Sheftic takes Pennsylvania Open

   For the first time in three years, Mark Sheftic, the head of instruction at Merion Golf Club, did not earn a berth in the PGA Championship.
    That left him free to tee it up in the Pennsylvania Open, which was held Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at Moselem Springs Golf Club in Fleetwood off Rotue 222 between Reading and Kutztown.
   And considering Sheftic missed the cut at Hazletine in 2009 and Whistling Straits a year ago, the $10,000 check he took home by winning the Pennsylvania Open made his trip to Berks County a lot more profitable than his forays into major championship golf did.
    Sheftic had rounds of 69, 65 and 71 over the par-70 Moselem Springs for a 54-hole toal of 5-under 205. Sheftic finished a shot ahead of Kevin Sheilds, a club pro at Sewickly Heights G.C. outside of Pittsburgh, although a double bogey by Sheftic on the final hole made the margin a little closer than it was throughout the final round.
  Stu Ingraham, the teaching pro at the M Golf Driving Range Newtown who also qualified for the 2010 PGA at Whistling Straits, earned a share of third place with a 1-under 209. Ingraham had rounes of 71, 68 and 70. He was joined at that figure by Nathan Sutherland, an amateur from Wyomissing.
   Conrad Von Borsig, the Daily Times Player of the Year at Strath Haven in 2004-05, had rounds of 73, 69 and 72 for a 4-over 214 total that left him in a tie for 18th. Billy Stewart (71-73-71), who won a Philadelphia Amateur title while he was a member at Llanerch C.C., was another shot back in a tie for 22nd at 5-over 215.
Philadelphia PGA Junior Tour
   Penncrest sophomore Ethan Heller used the occasion of a Junior Tour stop at Honeybrook G.C. Wednesday to post the first sub-70 score of his career, a 3-under 67 that easily gave him the top spot in the 13-to-15 age group.
   Paul Yun of Broomall finished in a tie for seventh with a 78. Other finishers included Minwoo Kwok (80) of Bryn Mawr, Stefan Troilo (89) of Haverford and Ryan Garrity (95) of Upper Chichester.
   Recent Delco Christian graduate Brandon Weidemann finished in a tie for fifth in the 16-to-18 division with a 76.
   Annika Vandayar of Garnet Valley was the top finisher  in the 13-to-15 division with a 79.
Among the nine-holers, Radnor's Chris Austen finished fifth with a 44, Wayne's Kim was another shot back in sixth with a 45 and Jacob Calamaro of Newtown Square finished ninth with a 50.

   Garnet Valley's Cornacchia carded an 84 to finish in a tie for fourth at the 10th annual Harry Hammond Invitational at Penn Oaks G.C. Aug. 5.
   The event is named for one of the region's biggest supporters of junior golf, PGA Master Professional, Penn Oaks Director of Golf and - in his spare time - West Chester University golf coach Harry Hammond Jr.
Scholarships are awarded to the top three finishers among the boys and girls with the funds coming from the Greater Horsham Valley Junior Golf Foundation.
   The scholarship award winners among the girls were Amanda Ploener of Chadds Ford with a 77, Gabriella DiMarco, the recent West Chester East graduate who was the runnerup at the PIAA Tournament as a senior, with a 79 and Kelsey Sloan of Lumberton, N.J. with an 81.
   Megan Chizauskie of Thornton finished 10th with a 96.
   The scholarship winners among the boys were Ben Cooley of Rydal, who defeated Nino Rosal of Camden, Del. on the first hole of sudden death after both carded 72s, and Ryan Fogel of West Chester, who was third with a 74.
   Other top finishers included Episcopal Academy product Bobby Svigals, who ended up in a tie for 14th with a 79, Ryan of Broomall and the Prep who tied for 30th with an 83, Springfield junior Jim Callahan, who was in a tie for 46th with an 88 and Radnor's Kleiman, who was 48th with an 89.
Golf Association of Philadelphia
   Overbrook G.C.'s Oscar Mestre carded a 1-under 71 over the Philadelphia Cricket Club's 6,792-yard, par-72 Militia Hill Course to finish in a tie for fourth in the Marston Cup Aug. 4.
   Steve Lubin of Five Ponds G.C. was the Marston Cup winner with a 5-under 67.
   Other top Delco finishers were Llanerch C.C.'s Mark Fuessinger (74, tied for 11th), Concord C.C.'s Doug Fedoryshyn (75, tied for 15th), Edgmont C.C.'s Peter Moran (77, tied for 26th) and Concord's John Donnelly (78, tied for 37th).
Cimina makes the grade   Kevin Cimina, a 2010 Marple Newtown graduate, recently passed his PGA Playing Ability Test, a 36-hole event held at Moccasin Run G.C.
   Completing the PAT is an important step on the road to becoming a PGA professional. Cimina is enrolled in Penn State's PGA Golf Management Program. He is interning this summer in the White Manor C.C. pro shop.
Patterson Cup leftovers
   In addition to crowning a Patterson Cup champion in Andrew Mason at White Manor C.C., the Golf Association of Philadelphia also handed out the Silver Cross, which goes to the stroke-play champion. The winner is determined with the combined scores from the 36 holes of qualifying for the Philadelphia Amateur and the 36-hole Patterson Cup scores.
   Mike Meisenzahl of Little Mill C.C. captured the Silver Cross with a four-shot advantage over Mason, who admitted thoughts of adding the Silver Cross to what would become a Patterson Cup crown almost cost him the Patterson victory Friday.
   Meisenzahl had a solid even-par 71 at White Manor Friday  for a 284 total in the Silver Cross race. Robert Galbreath Jr. of  Huntingdon Valley C.C. and his soon-to-be Villanova teammate James Kania Jr. shared third place with a 289 total, a shot back of Mason. Merion G.C.'s Michael McDermott, the five-time Hyndman Player of the Year, finished in a tie for seventh with a 290 total.
   Jeff Osberg of Llanerch C.C. finished in a tie for 14th in the Patterson Cup with rounds of 76 and 72 and can now turn his thoughts to the U.S. Amateur in a little over a week at Erin Hills in Erin, Wis.
    Steve Seiden, Osberg's fellow Llanerch member, will also make the trip to Wisconsin. He was the first alternate in qualifying at Rolling Green G.C. and Llanerch at which Osberg was the medalist in dominating fashion.
   "The USGA told me I'm the 11th alternate overall," Seiden said after his fourth-place finish in the Patterson Cup Friday. "They also said there are 10 spots being held for the British Walker Cup team, but they don't think they're coming. We'll see, but I think if you have a chance to play in a USGA event, you have to take it.
   "And if I don't get in, I'll just hang around and root for Jeff."
   The Walker Cup, retained by the United States right here in Delaware County at Merion G.C.'s historic East Course by the Rickie Fowler-led and Buddy Marucci-captained U.S. team in 2009, will be contested this year at Balgownie Links of Royal Abeerden Golf Club in Scotland. Which is why it would seem unlikely that the Great Britain-Ireland squad would feel a need to tee it up at Erin Hills.