Ryan brothers claim Junior Tour victories at Heidelberg

   Look out for the Ryan brothers when the District One Class AAA Championship tees off Monday at Turtle Creek Golf Club.

   Older brother Caleb Ryan captured the top spot in the 16-to-18 division in a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour stop at Heidelberg Country Club in Bernville, Berks County with a 4-over-par 74.

Younger brother Joshua Ryan was just a shot higher with a 5-over 75 to take top honors in the 13-to-15 division.

   The Ryans are home-schooled through Commonwealth Connections Academy, but represent Norristown High during the scholastic season. Caleb, a junior, advanced to the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a sophomore last fall. Joshua is a freshman.

   Caleb Ryan, coming off an impressive victory in the Helen Sigel Wilson Invitational at Philadelphia Country Club last weekend, played another solid round on a tough golf course. He had three birdies to offset one bad hole at the fifth in recording his 4-over total over the 6,282-yard, par-70 Heidelberg layout that also gave him low-Ryan honors by a shot.

   Nikita Romanov of Wilmington, Del., who, like Caleb Ryan, has had a really solid year on the golf course, was the runnerup in the 16-to-18 division with a 79. Joshua Brauer of Royersford finished third with an 84 and Gavin Franzon of Chester, N.J. was fourth with an 85.

   Dylan Gooneratne of Plymouth Meeting and Ryan Peachey of State College finished tied for fifth, each carding an 89. Matthew Kunkle of Carlisle took seventh with a 95.

   Joshua Ryan also had three birdies in his round of 5-over 75 as he won his fourth straight Junior Tour start. 

   Two Class of 2023 performers who began the year competing with the nine-holers, Win Thomas of Unionville and Benjamin Saggers of West Chester, finished second and third with respective scores of 82 and 85. Joshua Ryan defeated Saggers, 2 and 1, to capture the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Junior-Junior Championship at Phoenixville Country Club this summer.

   Giles Elliott of St. Davids finished fourth with an 86 and Luke Watson of Royersford, John Olsen of Boalsburg and Connor Ghergel of Orwigsburg shared fifth place, each posting an 87.

   Luke Kelly of Wayne finished eighth with an 88, Clay Breidenstine of Hummelstown was ninth with a 91 and the trio of Evan Jozwiak of Sinking Spring, Jackson Debusschere of Wallingford and Henry Stone of Kennett Square rounded out the top 10, each coming in at 93.

   Jessica Shao of Pottstown had a pair of birdies to earn her first Junior Tour victory with an 84 that was four shots better than the 88 posted by Grace Hickey of Downingtown in the girls 16-to-18 division.

   Kaitlyn Ferrer was the only girl to tee it up in the 13-to-15 division, so her 145 was good enough for the victory in just her second shot at 18 holes in a Junior Tour event.

   Nicholas Gross of Downingtown ran his Junior Tour win streak to six in a row with a sparkling even-par 34 that topped the field of nine-holers. He birdied the par-5 ninth hole.

   Kayla Maletto of Sinking Spring was the runnerup with a 40 and Aidan Scott of Harleysville was third with a 50. Joshua Baker of West Chester and Stefania Fedun of Glenmoore shared fourth place, each carding a 52.