Romanov caps solid weekend with Junior Tour victory at Kings Creek

   Nikita Romanov of Wilmington, Del., whose name appears frequently on Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour leaderboards, capped a strong first weekend of spring by capturing the 16-to-18 division in a stop at Kings Creek Country Club in Rehoboth Beach, Del. Sunday.

   Romanov was the runnerup to Concord High sophomore Alex Mulrooney in cold and very windy conditions Saturday at Cripple Creek Golf & Country Club in Dagsboro, Del. with a solid 7-over 78.

With the weather conditions softening considerably -- heck, it even felt like spring out there -- Romanov had three birdies in a 5-over-par 76 over the 6,341-yard, par-71 Rehoboth Beach layout. The Junior Tour billed the weekend as the Rehoboth Beach Series, although the results didn’t break out any series winners. Of the players who played both days, Romanov was the best.

   Colby Hook of Selbyville, Del. and Plymouth-Whitemarsh sophomore Dylan Gooneratne shared second place, each carding an 83 to finish seven shots behind Romanov.

   Lake Lehman junior Bobby Lugiano, a PIAA Class AA qualifier last fall, finished fourth with an 84 and Harriton junior David Fitzgerald Jr., a PIAA Class AAA qualifier last fall, was another shot behind Lugiano in fifth with an 85. Garnet Valley junior Jake Sokalsky and Jack Farkas of Ardmore shared sixth place, each posting an 86.

   Spencer Frawley of Clayton, Del. finished eighth with an 89, Christopher Vanhof of Georgetown, Del. was ninth with a 96, Patrick Gogarty of Dagsboro, Del. was 10^th with a 100 and Tanner Cole of Lumberton, N.J. was 11^th with a 104.

   Nicholas Ciocca of Berwyn took top honors in the 13-to-15 division with the second-best overall round of the day, a 7-over 78 that was highlighted by an eagle at the third hole. It capped a strong weekend for Ciocca, who was the runnerup to Benjamin Saggers of West Chester in the cold and wind at Cripple Creek Saturday.

   Michael Lugiano of Shavertown’s Team Lugiano was the runnerup with an 80. He closed out strong with four straight pars to finish his round. Matthew Normand of Lumberton, N.J., another player who shows up on Junior Tour leaderboards a lot, finished third with an 82.

   Saggers, an eighth-grader at Saints Phillip & James in Exton, took fourth with an 85. He had taken top honors in the division at Cripple Creek with an 83.

   Henry Kelleher of Middletown, Del. finished fifth with a 139 and Patrick Mckeown of Richboro was sixth with a 158.

   Rhianna Gooneratne of Plymouth Meeting’s Team Gooneratne claimed top honors in the girls 13-to-15 division with an 87. Rhianna Gooneratne was a frequent contender among the nine-holers last year and it looks like she’s going to be a factor as she moves up to full 18-hole rounds. Her round featured pars on both of Rehoboth Beach’s back-nine par-3s.

   Emily McAninch of Mechanicsburg was the runnerup with a 100.

   Austin Dostal of Harbeson, Del. carded a 14-over 49 to top the field of nine-holers for his first career Junior Tour victory. Dostal was the runnerup Saturday at Cripple Creek. Declan Conner of Swarthmore was the runnerup with a 52 that featured a par at the seventh hole.

   Davis Conaway of West Chester parred the tough eighth hole on his way to a 52 that left him in fourth place. Colton Orris of Hershey finished fourth with a 54.