Lofland, McCabe in their comfort zone in Precision Pro Golf Open at Turtle Creek

   The Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour stopped at Turtle Creek Golf Course in Limerick Wednesday and Thursday for a Precision Pro Golf Open event, which is a Junior Golf Scoreboard tournament.

   Turtle Creek has hosted the District One Championship since 2002, so it’s always interesting to see how the Junior Tour players fare on the 6,602-yard, par-72 layout, since many of them have played it or will play it in high school competition. An overnight deluge between rounds 1 and 2 saturated the course, but it didn’t play any easier, despite the softer conditions.

   Conestoga sophomore Morgan Lofland’s familiarity with the course obviously helped him as he had six birdies in a 2-under 70 at the Turtle Thursday after matching par in Wednesday’s opening round with a 72 to win the 16-to-18 division and the overall 13-to-18 scoring with a 2-under 142 total.

   As a freshman last fall, Lofland finished tied for 10^th in the Central League Championship at Turtle Creek to earn a return ticket for districts. Lofland advanced out of the district tournament, finishing tied for 10^th at the Turtle, to the Eastern Regional at Golden Oaks Golf Club and then capped a strong freshman campaign by reaching the PIAA Class AAA Championship at the Heritage Hills Golf Resort.

   Pretty sure I noticed Lofland having some success on the wrestling mat for the Pioneers as well. Golf and wrestling may seem like odd sports to pursue in tandem, but both are very individual endeavors in which discipline and mental toughness are just as important as technique is.

   Finishing third overall and first in the 13-to-15 division was Ryan McCabe of Media. After opening with an even-par 72 Wednesday, McCabe added a 3-over 75 for a 3-over 147 total.

   McCabe also tasted success at Turtle Creek last fall, capturing the District One Class AA individual title and leading Devon Prep to the team title as a freshman. Like Lofland, McCabe rode that strong showing at Turtle Creek all the way to the PIAA Championship at Heritage Hills.

   Thomas Butler of Telford was the runnerup to Lofland in the 16-to-18 division and overall with a solid 1-under 143 total. Butler had five birdies in an opening round of 3-under 69 that led the entire field by three shots before slipping back a little with a 2-over 74 that left him a shot behind Lofland.

   Jonathan Lumley of Saint Augustine, Fla. opened with an even-par 72 before backing off a little with a 79 to finish third in the 16-to-18 division at 151, eight shots behind Butler in the division and seven behind McCabe for third in the overall scoring.

   Joshua Smith of Harleysville finished fourth in the 16-to-18 division with a pair of 76s for a 152 total. Four players – Nicholas Schnur (77-76) of Lafayette Hill, Dylan Gooneratne (75-78), a district qualifier as a freshman at Plymouth-Whitemarsh, Alex Kalbach (72-81) of Royersford and Andrew Benner (75-78) of Hellertown – finished tied for fifth, each landing at 153.

   Hunter King of Atglen finished alone in ninth in the 16-to-18 division and tied for 10^th overall after adding a 75 to his opening-round 79 for a 154 total.

   Matthew Lafond of Blue Bell and Joshua Brauer of Royersford rounded out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division as they finished tied for 10^th at 157. Lafond improved five shots from his opening-round 81 with a 4-over 76 Thursday while Brauer added an 80 to his opening-round 77.

   Strath Haven sophomore Jackson Debusschere was the runnerup to McCabe in the 13-to-15 division and the only player from the younger group to crack the top 10 in the overall scoring as he finished tied for 10^th with Atglen’s King at 154. Debusschere opened with a 75 before posting a 79 in Thursday’s second round and was seven shots behind McCabe in the division.

   Win Thomas of Unionville added a 79 to his opening-round 77 to finish third in the 13-to-15 division at 156. Luke Watson of Royersford improved 10 shots from his opening-round 84 with a 2-over 74 to finish fourth at 158. It was another four shots back to Stephen Butler of Telford’s Team Butler in fifth place at 162. Butler carded a 78 Thursday after opening with an 84.

   Christopher Buysse of Paoli had rounds of 80 and 83 to finish alone in sixth place at 163. Auggie Reilly of Wayne and Luke Corcoran of Lansdale shared seventh place, each carding a 165 total and each going 84-81.

   Matthew Zerfass of Macungie added an 86 to his opening-round 83 to finish ninth at 169. Luke Kelly of Wayne and Jack Davis of Newtown Square rounded out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division, each posting a 170 total and each going 84-86.

   Maya Torpey of Malvern was the best female player at Turtle Creek by a lot. Torpey had consistent rounds of 79 and 80 to claim the top spot in the 16-to-18 division and the overall scoring with a 159 total.

   Torpey was 26 shots ahead of Sarah Scarpill of Warrington, who was the runnerup overall and won the 13-to-15 division with a 185 total. Scarpill added a 93 to her opening-round 92.

   Josie Genuardi of Kulpsville was the runnerup in the 16-to-18 division and third overall with a 194 total. Genuardi opened with a 94 and added a 100 in Thursday’s second round. Grace Manchester of Lederach was third in the division and fourth overall at 206 after improving eight shots from her opening-round 107 with a 99 in Thursday’s second round.

   Bethany Julias of Schwenksville was the runnerup to Scarpill in the 13-to-15 division at 219. Julias improved 21 shots from her opening-round 120 with a 99 in Thursday’s second round.

   Wallingford’s Team Debusschere produced a winner among the nine-holers as Tyler Debusschere added a 45 to his opening-round 42 for an 87. Debusschere finished a shot ahead of Kayley Roberts of Phoenixville, who had the best round of the day Thursday with a 43 after opening with a 45 for an 88 total.

   Mason Tucker of York finished third with rounds of 45 and 48 for a 93 total. Another member of Plymouth Meeting’s Team Gooneratne, Rhianna Gooneratne, finished fourth at 97 after improving nine shots from her opening-round 53 with a 44 Thursday.

   The Precision Pro Golf Open events also include men’s and women’s divisions.

   Michael Robinson of Gettysburg dominated the men’s 17-to-24 division as he finished up with a 2-over 74 after opening with a 76 for a 6-over 150 total.

   Joe Polidoro of Glassboro, N.J. was the runnerup at 172 as he was eight shots better than his opening-round 90 with an 82 Thursday. Austin Regan of Mullica Hill, N.J. was another 10 shots behind Polidoro in third at 182 after adding an 89 to his opening-round 93.

   Emily McGarrigle of Wernersville rallied in Thursday’s second round with a 5-over 77 to overtake Georgia Naples of West Chester and capture the top spot in the women’s 17-to-24 division.

   McGarrigle carded an 86 in Wednesday’s opening round and trailed Naples by three, but her solid second round gave her the victory with a 163 total. Naples added an 84 to her opening-round 83 to finish four shots behind McGarrigle at 167.

   Steven Coelho, a competitor in the 13-to-15 division from Malvern, made a splash in the Thursday’s second round when his 3-wood shot off the tee at the tough 206-yard, par-3 11^th hole found the bottom of the cup for his first career hole-in-one.

Isztwan eanrs a ticket to Baltusrol for U.S. Junior Amateur

   Brian Isztwan undoubtedly had a busy spring. He was graduating from Penn Charter and since he’s  going to Harvard, I’m guessing there were some academic awards mixed in there.

   He was also the best high school golfer, at least in recent memory, at Penn Charter, so that probably earned him some graduation accolades. I don’t know enough about the history of Penn Charter golf to claim that Isztwan is the best golfer ever at Penn Charter, but he has to be in the conversation.

   I do know the Inter-Ac League compiles an individual ranking during the six mini-tournaments that make up the regular season that basically measures each player’s performance against the rest of the league in every event. And Isztwan was the top point-getter each of the last two falls, the first player to claim the honor twice since the Inter-Ac adopted the format when it switched its regular season from the spring to the fall in 2011.

   There’s been some pretty good players teeing it up in the best scholastic golf league in Pennsylvania in that time frame.

   Isztwan also led the way as the Quakers elbowed their way into contention in the Inter-Ac against the traditional  powers at The Haverford School, Episcopal Academy and Malvern Prep in his final two seasons at Penn Charter.

   This week Isztwan put a spring of celebrations behind him and got back to some serious business on the golf course. And an even-par 72 at the Union League National Golf Club in Swainton, N.J. Wednesday means that Isztwan will get to play on the biggest stage in junior golf on his way out of the junior ranks this summer.

   Isztwan, who plays out of Huntingdon Valley Country Club, made a clutch birdie on the final hole of the 6,858-yard, par-72 Union League National layout that used to be known as the Sand Barrens Golf Club to join two other players as co-medalists in the U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier administered by the Golf Association of Philadelphia.

   Isztwan will tee it up at one of America’s classic golf complexes at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J. There will be two rounds of qualifying for match play, July 16 and 17, at Baltusrol’s Upper and Lower courses with match play being contested on the Upper Course.

   “To have that kind of week of experience going into school will be huge for me,” Isztwan, the runnerup in GAP’s Junior Boys’ Championship last summer, told the GAP website. “It’s so cool when you get to play with the kids who are going to the top schools – the Alabamas, Oklahomas and all of those programs.

   “They might beat me up, but it will be really fun. After that, I’m super excited to get up to Harvard. We only have six players, so I should get good playing time.”

   Isztwan has played in some pretty big American Junior Golf Association events, including a runnerup finish in the AJGA Philadelphia Junior on his home course at Huntingdon Valley last summer. And as a Transamerica Scholastic Junior All-America selection last year, he got to compete in the AJGA’s Rolex Tournament of Champions at the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. over the Thanksgiving weekend last fall.

   So he won’t be intimidated.

   Isztwan began the week competing in the Pennsylvania Junior Boys’ Championship at the challenging Hershey Country Club’s East Course and finished tied for fourth with two other players, including younger brother Patrick. That turned out to be the perfect preparation for the U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier.

   Isztwan had four birdies at Union League National, but none bigger that the one at the last. Sitting at 1-over and sensing another birdie would help the cause, Isztwan faced a 167-yard shot into the wind at the 420-yard, par-4 finishing hole. He drilled a 6-iron to kick-in range for what turned out to be a crucial birdie.

   The other two tickets to Baltusrol available at Union League National went to Central Bucks West senior Luca Jezzeny and Tyler Gerbavsits, a St. John’s recruit from Huntingdon, N.Y.

   A day earlier Jezzeny fired a 1-under 71 at Downingtown Country Club to top a strong field in a qualifier  for the Philadelphia Junior PGA Championship July 9 at The Springhaven Club. Isztwan earned a spot in that field in an earlier qualifier at Bent Creek Country Club.

   Berths in the Boys Junior PGA Championship, another of the top national junior events, at Valahalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky. will be on the line at Springhaven for both Jezzeny and Isztwan.

   Jezzeny, who plays out of both The Bucks Club and Doylestown Country Club, carried his strong play from Downingtown to Union League National and looked like he was going to take medalist honors when he got it to 3-under with just two holes to play.

   Jezzeny, who started on the back nine, made double bogey on the par-5 eighth hole and bogey on the ninth to fall back to even. One of the early finishers, Jezzeny had a long wait ahead, but the even-par 72 eventually got him to Baltusrol.

   Six players each carded a 1-over 73 and four of them played off for the two alternate spots. Brendan Hansen of Spring Lake, N.J. emerged with the first alternate spot and Akhil Giri of Moorestown, N.J., a name I recognize from some Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour events, is the second alternate. According to the GAP website, the playoff went six holes.

   Also at 73 were Drue Nicholas of Egg Harbor Township, N.J., Jack Irons of Naples, Fla., George Roessler of New York City and Patrick Welch of Providence, R.I.

   Malvern Prep senior John Updike was in the group tied for 10^th place with a 2-over 74. Updike, who plays out of Aronimink Golf Club, was seventh in the Inter-Ac individual rankings last fall.

   Several local players were among a group of nine players tied for 15^th at 3-over 75, including two of Brian Isztwan’s Penn Charter teammates, younger brother Patrick and Noah Schwartz of Cherry Hill, N.J. Patrick Isztwan captured the Bert Linton Inter-Ac League individual title on his home course at Huntingdon Valley as a freshman last fall, matching the accomplishment of big brother Brian, who won the Bert Linton when he was a freshman. Schwartz finished eighth in the Inter-Ac individual rankings last fall.

   Another Inter-Ac standout, Charlie Baker, a key figure in Haverford School’s run to the league title, was also in the group at 75.

   Also in at 75 were Neshaminy’s Greg DeLuca, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier who finished third in the District One Championship, and recent Pope John Paul II graduate J.T. Spina, a Saint Joseph’s recruit who was a PIAA Class AAA qualifier in each of his last two years at PJP.

Jezzeny heads field in Philadelphia Junior PGA Championship qualifier at Downingtown

   It was another chance to earn a spot in the field for the Philadelphia Junior PGA Championship in a qualifier Tuesday at Downingtown Country Club and a large field turned out.

   The Philadelphia Junior PGA Championship will be held July 9 at The Springhaven Club and top finishers there will earn a trip to the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky. for the Boys Junior PGA Championship, one of the top national junior events on the summer calendar, which tees off July 31.

   Luca Jezzeny of Furlong fired a 1-under-par 71 over the 6,334-yard, par-72 Downingtown layout to win top honors in the 16-to-18 division and head a group of 21 players from the older group who earned tickets to Springhaven.

   Jezzeny, a senior at Central Bucks West, had birdies at three, 10 and 12 in bettering par. William Bennink, a member of Unionville’s PIAA Class AAA championship last fall, had a 2-under 34 on Downingtown’s front nine as he matched par with a 72 to finish second to Jezzeny in the division.

Haverford School senior Peter Garno put his lacrosse stick down long enough to finish tied for third at 2-over 73 with Morgan Lofland, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a freshman at Conestoga last fall. Hunter King of Atglen finished alone in fifth with a 74.

   Benjamin Lee of Malvern and Alex Pillar of Hawley finished tied for sixth, each carding a 4-over 76. A couple of West Chester guys, Ryan D’Ariano and Matthew Feeney, shared eighth place at 5-over 77.

   Three players – Nicholas Schnur of Lafayette Hill, Colby Hook of Selbyville, Del. and Hayden Rousselle of Doylestown – finished tied for 10^th, each posting a 78. Evan Drummond of Exton finished 13^th with a 79 and John “Jack” Hamilton IV of West Chester was 14^th with an 80.

   Wesley Sanders of Chadds Ford and Michael Festa of Ambler shared 15^th place at 81 and West Chester’s Cole Shew, coming off a Junior Tour victory at Wyncote Golf Club Monday, and Nicky Scarpone of Broomall finished tied for 17^th at 82.

   The last three players among the older guys to punch their ticket to Springhaven included Jerry Haftmann of Springfield, Ryan Kennedy of Wayne and Tyler Cole of Schuylkill Haven. They finished in a tie for 19^th while each carding an 83 to make the cut on the number.

   Jolo Timothy Magcalayo, the Filipino who has made the Junior Tour his home base for a summer of American junior golf, matched Jezzeny’s 1-under 71 to take top honors in the 13-to-15 division. Magcalayo had already earned a spot in the field at Springhaven in a qualifier at the Bayside Resort & Golf Club in Selbyville, Del. last week.

   If he was just trying to stay sharp, Magcalayo accomplished that as he made seven pars and birdied the eighth hole on a solid front nine.

   Ryan McCabe, who won the District One Class AA individual title and led Devon Prep to the district team crown as a freshman last fall, finished second in the division with a solid 4-over 76. Like Shew, McCabe tuned up for the qualifier at Downingtown by claiming a Junior Tour victory Monday at Wyncote.

   Strath Haven sophomore Jackson Debusschere finished third with a 78, Luke Watson of Royersford was fourth with a 79 and Jack Davis of Newtown Square was fifth with an 82.

   Christopher Buysse of Paoli and Collin McDonald of Lower Gwynedd grabbed the final two tickets to Springhaven from the younger group as each posted an 83 to finish tied for sixth and make the cut on the number.

   Kristof Kopecky of Garnet Valley and Andrew Ranaudo Jr. of Malvern each carded an 85 to finish tied for eighth. Rounding out the top 10 were three players – Patrick Maxwell of Exton, David Fitzgerald Jr. of Bryn Mawr and Auggie Reilly of Wayne – tied for 10^th at 86.

   It was a regular Junior Tour stop for the girls and the nine-holers. The Philadelphia Girls Junior PGA Championship was held last week at Riverton Country Club. That was the qualifier for the Girls Junior PGA Championship, which tees off July 9 at the Kearney Hill Golf Links in Lexington, Ky.

   Jona Angela Magcalayo, like little brother Jolo Timothy Magcalayo, is spending the summer playing junior golf in the United States and has played solid golf on the Junior Tour. She was the only entrant in the girls 16-to-18 division and posted a 3-over 75, a round that included 13 pars and a finishing birdie at the 18^th.

   Leah Walter of West Chester had her low round of the year, an 86, to top the field in the 13-to-15 division for her first Junior Tour victory. Katherine Colon of Hamilton, N.J. was the runnerup with a 101 and another member of West Chester’s Team Walter, Sophie Walter, finished third with a 105.

   Samuel Feeney of the West Chester Feeneys topped the field of nine-holers with a 4-over 40. Feeney finished strong with a birdie at the eighth and a par at the ninth.

   Sochin Blake of Berwyn and Tyler Debusschere of Wallingford’s Team Debusschere shared second place, each posting a 43. Joshua Baker of West Chester finished fourth with a  51.