team, took eighth place with a 94 and Harrison Miller of Palmyra rounded out the field in the 13-to-15 division as he finished ninth with a 96.

   Really strong showing from Katelyn Burks, the younger sister of Jill Burks, the District One Class AAA champion as a senior at Conestoga this fall, as Katelyn Burks had the best score among the girls while claiming a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 13-to-15 division with a 7-over 79.

   Katelyn Burks made an early birdie at the third hole, went back-to-back with birdies at six and seven and added birdies at 10 and12 on Iron Valley’s incoming nine. Katelyn Burks also had six pars on her scorecard.

   Elyssa Capaldo, a freshman on Methacton’s Pioneer Athletic Conference championship team, rounded out a short field in the 13-to-15 division as she finished in second place with a 97.

   Mya Dendler, a junior on the Pennsbury golf team, was the lone entry in the girls 16-to-18 division and she had five pars on her scorecard, including three straight pars at the fourth, fifth and sixth holes, on her way to a 95.

   Niko Muego of Bryn Mawr, who has been a fixture on the leaderboard among the Philly Junior Tour’s boys 12-and-under nine-holers all season, made a birdie at the fourth hole and had six pars on his scorecard, including five straight pars to close out his round, as he notched another win with a 1-over 37.

   Blake Shurman, another member of Villanova’s Team Shurman, closed out his round with a birdie at the ninth hole and had five pars on his card, including three straight pars at six, seven and eight, as he earned runnerup honors with a solid 3-over 39.

   Joey Charpentier of Schwenksville and Samuel Karas of Blue Bell shared third place as each signed for a 41.

   Charpentier had seven pars on his card, closing out his round with a string of six straight pars. Karas had four pars on his card, ripping off three consecutive pars at the sixth, seventh and eighth holes.

   Jesse Cannon of Glen Mills and Ryan Kaye of Lansdale shared fifth place, each recording a 42 and Dino Luccia of North Wales and Mason Freeborn, another member of Reading’s Team Freeborn, finished in a tie for seventh place, each registering a 49.

   Declan Brainard of Pipersville took ninth place with a 50, Ethan Hong of Wayne was 10^th with a 55 and Joseph Sherman of Gladwyne rounded out the field in the boys 12-and-under division as he finished 11^th with a 57.

 

 

 

 

 

Barbin brothers get off to strong starts as Assistant PGA Professional Championship tees off

 

   The Barbin brothers, Zach and Austin, got off to a solid start in the opening round of the 50^th Assistant PGA Professional Championship Thursday at the PGA Golf Club’s Wanamaker Course in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

   Zach Barbin and Austin Barbin both work out of the pro at the Chesapeake Bay Golf Club in Rising Sun, Md., which is owned by the Barbin family.

   Each opened with a 4-under-par 68 and landed in the group tied for ninth place.

   Zach Barbin and Austin Barbin both own a victory in the BMW Philadelphia Amateur Championship, Zach Barbin capturing the title in the coronavirus summer of 2020 at Lancaster Country Club and Austin Barbin rolling to a win in 2024 at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club.

   The brothers Barbin were college standouts at Liberty.

   Zach Barbin finished in a tie for second place in the Assistant PPC a year ago at the PGA Golf Club, which earned him a return trip to the event.

   Starting off the 10^th tee in Thursday’s opening round, Zach Barbin made back-to-back birdies at the 15^th and 16^th holes before a bogey at 18, the only blemish on his scorecard, dropped him back to 1-under turning for the outgoing nine at the Wanamaker Course.

   Zach Barbin the ripped off birdies at the second, seventh and ninth holes to get to the clubhouse at 4-under.

   Austin Barbin started off the first tee and was bogey-free. After making a birdie at the sixth hole, he went back-to-back with birdies at nine and 10 and then added a fourth birdie at 16 to join the group at 4-under.

   The Barbin brothers were chasing the pair of Cameron Gray of the Darmor Club in Columbus, Texas and Morgan Deneen of Old Sawmill Golf Club in Ridgeville, S.C. as they each scorched the Wanamaker Course layout with a 7-under 65.

   Starting off the 10^th tee, Gray went off on the Wanamaker Course’s incoming nine, rattling off six consecutive birdies at 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 before making a bogey at 18, the only blemish on his card, to fall to 5-under for his round.

   Birdies at the third and eighth holes got Gray to 7-under.

   Starting off the first tee, Deneen, who was bogey-free, made birdies at the first, fourth and seventh holes on the outgoing nine. He twice went back-to-back on the incoming nine with birdies at the 12^th and 13^th holes and again at 15 and 16.

   Heading a trio tied for third place at 6-under, a shot behind the co-leaders, was defending champion Sandra Changkija, an instructor at Sugar Mill Country Club in New Smyrna Beach, Fla.

   Changkija, who played on the LPGA Tour, became the first woman to capture the Assistant PPC crown a year ago.

   Joining Changkija at 6-under were Jon Moles of the River Bend Club in Great Falls, Va. and Matt Campbell of Teugega Country Club in Rome, N.Y.

   Another Philadelphia Section PGA representative, the ever-steady Trevor Bensel of LuLu Country Club, opened with a 3-under 69 and was in the group tied for 16^th place.

   A couple of Philly Section entries, Zac Oakley, an instructor at Bidermann Golf Club, and Anthony Sebastianelli, working out of the Whitford Country Club pro shop, were among the group tied for 50^th place, each matching par with a 72.

   Oakley often contends in this championship. He finished in seventh place a year ago and shared runnerup honors two years ago.

   Sebastianelli captured the title in the Philadelphia Assistant PGA Professional Championship at Laurel Creek Country Club in June, which was the qualifier for this week’s Assistant PPC.

   Andrew Cornish, an assistant pro at Llanerch Country Club, opened with a 3-over 74 and was in the group tied for 89^th place.

   Brian Bergstol, the head of instruction at the Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort, was among the group tied for 95^th place with a 3-over 75.

   Bergstol finished alone in second place in the Assistant PPC in 2021 and ended up in a tie for second in 2022.

   Rounding out the Philly Section contingent was Logan Hay of Burlington Country Club as he opened with a 5-over 77 and was in a tie for 115^th place. Hay lost to Sebastianelli in a playoff in the Philadelphia Assistant PPC at Laurel Creek.

   There will be a cut following Friday’s second round down to the low 70s and ties.

   A couple of familiar names in the group tied for 36^th place at 1-under 71 in Alex Pillar, the son of John Pillar, the director of golf at the Country Club at Woodloch Springs, and Ashley Grier, who spent the early part of her career as a PGA professional at Overbrook Golf Club.

   Alex Pillar, who played his college golf at Newberry College, is working out of the pro shop at Sunningdale Country Club in Scarsdale, N.Y. Grier is representing the Legacy Golf & Tennis Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., so it’s a home game for her.

   Caleb Ryan, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier while representing Norristown High on the golf course, joined Hay in the group tied for 115^th at 5-over.

   Ryan, a product of the golf management program at Division III power Methodist, is working in the pro shop at the Country Club of New Canaan in Connecticut.

   The Assistant PPC, which has a total purse of $225,000, is supported by The Golf Channel and Srixon/Cleveland Golf.

 

 

 

 

Malixi cruises to individual title, leads Duke to team crown in the Landfall Tradition

 

   Rianne Malixi arrived at Duke in the fall of 2025 as one of the most celebrated players in women’s amateur golf.

   Malixi had completed the rare double of capturing titles in the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship and the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship in the summer of 2024.

   That made for a busy summer of 2025 as Malixi teed it up in a bunch of women’s professional major championships. The start of her freshman year of college was interrupted when she represented her native Philippines in the World Amateur Team Championship at Tenah Marah Country Club in Singapore, where she was the runnerup in the individual standings.

   Somebody with the Duke program, probably head coach Dan Brooks, was smart enough to assign another freshman, Avery McCrery, the Wilmington, Del. native, to be Malixi’s roommate.

   I suspect Malixi is something of a rock star in golf-mad Asia, but that wasn’t going to do her any good when it came to becoming acclimated to Durham, N.C. Duke is no pushover academically either, so there was that, too.

   McCrery must have done a good job of helping Malixi get familiar with her new surroundings because by the spring portion of the wraparound 2025-2026 season, the Philippine Flash had found her footing.

   Malixi was the runnerup in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship at Porters Neck Golf Club in Wilmington, N.C. She helped the Blue Devils reach the NCAA Championship as they finished in third place as the two seed in the Ann Arbor Regional.

   Once at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. for nationals, Malixi led the Dookies to a spot in the match-play bracket, where they dropped a hard-fought 3-2 decision to eventual runnerup Southern California in a quarterfinal match.

   Malixi accounted for one of Duke’s points by winning her match in the loss.

   Malixi was back in Wilmington, N.C. for the Landfall Tradition and she rolled to a nine-shot victory in difficult conditions at the Country Club of Landfall’s Pete Dye Course with a 12-under 204 total.

   The Landfall was in is traditional spot on the schedule at the end of the fall campaign and wrapped up Oct. 25^th. Apparently, the wind always blows at the Country Club of Landfall and it was blowing pretty hard in late October.

   It didn’t seem to bother Malixi, No. 8 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), much, though.

   After opening with a 4-under 68 over the 6,265-yard, par-72 Pete Dye Course, Malixi ripped off a scintillating 8-under 64 in the second round to take command of the individual race. Malixi matched par in the final round with a 72 to finish at 12-under.

   Malixi led Duke to the team title as the Blue Devils finished with a 5-over 869 total that left them eight shots clear of ancient ACC rival Wake Forest and Southeastern Conference power South Carolina. Duke defeated the Demon Deacons to claim the last of their seven national championships in the Final Match at the Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark. in the spring of 2019.

   Duke opened with a 2-under 286, which turned out to be the best team round of the weekend, stretched its lead with a 2-over 290 in the second round and closed with a 5-over 293.

   The Blue Devils had begun the weekend at No. 6 in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings and moved up to No. 4 in the aftermath of their victory in the Landfall Tradition.

   Duke was coming off a team victory earlier in the month in another traditional event on the fall schedule, the Ruth’s Chris Tar Invitational at North Carolina’s Finley Golf Club in Chapel Hill, N.C.

   The Blue Devils won with an 11-under 841 total and Malixi again led the way with a runnerup finish in the individual standings.

   Duke had another finisher inside the top five in the individual chase as its steady veteran senior, Katie Li, the Basking Ridge, N.J. native who is No. 70 in the Women’s WAGR, finished among a trio of players tied for fifth place at 1-over 217.

   Li contributed a 3-under 69 to Duke’s fast start in the opening round, struggled a little with a 4-over 76 in the second round and matched par in the final round with a 72.

   Wake Forest had begun the weekend of the Landfall Tradition at No. 1 in the Scoreboard rankings and dropped a spot to No. 2 following its runnerup finish.

   The Demon Deacons opened with a 2-over 290, struggled a little in the second round with a 9-over 297, but closed with another 290, the best team round of the final round, to finish eight shots behind Duke in a tie for second place with South Carolina with a 13-over 877 total.

   Wake Forest was led by its veteran senior, Macy Pate, a home girl from Winston-Salem, N.C. and No. 24 in the Women’s WAGR. Pate was Malixi’s closest pursuer as she opened with a 2-under 70, added a 2-over 74 in the second round and closed with a solid 69 to earn runnerup honors with a 3-under 213 total, nine shots behind Malixi.

   The Demon Deacons captured the team crown in the Tallahassee Regional last spring, but were unable to carry that momentum to the NCAA Championship and La Costa, where they failed to earn a spot in the match-play bracket.

   South Carolina, behind a couple its veterans, Eila Galitisky, a junior from Thailand and No. 13 in the Women’s WAGR, and Vairana Heck, a senior from France and No. 77 in the Women’s WAGR, closed with a solid 5-over 293 to get a share of second place with Wake Forest at 13-over.

   The Gamecocks struggled a little in the opening round with a 9-over 297 before moving into contention on the strength of a 1-under 287 in the second round.

   Galitsky sandwiched a 4-under 68 in the second round with a pair of 2-over 74s to get a share of third place with Kentucky’s Cathryn Brown, a senior from Eddyville, Ky. and No. 83 in the Women’s WAGR, each landing on even-par 216.

   Heck bounced back from an opening round of 4-over 76 with a 1-under 71 in the second round and a 2-under 70 in the final round as she ended up among the trio tied for fifth place along with Duke’s Li and Florida State’s Alexandra Gazzoli, a junior from Palm Coast, Fla., at 1-over.

   South Carolina dropped a spot from No. 7 to No. 8 in the Scoreboard rankings following its runnerup finish in the Landfall Tradition.

   Another ACC power, Florida State, finished another nine shots behind Wake Forest and South Carolina in fourth place with a 22-over 886 total.

   The Seminoles, who maintained their No. 17 spot in the Scoreboard rankings following their fourth-place finish in the Landfall Tradition, opened with a 5-over 295, struggled to a 300 in the second round and closed with a solid 3-over 291.

   Florida State was led by Gazzoli, who opened with a 2-over 70, added a 2-over 74 in the second round and closed with a 1-over 73 to join the trio tied for fifth place at 1-over.

   The Seminoles had another top-10 finisher in Haruhi Nakatani, a sophomore from Japan and No. 69 in the Women’s WAGR, as she finished in a six-player logjam tied for ninth place at 4-over 220.

   Nakatani added a 2-over 74 in the second round to her opening-round 75 before closing with a solid 1-under 71.

   Florida State advanced to the NCAA Championship at La Costa last spring with a runnerup finish as the fourth-seeded host of the Talahassee Regional. The Seminoles were unable to make a run to the match-play bracket at nationals.

   SMU, another ACC representative, finished a shot behind Florida State in fifth place with a 23-over 887 total.

   The Mustangs were Duke’s closest pursuer going into the final round as they opened with a 5-over 293 and added a solid 1-over 289 in the second round. SMU struggled in the final round with a 305.

   SMU was led by Yoonjeong Huh, a senior from South Korea who finished among the quintet tied for ninth place at 4-over. Huh added a 2-under 70 in the second round to her opening round of 1-over 73 before closing with a 77.

   SMU had a pretty special spring earlier this year, reaching the ACC final before falling to eventual national champion Stanford and then winning the team title as a four seed in the Waco Regional. The Mustangs made a run at a spot in the match-play bracket in the NCAA Championship, but came up short.

   SMU entered the Landfall Tradition at No. 37 and moved up to No. 28 following its fifth-place finish.

   Kentucky, an SEC representative, finished five shots behind SMU in sixth place in the loaded 18-team field with a 28-over 892 total.

   The Wildcats opened with a solid 3-over 291 and added a 293 in the second round before struggling a little in the final round with a 308.

   Kentucky was led by Brown, who opened with a 2-under 70 and added a 2-over 74 in the second round before matching par in the final round with a 72 to share third place in the individual standings with South Carolina’s Galitsky at even-par 216.

   Backing up Malixi and Li for Duke was Mia Hammond, a freshman from New Albany, Ohio and No. 65 in the Women’s WAGR, as she finished among the group tied for 30^th place with a 9-over 225 total.

   Hammond added a 4-over 76 in the second round to her opening-round 77 before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Another freshman, Spaniard Martina Navarro Navarro, finished in the group tied for 36^th place for Duke with a 226 total. Navarro Navarro opened with a solid 2-over 74 and added a 75 in the second round before closing with a 77.

   Rounding out the Duke lineup was McCrery, a standout at the Tower Hill School before finishing up her high school studies with the ICL Academy, the on-line arm of the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA).

   McCrery picked off a pretty big junior prize herself in the summer of 2024 when she captured the title in the Girls Junior PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.

   At the Landfall Tradition, McCrery posted back-to-back 3-over 75s in the first two rounds before closing with a 77 as she finished among the group tied for 41^st place with a 227 total.

   Duke’s Carla De Troia, a junior from France, competed as an individual and joined her teammate Navarro Navarro in the group tied for 36^th place at 226. De Troia matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a 2-over 74 in the second round before struggling a little in the final round with an 80.

   North Carolina State’s Marie Eline Madsen, a talented junior from Denmark, finished alone in eighth place in the Landfall Tradition as she opened with a sparkling 4-under 68 before backing off a little with a 4-over 76 in the second round and closing with a 74 for a 2-over 218 total.

   Auburn star Anna Davis, a senior from Spring Valley, Calif. and No. 16 in the Women’s WAGR, was also part of the fivesome tied for ninth place at 2-over.

   Davis, who helped the United States reclaim the Curtis Cup with a 13-7 victory over Great Britain & Ireland at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles in Davis’ home state, matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a 1-under 71 in the second round before struggling a little in the final round with a 5-over 77.

   It was a bit of a disappointing weekend for the Tigers, an SEC power, as they entered the Landfall Tradition at No. 2 in the Scoreboard rankings and finished in a tie for eighth place with a 36-over 900 total. Auburn fell back to No. 7 in the Scoreboard rankings in the aftermath of the Landfall Tradition.

   Valencia Chang, a freshman from Singapore for host UNCW, was also in the group at 4-over as she opened with a solid 2-under 70, backed off with a 5-over 77 in the second round before closing with a 73.

   The Seahawks got a share of eighth place with Auburn in the team standings at 36-over.

   Rounding out the group tied for ninth place at 300 was South Florida’s Laura Nepper, a sophomore from France who opened with a 1-over 73 and added a 75 in the second round before matching par in the final round with a 72. Nepper transferred to USF after spending her freshman year at South Carolina.

   The Battlin’ Bulls, an American Athletic Association representative, finished in a tie for 12^th place in the team standings with a 43-over 907 total.

   Another junior standout of recent vintage to come out of Delaware, Sarah Lydic, was in the lineup for Wake Forest and finished in the group along with McCrery tied for 41^st place at 227.

   Lydic, a junior at Wake Forest, was a two-time Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA) champion, once at Sussex Academy and again as a senior at Indian River. She was a repeat winner of the BMW Philadelphia Women’s Amateur Championship at Jericho National Golf Club in July.

   Lydic was unable to survive a playoff among nine players for the final two spots in the match-play bracket in the U.S. Women’s Amateur at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tenn. in August.

   At the Landfall Tradition, Lydic opened with a solid 1-over 73 and added a 76 in the second round before closing with a 78.