Kan finishes fourth at Lady Tiger Classic

   Purdue junior Aurora Kan, the 2010 PIAA champion as a senior at Chichester, continued to be a consistent force at the top of the lineup for a young group of Boilermakers that is improving from tournament to tournament.

   Kan, a three-time Daily Times Player of the Year, strung together rounds of 71, 74 and 72 over LSU’s 6,251-yard, par-72 University Club layout to finish alone in fourth at 1-over 217  in a tough field that gathered for the Lady Tiger Classic that concluded with 36 holes Saturday.

   Kan actually was the only player to better par on the first day of the tournament as her 1-under 71 gave her the lead and helped the Boilermakers jump in front in the team scoring with a 297 total.

The individual title went to Gaby Lopez as she had rounds of 74, 71 and 68 for a 3-under 213 total. She won in a playoff after being matched at the number by Madeline Sagstrom (72-72-69) of the host Tigers and Ashley Holder (73-70-70) of Central Florida.

   Lopez led the Razorbacks to the team title as, after an opening-round 302, they surged to rounds of 292 and 288 to finish at 882, eight shots clear of runnerup Central Florida. Kentucky (302-298-299—899) was third and the host Tigers (304-302-299—905)  took fourth.

   After the strong opening round, Purdue fell back a little with rounds of 305 and 304 for a 906 total that left them in fifth place, one back of LSU and seven behind the third-place Wildcats.

Kan had six birdies during Saturday’s double-round, four of them on par-3 holes.

   Freshman August Kim was Purdue’s second-highest finisher as she ended up in a tie for 37^th at 231 with rounds of 74, 79 and 78.

   Sophomores Vinh Hoa Ngo (74-83-76) and Anna Appert (78-77-78) were two of three players who shared 45^th place at 233. Junior Johanna Tillstrom (83-75-81) finished in a tie for 62^nd at 239.

   All of the youngsters showed flashes for the Boilermakers. They just need to be more consistent, which is easier said than done in this sport.

More Big Ten returns

   Two of Purdue’s strongest Big Ten rivals, Penn State and Illinois, teed it up in the Briar’s Creek Invitational Tuesday in Johns Island, S.C.

   Another strong 17-team field did the opposite of the Lady Tiger, opening with 36 holes Monday before concluding with 18 holes Tuesday.

   Penn State Christina Vosters fired a final-round 68 for a 2-under 215 total that gave her her first collegiate individual victory. She led the Nittany Lions, who had a strong fall and have kept the momentum going, to second place in the team chase. They had rounds of 309, 294 and 289 for an 892 total that left them four shots back of team champion Texas Tech (299-303-286—888).

   Junior Ellen Ceresko, the two-time reigning Pennsylvania Amateur champion, had rounds of 73, 75 and 75 to finish in a tie for 15^th at 223.

   Jackie Calamaro, the 2009 PIAA champion as a senior at Radnor, did not make the trip with her Illini teammates. Illinois battled back from a slow start to post rounds of 316, 310 and 293 and finish 11^th at 919. The Illini were led by the trio of Ember Schuldt (82-76-71), Stephanie Miller (78-79-72) and Emily Joers (80-75-74), all of whom ended up in a tie for 37^th at 229.

   A couple of other names familiar to followers of the District One golf scene also teed it up at Briar’s Creek. Maryland senior Emily Gimpel, a former Mount St. Joseph standout, had rounds of 79, 77 and 74 to finish in a tie for 43^rd at 230. And Kansas junior Gabby DiMarco, who lost to Chichester’s Kan in a playoff at the 2010 PIAA Tournament as a senior at West Chester East, had rounds of 84, 81 and 78 to finish 77^th at 243.

   Gimpel’s Terrapins finished in a tie for 12^th at 920, while DiMarco’s Jayhawks were seventh at 903. Another strong Big Ten program, Wisconsin, finished in a tie for eighth at 907.

Kim wins at Ballamor

   Radnor freshman Gabby Kim continued her strong play in the cold and wind as she fired a 77 to capture the 13-to-15 division at a Philadelphia PGA Junior Tour stop Sunday at Ballamor Golf Club in Egg Harbor Township, N.J.

   It was the lowest round Kim has posted in a Junior Tour event and gave her a two-shot edge on Esther Park of Wilmington, Del.

   Conestoga senior Robert Olseski III finished second in the 16-to-18 division with a 79, one shot back of division winner Tommy Lewis of Doylestown.

   Brandon Dejesse of Broomall finished 14^th with a 99.

   Paul Fedele of Easton won the 13-to-15 division with a 77, one shot better than Luca Jezzeny of Furlong. Christopher Perullo of Swarthmore finished 15^th with a 115.

   Among the nine-holers, Dolan Cox of Newtown Square was the runnerup with a 45, June Kim of Wayne was third with a 51, Nicky Scarpone of Havertown was fourth with a 52 and Hayden Smith of Havertown finished sixth with a 56.

Kim, Lees come out firing in chilly conditions

   Two of the rising stars among the girls in the county, Radnor freshman Gabby Kim and Agnes Irwin eighth-grader Kaitlyn Lees, got their golf games out of deep thaw Sunday and finished tied for second in the 13-to-15 age group as the Philadelphia Section PGA’s Junior Tour kicked off the 2014 campaign with a stop at Vineyard Golf at Renault in Egg Harbor City, N.J.

   The Philly PGA release said the event was played in frigid temperatures and high winds, but it didn’t seem to bother Kim and Lees, both of whom carved out 79s over the par-72 layout that  measures 5,323 yards for the girls.

   That’s some pretty good playing for two girls who probably haven’t hit a shot anywhere but a heated indoor range since sometime in November.

   Kim had a solid freshman season at Radnor last fall as the Raiders came up just short of their archrivals Mount St. Joseph in the team race at the District One Tournament. The Mount went to win the PIAA Class AAA team title in convincing fashion.

   Lees burst on the scene by taking the individual title as a seventh-grader last May at the Inter-Ac League Tournament. Her eighth-grade campaign will start whenever the snow melts off the golf courses around here.

   Kim and Lees were often within a few shots of each other when they both competed in Philly PGA Junior Tour events last summer.

   Esther Park of Wilmington, Del. was the medalist in the 13-to-15 age group with a sparkling 77. Chichester freshman Caprian Kan finished in a tie for sixth with a 90.

   In the boys 13-to-15 division, Kyle Vance, the District One champion as a freshman at Methacton last fall, was the medalist with a 1-under 71.

   David Hurley of Newtown Square had an 86 to finish in a tie for eight, Jacob Calamaro of Newtown Square was a shot back in 10^th with an 87, John Updike of Wayne finished 12^th with a 90, Aj Aivazoglou of Glen Mills finished in a tie for 16^th with a 95 and Michael Wilkinson of Haverford finished 22^nd with a 110.

   Bonner-Prendie senior Anna Haley, a PIAA East Regional qualifier in Class AAA last fall, finished ninth in the 16-to-18 girls division with a 105. Emily Gilbert of Gilbertsville earned medalist honors with an 85.

   Jack Hirsh of Villanova finished seventh in the 16-to-18 boys division with an 81. Pennsbury standout Vinay Ramesh was the medalist with a 2-under 70. Jack Hirsh of Villanova finished seventh with an 81, Andrew Fisher of Glenolden finished in a tie for 12^th with a an 85, Brandon Dejesse of Broomall finished 18^th with a 94 and Nicholas Alizzi of Havertown finished 20^th with a 101.

   Among the nine-holers, Dolan Cox of Newtown Square finished second with a 46, Corey Kan of Boothwyn finished fourth with a 52, Hayden Smith of Havertown finished fifth with a 55, June Kim of Wayne finished sixth with a 57 and Aidan Lowe of Villanova finished seventh with a 60.

Kan earns share of 17th at Lady Jaguar

   Purdue junior Aurora Kan, the 2010 PIAA champion as a senior at Chichester, finished in a tie for 17^th at the Georgia Regents University-Augusta 3M Lady Jaguar Intercollegiate in Augusta, Ga. to help the Boilermakers finish in a tie for eighth in a strong 15-team field.

   After the opening round Friday, tournament officials decided to go 36 holes Saturday and complete the 54-hole event in light of impending bad weather heading for the area for Sunday.

   Kan, a three-time Daily Times Player of the Year, had rounds of 77, 75 and 77 over the Forest Hills Golf Club layout for a 229 total that led the youthful Purdue contingent.  Purdue’s team total improved in each round as the Boilermakers opened with a 321, knocked that down to 309 in the second round and finished with a solid 300 for a 930 total.

   Sophomore Anna Appert Lund saved her best for last, a 2-over 74 in the final round and Purdue also got strong final-round showings from junior Johanna Tillstrom and freshman August Kim, both with 75s, and sophomore Vinh-Hoa Ngo, who had a 76.

   Appert Lund ended up in a tie for 23^rd overall, two shots back of Kan at 231, Tillstrom was in a tie for 34^th at 235, Ngo was in a tie for 42^nd at 238 and Kim was in tie for 46th at 239.

   Purdue finished two shots back of Big 10 rival Illinois, which claimed seventh place at 928 with rounds of 311, 300 and 317. Kan did not get to compete against one of her old high school rivals as Illinois redshirt junior Jackie Calamaro, the 2009 PIAA champion at Radnor, did not join the Illini for the trip to Augusta.

   But one of Calamaro’s Illinois teammates, redshirt junior Samantha Postillion, had a bustout showing in the Lady Jaguar, finishing second overall with rounds of 73, 71 and 77 for a 5-over 221 total. The 1-under 71 in the middle round tied a career-best score for her.

   Individual honors at the Lady Jaguar went to Mercer University senior Lacey Fears. She had rounds of 73, 70 and 74 for a 1-over 217 total that was four shots clear of Postillion.

   One of the players Kan defeated in a playoff for that 2010 PIAA title, West Chester East’s Gabby DiMarco,  was in Augusta, competing as individual for Kansas. DiMarco, a junior, had rounds of 87, 82 and 79 to finish in a tie for 69^th at 248.

   DiMarco’s Jayhawks (316-294-300),  led by their trio of players from Thailand, had a strong showing in the team race, finishing  third at 910. Freshman Pornvipa Sakdee (81-70-74) finished in a tie for eighth at 225, redshirt senior Thanruttra Boonraksasat (79-73-75) was another two shots back in a tie for 12^th at 227, and sophomore Yupaporn Kawinpakorn (77-81-72) was in a tie for 19^th at 230.

   Led by the third-place finish of freshman Simin Feng (74-75-73—222), Vanderbilt captured the team title with rounds of 299, 302 and 295 for an 896 total that was 10 shots clear of Mercer. Following Kansas in fourth was East Tennessee St. (309-299-303—911). Campbell (318-301-303—922) was fifth, host GRU-Augusta (318-299-309—926) was sixth followed by Illinois (928) in seventh and Purdue and Troy (320-307-303) in a tie for eighth at 930.

Episcopal's Terzian shines for Delaware at Kiawah Island

   Amanda Terzian, a former Episcopal Academy standout, has been a solid player on the University of Delaware women’s golf team.

   But the junior really took her game up a notch at last week’s Kiawah Island Classic, one of the biggest events in college golf with teams from 36 schools coming together to play the Oak Point and Cougar Point courses at Kiawah Island, S.C.

   Terzian opened with an even-par 72, fell back with a second-round 80, but then carded a 3-over 75 in windy conditions on the Cougar Point course March 4  to finish at 11-over 227 in a tie for 22^nd in the top-notch field.

   Terzian’s strong showing helped the Blue Hens finish 14^th with a 926 total. Her opening round helped them post a 301 total and they followed that with rounds of 318 and 308.

   Like Delaware, Bucknell was opening its spring campaign at Kiawah Island and Lauren Bernard, the former Notre Dame standout and an Aronimink Golf Club member, started her senior season off with a nice showing. After rounds of 83 and 82, Bernard, the 2011 Women’s Golf Association of    Philadelphia Amateur champion, was at her best when the conditions were the toughest, carding a final-round 78.

   Bernard’s 243 total left her in a tie for 108^th and led the Bison to a 34^th -place finish in the 36-team field with a 1,024 total.

   Two-time Garnet Valley All-Delco Erica Pellegrini was also at Kiawah Island with The Citadel. Rounding into form in her final spring campaign after taking off last spring and the fall campaign to study in Spain, Pellegrini had rounds of 87 and 81 before being disqualified.

   The Citadel website was not forthcoming with the cause for the DQ, but it was likely a scorecard issue as a result of a ruling that didn’t go her way. The Bulldogs finished 33^rd in the team standings, four shots ahead of Bucknell at 1,020.

   Kent State, led by co-medalist Wad Phaewchumplee, a freshman from Thailand, took team honors in the field with rounds of 292, 302 and 298 for an 892 total that was 14 shots clear of runnerup Penn State.

   Phaewchumplee had rounds of 69, 81 and 70 for a 4-over 220 total to share medalist honors with Boston College’s Katia Joo, who had rounds of 72, 73 and 75.

   Penn State was led by junior Katlyn Elliott, who finished tied for eighth at 224 (72-76-76) and senior Christina Vosters, who finished tied for 14^th at 225 (75-74-78).  Junior Ellen Ceresko, who won her second straight Pennsylvania Women’s Amateur championship at Gulph Mills Golf Club last summer, also had a strong showing for the Nittany Lions, finishing in a tie for 28^th at 228. Ceresko had Penn State’s best score in the final round, a 2-over 74 after opening with rounds of 76 and 78.

Brennan off to good start

   Villanova junior Ted Brennan played in the shadow of fellow Haverford School products Michael Kania and Cory Siegfried as well as Steve Skurla as a sophomore with the Wildcats a year ago.

But, as was reported in a small blip in the Daily Times print product last week, Brennan opened the spring portion of Villanova’s schedule with a solid showing at the Harmony Golf Preserve Intercollegiate in Harmony, Fla.

   Brennan had rounds of 71, 74 and 74 for a 219 total that left him a tie for 10^th in a five-team field that, other than the Wildcats, was comprised of Florida schools. Pretty good bet those players have been out on the links a few more times in the last couple of months than Brennan and his teammates have been on the frozen tundra of the Philadelphia region.

   Brennan was the 2010 Golf Association of Philadelphia Junior Player of the Year as a member at Philadelphia Country Club and was a solid player at The Haverford School. This year he is one of the veterans on James Wilkes’ squad along with seniors Vince Boyle, the 2009 Catholic League champion at Archbishop Ryan, and Robbie Meador, who is from Miami Lakes, Fla.

   Following Brennan’s tie for 10^th at the Harmony were Luke Waggoner, a sophomore from Crystal Lake, Ill. who finished tied for 19^th at 225 (74-74-77), Peter Mandich, a freshman from Naperville, Ill. who ended up tied for 22^nd at 227 (78-76-73), Lucas Trim, another freshman from Tampa, Fla. who was another two shots back of Mandich in a tie for 25^th at 229 (70-81-78), Meador, who finished 29^th at 233 (78-80-75), Boyle, who finished 30^th at 235 (80-80-75) and Scott Miller, a junior from Madison, N.J. who finished 31^st at 263 (84-85-94).

   Sparked by Trim’s stellar opening-round 70, the Wildcats got off to a great start in the team race at 293 before falling back a little with rounds of 304 and 297 for an 894 total. Florida Gulf Coast and Northwood University shared medalist honors at 854, followed by Florida Atlantic in third at 871 and Stetson in fourth at 877. But again, the Florida schools have been playing all winter while the Villanova contingent was probably happy to green grass without a foot of snow piled on it.

   Villanova gets back in action when it hosts the Wildcat Invitational March 31 and April 1 at White Manor Country Club. Hopefully, some semblance of spring will have shown up around these parts by then.

Pellegini back on track at The Citadel

   Erica Pellegrini, a two-time All-Delco during her days at Garnet Valley, got right back in the swing at The Citadel as she opened the spring campaign of her senior year by posting the Bulldogs’ low total at the Wofford Spring Invitational early last week.

   Pellegrini missed the spring campaign a year ago as well as the fall portion of the 2013-14 season while studying abroad in Spain. But the two-time PIAA medalist showed she’s still got some game as she posted rounds of 79 and 80 over The Country Club of Spartanburg layout for a 159 total that left her in 15^th place.

   Pellegrini finished a shot ahead of teammate Eraina Manor, a sophomore who was in a three-way tie for 16^th at 160. Junior Kellie Anderson had rounds of 82 and 82 for a 167 total that left her in 32^nd place. Manor and Anderson were The Citadel’s top performers during the fall portion of the schedule.

   Junior McKenzie Duncan had rounds of 93 and 88 to finish in 38^th place at 191 and freshman Renata Sucha rounded out the scoring for The Citadel with rounds of 90 and 95 and in a three-way tie for 39^th at 195.

   The Citadel had team rounds of 335 and 329 to finish last of the six teams in the tournament at 664. High Point (302-311—613) edged Gardner-Webb (300-315—615) and host Wofford (305-312—617) to claim the team title.

   The Citadel was scheduled to get right back it beginning Sunday at the Kiawah Spring Classic at the Oak Point and Cougar Point courses at the Kiawah Island Resort on Kiawah Island, S.C. The three-day event will include 36 schools with Penn State, Kentucky, Delaware and Bucknell among them.

Calamaro keeps battling at Illinois

   Jackie Calamaro, the 2009 PIAA champion as a senior at Radnor, is one of three players battling for the fifth spot on a very competitive Illinois team as the Illini’s spring season starts kicking into high    gear.

   The Illini opened their season with their annual trip to Venice, Fla. in early February for the Illinois Challenge, an old-fashioned dual match with cross-state rival Illinois State.

   Calamaro, a redshirt junior, won her singles match, 1-up, over Carlee Cossell and teamed with Emily  Joers to grab a point in a four-ball match with a 6 and 4 decision over Cossell and Maggie Ambrose. The Illini won the day, 9.5-2.5.

   Calamaro is battling juniors Erin Ahern and Michelle Mayer for the five spot on the Illinois travel team.

   Ahern got the nod as the Illini traveled to Peoria, Ariz. early last week for the Westbrook Spring Invitational at the Westbrook Village Golf Club and she made the most of the opportunity with solid rounds of 74, 74 and 75 for a 224 total that left her in a tie for 51^st.

   Illinois had its best round in the final round, a 290 total that left it in eighth place at 875. The Illini, however, were only six shots out of a tie for fourth. Big Ten rival Ohio State ran away with the team title at 838, 10 shots clear of runnerup Oregon. Tournament host Wisconsin, another Big Ten entrant, finished third at 859.

   Illinois has a solid first four of freshman Stephanie Miller, senior Ember Schuldt, redshirt junior Sam Postillion and Joers, a freshman.

   Miller finished tied for sixth with a 3-under 213 at the Westbrook. Schuldt was in a tie for 18^th at 1-over 217, Postillion was in a tie for 39^th at 5-over 221 and Joers struggled a little in finishing 71^st at 13-over 229. Ahern’s solid 8-over finish was five shots better than Joers.

   So Calamaro has some work to do if she plans to see her old high school rival, Purdue junior Aurora Kan, at the Insperity Lady Jaguar Tournament in Augusta, Ga. in a couple of weeks.