It was supposed to be the first two-day Junior Golf
Scoreboard event on the Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour schedule in 2019,
but Mother Nature delivered a Mother’s Day curveball and the event at Back
Creek Golf Club in Middletown, Del. was limited to one day.
Not that any of the guys were likely to catch Jolo Timothy
Magcalayo, who fired a scintillating 5-under-par 66 in cool, sunny weather
Saturday over the challenging 6,286-yard, par-71 Back Creek layout to capture
the top spot in the 16-to-18 division and was the overall winner among the field
of 13-to-18 boys who teed it up.
Magcalayo is listed as being from New Jersey and he was
dominating the Junior Tour’s 13-to-15 division when he first showed up in the
area around this time last year. As the year wore on, we learned he was from
the Philippines and had come to the United States to get a taste of top-level
junior competition.
And he certainly did that. He earned a trip to the U.S.
Junior Amateur in a local qualifier administered by the Golf Association of
Philadelphia at Carlisle Country Club. Magcalayo proceeded to finish in a tie
for 16th in qualifying for match play at the prestigious Baltusrol
Golf Club in Springfield, N.J.
Match play was at Baltusrol’s Upper Course and Magcalayo won
a match and gave Shuai Ming (Ben) Wong all he wanted before falling in 19
holes. Wong, a native of Hong Kong, was playing in his fifth U.S. Junior
Amateur and Magcalayo had him 1-down with two holes to play before Wong’s
experience helped him pull out the victory.
Wong, listed just as Ben Wong on the SMU website, will be in
the starting lineup as a freshman when the Mustangs tee off Monday in the
opening round of the NCAA Athens Regional at the University of Georgia Golf
Course in Athens, Ga.
Magcalayo is listed as being a Class of ’21 competitor,
which would make him analogous to a high school sophomore. He had six birdies
on his scorecard in a remarkable round Saturday.
Roy Anderson of Chadds Ford was the runnerup in the 16-to-18
division as he had a pair of birdies in a 1-over 72, six shots behind
Magcalayo.
Matthew Lafond of Blue Bell finished third with a 2-over 73
and Jordan Weisman of Malvern took fourth with a 3-over 74.
La Salle junior Steve Lorenzo, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier
last fall, was joined by Nikita Romanov of Wilmington, Del. and Garnet Valley
junior Jake Sokalsky, a District One Class AAA qualifier last fall, in a
three-way tie for fifth place, each posting a 4-over 75.
Luke Ciccarelli of Danville and Ryan Dalton of Newark, Del.
were another four shots behind that trio in a tie for eighth, each carding a
79.
Rounding out the top 10 were two players – Souderton
sophomore Stephen Butler, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier last fall, and Andrew
Miller of Bryn Mawr – tied for 10th, each signing for an 80.
Win Thomas of Unionville won top honors in the 13-to-15
division as he carded a 2-over 73 that included three birdies, one on the front
nine and two on the incoming nine. His 73 was also good enough to leave him in
a tie for third in the overall 13-to-18 scoring.
Eric Miller of West Chester had two birdies in a 5-over 76
that earned him runnerup honors to Thomas among the younger guys. Miller also
snuck into the top 10 in the overall scoring as he ended up alone in ninth
place.
Drew Clark of Kennett Square and Benjamin Saggers of West
Chester shared third place as each carded a 77. They were tied for 10th
in the overall scoring. Saggers captured GAP’s Junior-Junior Championship last
summer at Merchantville Country Club.
Kevin Lofland of Blue Bell’s Team Lofland finished alone in
fifth place with a 79 and Dylan Kochis of Exton was another two shots behind
Kevin Lofland in sixth place with an 81.
Radnor freshman Chase Stephano and Logan Wagner of Garnet
Valley finished in a tie for seventh, each posting an 88. Radnor sophomore
Rishi Khanna was alone in ninth place with an 89.
Zachary Antao of Chadds Ford finished 10th with a
108 and Henry Kelleher of Middletown, Del. was 11th with a 124.
Gwendolyn Powell of Madison Township recorded the best score
among the girls, an 86 that gave her top honors in both the 13-to-15 division
and in the overall 13-to-18 scoring. Powell parred the first two holes to get
her round off to good start.
Rhianna Gooneratne of Plymouth Meeting finished three shots
behind Powell in second with an 89. Grace Curran of Newtown Square was third in
the 13-to-15 division with a 131.
Radnor junior Jacqueline Slinkard, a District One Class AAA
qualifier last fall, was the only competitor in the 16-to-18 division and
carded a 117.
Hunter Probst of Bear Creek has been racking up the wins among
the nine-holers and he bested the field again with a 2-over 37 that was
highlighted by a pair of birdies. Sean Curran of Newtown Square’s Team Curran
was the runnerup with a solid 7-over 42,
Austin Dostal of Harbeson, Del. took third with a 50 and
Emily Mayo of Boothwyn was fourth with a 54.
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