Ryan overcomes tough start to claim Junior Tour win at Chesapeake Bay

   Caleb Ryan, a PIAA qualifier as a sophomore at Norristown last fall, overcame a rough start to claim a victory in the 16-to-18 division in a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour stop at Chesapeake Bay Golf Club in Rising Sun, Md. Saturday.

   The first Saturday in May featured chilly temperatures and damp conditions and Ryan started his round with an uncharacteristic triple-bogey 7. But he responded by going 1-under the rest of the way around the tough 6,429-yard, par-71 Chesapeake Bay layout to card a 2-over-par 73.

   Kaden Kinard of New Castle, Del. and Alec Ryden of Moorestown, N.J. shared runnerup honors, each carding a 6-over 77.

   Alex Mulrooney of  Wilmington, Del. finished fourth with an 80, Alex VanScoy of Newark, Del. was fifth with an 81 and Finnian McGarry of Haddonfield,  N.J. and Samuel Beauregard of Lancaster shared sixth place at 82.

   Nathan Potts of Wilmington, Del. finished eighth with an 85, Jackson Paradee of Dover, Del., was ninth with an 87 and Khouri Kinard made it a second Kinard in the top 10 as he finished 10^th with a 92.

   Dylan Gooneratne of Plymouth Meeting took top honors in the 13-to-15 division with a 3-over 74. Gooneratne drove it in the water on his last hole, leading to a double bogey. But he had three birdies in his round to more than make up for that tough finish.

   Joshua Ryan of Norristown finished second with a 4-over 75 and came up short in the battle for low Ryan as he trailed big brother Caleb by two. Win Thomas of Coatesville, coming off a victory last weekend at Iron Valley Golf Club, took third with a 78. 

   Corey Haydu of Doylestown and Noah Sim of Ambler shared fourth place, each carding a 79. Graham Calhoun of Lititz and Hunter King of Atglen finished in a tie for sixth at 80. Jake Maddaloni of Newtown Square placed eighth with an 81, John Olsen of Boalsburg was ninth with an 85 and Henry Fish of Malvern rounded out the top 10 with an 86.

   In the girls 16-to-18 division, Grace Hickey of Downingtown claimed a win in her third straight Junior Tour start with an 88.

   It was a tight three-way battle for the victory as Minjoo Kim of Lansdale was two shots behind Hickey with a 90 and Lily Byrne of Downingtown was another shot back in third at 91. Cecilia Priolo of Ambler finished fourth with a 103.

   Charlotte Scully of Chadds Ford carded a 91 to claim her first Junior Tour victory in the 13-to-15 division. Ana O’Sullivan of Exton was playing 18 holes in a Junior Tour event for the first time and was the runnerup with a 98.

   Nicholas Gross of Downingtown, who has been solid all spring, birdied the par-4 eighth hole on his way to a 1-over 36 that topped the field of nine-holers. Henry Stone of Kennett Square was two shots behind Gross in second with a 38.

   Angelina Tolentino of Mount Laurel, N.J. finished third with a 40, Benjamin Saggers of West Chester and Matthew Normand of Lumberton, N.J. shared fourth place, each carding a 41 and Michael Dignazio of Wilmington, Del. and Ajeet Bagga of Blue Bell finished in a tie for sixth at 43.

   Julien de Brechard of Brooklyn, N.Y. finished eighth with a 45, Tyler Fortney of Fayetteville was ninth with a 46 and Sawyer Brockstadt of Rehoboth Beach, Del. rounded out the top 10 with a 47.