Smith's five birdies at Linwood help him reel in a Junior Tour victory

   Strath Haven junior Kevin Smith tuned up for Tuesday’s Central League Championship by capturing the 16-to-18 division in a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour stop at Linwood Country Club in Linwood, N.J. in a scorecard playoff after both he and James Dalzell of Linwood, N.J., playing close to home, carded a 2-over-par 72.

   Smith had five birdies in his round, four of them in the final six, which gave him the tiebreaker edge on Dalzell.

   Smith has been one of the Central League’s top players each of the last three seasons. I’m hoping to sneak over to Turtle Creek Golf Club and post a live blog on the Centrals Tuesday.

   Travis Dix of Howell, N.J. finished six shots behind the top two with an 8-over 78 over the 6,237-yard, par-70 Linwood layout. Malvern Prep junior Ryan Kennedy took fourth with an 80.

Lasse Lehmann of Manahawkin, N.J. and Dimitri Collias of King of Prussia shared fifth place, each carding an 81.

   Three players – William Tone of Moorestown, N.J., P.J. Schulte of Cape May Court House, N.J. and Peter Fabian, another Manahawkin, N.J. entry – shared seventh place, each posting an 82. Colton Murray of Sewell, N.J. rounded out the top 10 by finishing alone in 10^th with an 84.

   Matthew Van Istendal of Haddon Heights, N.J. earned his first Junior Tour victory as his 88 topped the field in the 13-to-15 division. Riley Mostecki, another Linwood, N.J. guy playing close to home, was the runnerup with a 90.

   Chase Cristella of Mount Laurel, N.J. finished third with a 92, Joseph Fargnoli of Manhawkin, N.J. was fourth with a 93, Luca Gherardi of Hammonton, N.J. was fifth with a 98 and Shane Price of Mt. Ephraim, N.J. was sixth with a 100.

   Joseph Fabian of the Manahawkin, N.J. Fabians finished seventh with a 102 and a couple of entries from Egg Harbor Township, N.J., Francis Wren and Joshua Blakely, finished eighth and ninth with respective scores of 107 and 111.

   Isabella McCloskey of Princeton Junction, N.J. racked up her fourth Junior Tour victory of 2018 as her 84 topped the field in the girls 16-to-18 division. Olivia Strigh of Hammonton, N.J. was the runnerup with a 93.

   Heather Styslinger of Valley Forge finished third with a 101 and Rachael Kraly of Sweetwater, N.J. was fourth with a 118.

   Liberty Nuttell of Galloway, N.J. recorded a par on the par-5 ninth hole on her way to a 113 that gave her a victory in the 13-to-15 division. Kiley Alt of Washington Crossing was the runnerup with a 134.

   Hunter Probst of Bear Creek stretched his Junior Tour winning streak among the nine-holers to six straight as he again topped the division with a sparkling 2-over 36 that included a birdie on the seventh hole.

   Tommy Marshall of Marlton, N.J. was the runnerup with a 42 and Hank Kancher of Philadelphia was third with a 43.

   Rhianna Gooneratne of Plymouth Meeting and Justin Forman of Sewell, N.J. shared fourth place, each posting a 46. Elora Walker of Philadelphia finished sixth with a 47, Paul Reilly of West Creek, N.J. was seventh with a 49, Joseph Mancini of Philadelphia was eighth with a 59 and Jack McGowan, another  Linwood, N.J. guy playing close to home, was ninth with a 63.

Basso, Waller help Penn State make it two straight by winning Princeton Invitational

   With seniors Cara Basso, the 2012 PIAA Class AA champion as a sophomore at Villa Maria Academy, and Lauren Waller, the 2014 PIAA Class AAA runnerup as a senior at Canon-McMillan, leading the way, Penn State claimed its second straight tournament victory, taking the top spot in the Princeton Invitational, which concluded Sunday at Springdale Golf Club in Princeton, N.J.

   Basso, the reigning two-time winner of the Women’s Golf Association of Philadelphia Match-Play Championship, and Waller were among the trio of players that finished tied for sixth at 2-over-par 146 over the 6,100-yard, par-72 Springdale layout.

   Penn State, coming off a title as the host of the Nittany Lion Invitational last weekend, carded a 6-over 294 in Saturday’s opening round and matched it in Sunday’s second round for a 12-over 588 total.

   Reigning Big East champion Georgetown was eight shots back in second at 20-over 596 after adding a 299 to its opening-round 297. Host Princeton, the reigning two-time Ivy League champion, was another three shots behind the Hoyas in third at 23-over 599 as the Tigers improved by seven shots off their opening-round 303 with a 296 Sunday.

   Two more Ivies, Harvard, which lost in a playoff to Princeton in last spring’s Ivy League Championship, and Penn shared fourth place, each landing on 600. The Crimson added a 299 to their opening-round 301 while the Quakers opened with a 298 before finishing up with a 302.

   Seton Hall, the runnerup to Georgetown in the Big East Championship last spring, was another shot behind Harvard and Penn in sixth at 601. The Pirates opened with a 307, but matched Penn State for the low team round of the tournament with a 294 in Sunday’s second round.

   Dartmouth, with three-time Pennsylvania Junior Girls’ champion Kaitlyn Lees at the top of the lineup, finished last in the 12-team field at 630. The Big Green added a 314 to their opening-round 316.

   Basso, who finished tied for fourth in last spring’s Big Ten Championship and earned an invitation to compete as an individual in the NCAA Madison Regional, had Penn State’s best individual round of the tournament, finishing up with a 1-under 71 Sunday after opening with a 3-over 75. Waller had a pair of 73s to join Basso at 146.

   Improving junior Megan McLean, a Voorhees High product, gave Penn State a third player inside the top 10 in the individual standings as she finished among the group tied for 10^th at 4-over 148.

   Sarah Willis, a freshman from Eaton, Ohio, earned a promotion to Penn State’s first five with an eye-opening runaway victory in the Nittany Lion Invitational while competing as an individual. After opening with a solid 2-over 74, Willis fell back a little with an 80 Sunday to finish among the group tied for 24^th at 152.

   Senior Jackie Rogowicz, a two-time District One champion at Pennsbury, rounded out the starting five as she finished among the group tied for 29^th at 153 after adding a 76 to her opening-round 77.

   Junior Madelein Herr, a former Council Rock North standout, competed as an individual and turned in a strong showing, ending up in the group tied for 20^th at 151. Herr finished up with a solid 2-over 74 after opening with a 77.

   Give the Penn State ladies credit, too. They were shaking off a tough, tough loss for their football brethren to Ohio State Saturday night. It’s a Penn State thing that you might not completely understand, but that one stung.

   Yale’s Ami Gianchandani, a product of The Pingry School from Short Hills, N.J., made a case that she is at the head of what looks like a very strong freshman class in the Ivy League by capturing the individual title in the Princeton Invitational.

   After opening with a 2-over 74, Gianchandani ripped off a sparkling 5-under 67 Sunday for a 3-under 141 title that was two shots clear of Princeton’s Emma Zhao, a freshman from Windermere, Fla. Zhao added a 1-under 71 to her opening round of even-par 72 for a 1-under 143 total.

   Penn’s Mary Shin, yet another Ivy freshman from Irvine, Calif., shared third place with Georgetown’s Christine Parsells, a senior from Bernardsville, N.J., each landing on even-par 144. Shin opened with a 1-under 71 before adding a 1-over 73. Parsells grabbed the lead at the end of the opening round, matching Gianchandani for the low individual round of the tournament with a 5-under 67 before backing off with a 77.

   Took a ride to Hawk Pointe Golf Club in Washington, N.J. in the summer of 2016 to check out the U.S. Women’s Amateur qualifier on a golf course so inundated by overnight rains that every sand trap on the course was ground under repair. I was looking for a local angles since the qualifiers would be headed to  Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield.

Penn State’s Rogowicz and Georgetown’s Parsells ended up in a playoff for the final guaranteed ticket to Rolling Green. Rogowicz won the playoff, although Parsells ultimately got in as an alternate. Just wanted to sneak that in. Meanwhile back at the Princeton Invitational …

   Harvard’s fabulous freshman, Elizabeth Wang of San Marino, Calif., finished alone in fifth at 1-over 145. Wang made a really nice run to the round of 16 in this summer’s U.S. Women’s Amateur at The Golf Club of Tennessee before falling in 20 holes to Ohio State’s Jaclyn Lee, the reigning Big Ten champion. Wang finished up with an even-par 72 at Springdale after opening up with a 1-over 73.

   Joining Basso and Waller in the group tied for sixth at 2-over 146 was Seton Hall’s Carolina Ronchel Salas, a junior from Spain. Ronchel Salas carded a 1-under 71 in the final round after opening with a 75.

   Penn’s Rina Jung, a sophomore form Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., finished alone in ninth at 3-over 147 as she added a 76 to her opening-round 77.

   Also for the Quakers, Christina Park, a junior from San Diego, finished among the group tied for 29^th at 153 as she improved seven shots from her opening-round 80 with a 1-over 73. Leila Dizon, a freshman from Los Angeles, finished among the group tied for 42^nd at 157 as she added an 80 to her opening-round 77.

   Rounding out the first five for Penn was freshman Olivia Traynor, the 2015 Inter-Ac League champion as a freshman at The Academy of Notre Dame. Traynor finished among the group tied for 57^th at 160 after adding a 79 to her opening-round 81.

   Yubin Huh, a junior from San Diego, competed as an individual and finished among the group tied for 73^rd at 175 after adding a 91 to her opening-round 84.

   Backing up Ronchel Salas for Seton Hall was Lizzie Win, a junior from Sylvania, Ohio who finished in the group tied for 20^th at 7-over 151. Win added a 76 to her opening-round 75.

   Junior Sammie Staudt, a former Coatesville standout, finished a shot behind Win in the group tied for 24^th at 152 after improving from an opening-round 79 with 1-over 73. Sarah Fouratt, a freshman from Santa Maria, Calif., finished in the group tied for 29^th at 153 after adding a 75 to her opening-round 78.

   Rounding out the first five for the Pirates was sophomore Mia Kness, the 2016 PIAA Class AAA champion as a senior at Peters Township who finished among the group tied for 35^th at 154 after shaving four shots off her opening-round 79 with a 3-over 75.

   Junior Maddie Sager, the 2015 PIAA Class AAA runnerup as a senior at Owen J. Roberts, competed as an individual and had a solid showing, finishing among the group tied for 29^th at 153 after adding a 2-over 74 to her opening-round 79.

   Also competing as individual for the Pirates was Maria Contreras Luna, a freshman from Spain who finished 75^th with rounds of 94 and 87 for a 181 total.

   Georgetown got a solid showing from junior Kate Evanko, a former Unionville standout who finished among the group tied for 39^th at 156 after adding a 77 to her opening-round 79.

   Lees, the Dartmouth freshman who was a three-time Inter-Ac League champion at Agnes Irwin, was the co-medalist for the Big Green as she and Moon Cheong, a sophomore from Charlotte, N.C., both landed on 157. Lees improved by five shots from her opening-round 81 with a 4-over 76. Cheong added a 79 to her opening-round 78.

Rotelle fires 75 at Gilbertsville to earn first career Junior Tour victory

   Jake Rotelle of Honey Brook carded a solid 4-over-par 75 to take the top spot in the 16-to-18 division in a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour stop on a sparkling Saturday at Gilbertsville Golf Club, which will play host to the opening round of the District One Girls Championship in a couple of weeks.

   It was the first career Junior Tour victory for Rotelle. Zachary Loninger of Crosswicks, N.J. was the runnerup, just a shot behind Rotelle with a 5-over 76 over Gilbertsville’s 6,303-yard, par-71 Red and White Nines.

   Matt Walsh of Chester Springs finished third with an 85 and Matthew Todd of Lincoln University and Jason Rieger of Collegeville shared fourth place, each carding an 86.

   Benjamin Griffaton of Pottstown finished sixth with an 87, Kevin Deng of Newtown Square was seventh with an 88, George Wicks IV of Phoenixville was eighth with a 93 and Parker Farnell of Ambler was ninth with a 100.

   There was another first-time winner in the 13-to-15 division as Lucas Steinmetz of Gilbertsville birdied the 17^th hole on his way to an 8-over 79 that gave him the victory. Paul Brady of Schwenksville was the runnerup with an 81 and Connor Gherghel of Orwigsburg took third with an 83.

   Joseph Madden of Oxford, Evan Jozwiak of Chester Springs and Daniel Shin of Horsham finished in a tie for fourth as each posted an 85. Two more players – Quinn Bookbinder of Wayne and Jackson Reid of Glen Mills – shared seventh place at 87.

   Drew Clark of Kennett Square finished ninth with an 88 and Sachin Blake of Berwyn rounded out the top 10 as he finished 10^th with a 100.

   Esther Park, one of Delaware’s top scholastic golfers out of Wilmington, carded a 79 to claim the top spot in the girls 16-to-18 division for her second straight Junior Tour victory. Park claimed a win in last weekend’s stop at Spring Hollow Golf Club.

   Ava O’Sullivan of Exton was the runnerup with an 84, Jessica Shao of North Myrtle Beach, S.C. was third with an 86, Marple Newtown junior Gillyoung Koh was fourth with a 92 and Helen Shaw of Harleysville was fifth with a 96.

   Bethany Julias of Schwenksville became the third first-time winner of the day as she carded an 89 that featured a birdie at the 10^th hole to capture top honors in the 13-to-15 division. Stefania Fedun of Glenmoore was two shots behind Julias in second with a 91.

   Amelia Loninger of Team Loninger from Crosswicks, N.J. finished third with a 105 and Lily Press of Bryn Mawr was fourth with a 112.

   Among the nine-holers, Hunter Probst of Bear Creek was anything but a first-time winner. Probst birdied the fourth hole on his way to a sparkling 2-over 37 as he won his fifth straight Junior Tour start.

   J.P. Hoban of Havertown won a scorecard playoff for runnerup honors after he and Ethan Martin of North Wales each carded a 46.

   Samuel Feeney of West Chester finished fourth with a 47, Jamie Ciesielka of Woolwich Township, N.J. was fifth with a 49 and Nick Linkchorst of Glen Mills was sixth with a 50.

   Andrew Donohue of Collegeville took seventh with a 52, Grady Hearn of Greentown was eighth with a 53 and Liam McFadden and James Schramek of Chalfont rounded out the top 10 as they finished in a tie for ninth at 59.