Tyler Kipp reached the Class AAA East Regional as a junior
at Muhlenberg last fall, but was unable to take the final step and make it to
the PIAA Championship.
The way he’s been playing this summer, it looks like Kipp is
determined to take it to a step further in his senior season and reach the
state tournament.
Kipp had two birdies on the front nine and three more on the
back nine at Hershey Country Club’s East Course Friday on his way to an
even-par 71 that gave him the victory in a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour
Precision Pro Golf Open event.
Kipp had opened the two-day event played in perfect summer
weather with birdies at the first, ninth and 14th holes as he carded
a 4-over 75 Thursday over the classic 6,640-yard, par-71 George Fazio design and
trailed John Bradbeer of Bryn Mawr by two shots. But Kipp’s even-par round
Friday gave him a 4-over 146 total and a one-shot victory over Conestoga junior
Morgan Lofland.
Like all of the Precision Pro Golf Open events, there is
overall scoring in the 13-to-18 divisions for boys and girls as well as the
usual Junior Tour age groups. Kipp earned the top spot in the 16-to-18 division
and in the overall scoring.
Like Kipp, Lofland was a Class AAA East Regional qualifier
last fall, but failed to reach the PIAA Championship. Lofland did earn a trip
to the Heritage Hills Golf Resort for the state tournament as a freshman in the
fall of 2017.
Lofland came out of the gate strong with birdies at the
first two holes Friday and added another birdie at the 13th hole as
he closed with a 2-over 73 for a 5-over 147 total that left him a shot behind
Kipp in the 16-to-18 division and in the overall scoring.
Lofland had three birdies while going 1-under on the back
nine at Hershey’s East Course in Thursday’s opening round as he carded a 3-over
74 that left him a shot behind Bradbeer.
Bradbeer had birdies at the sixth and 15th holes
during Friday’s second round, but slipped back to a 77 for a 150 total that
left him in third place in the 16-to-18 division and fourth overall. His
opening-round 73 featured birdies at the eighth and 17th holes and a
string of six straight pars on the back nine.
Garnet Valley senior Jake Sokalsky continued his strong play
this summer as he finished a shot behind Bradbeer in fourth place in the
division and fifth overall with a 151 total after shaving three shots off his
opening-round 77 with a 3-over 74 Friday.
Pennridge junior Brendan Bauer and Devon Prep junior Ryan
McCabe, who finished in a tie for second in the PIAA Class AA Championship last
fall, shared fifth place in the division and sixth overall, as each signed for
a 152 total.
Bauer carded a pair of 5-over 76s while McCabe bounced back
from an opening-round 79 with a 2-over 73 in Friday’s second round.
Logan Hess, a Class AAA East Regional qualifier in his
senior season at Penn Manor last fall, was another shot behind Bauer and McCabe
in seventh place in the division and eighth overall at 153. Hess improved by
five shots from an opening-round 79 with a 3-over 74 in Friday’s second round.
Evan Drummond of Exton took eighth in the division and ninth
overall with a 154 total. Drummond added a solid 3-over 74 to his opening-round
80.
Alex Gerkas of York finished ninth in the division as he
added a 79 to his opening-round 77 for a 156 total. Rounding out the top 10 in
the 16-to-18 division was Ryan Johnson of Centre Hall, who had a pair of 79s
for a 158 total that left him alone in 10th place.
Darren Nolan of Glenside was among the contenders in the
overall scoring, finishing third behind Kipp and Lofland with a solid 6-over
148 total that easily gave him the top spot in the 13-to-15 division.
Nolan had seven straight pars on the front nine and made a
birdie at the 14th in a 2-over 73 in Friday’s second round. He had
made birdies at the fifth, sixth and 13th holes on his way to an
opening-round 75 Thursday that left him just two shots behind Bradbeer in the
overall race.
Jake Shmonov of Harrisburg sneaked into the top 10 in the
overall scoring as he added a 6-over 77 to his opening-round 78 for a 155 total
that left him alone in 10th place. Shmonov had birdies at the fourth
and 16th holes in Friday’s final round and made a birdie at the
sixth hole and nine pars in a steady opening round. He was the runnerup to
Nolan in the 13-to-15 division.
Matthew Zerfass, a Class AAA East Regional qualifier as a
freshman at Emmaus last fall, finished four shots behind Shmonov in third place
in the division at 159. Zerfass had a birdie at the fourth hole and made seven
pars while carding an 82 in Friday’s second round. He had birdies at the second
and 17th holes and five straight pars on the front nine in a solid
opening-round 77.
Bobby Nicholson of York was a shot behind Zerfass in fourth
place in the division at 160 after adding an 81 to his opening-round 79. Radnor
High’s Chase Stephano shaved three strokes off his opening-round 82 with a 79
in Friday’s second round to end up in fifth place at 161.
A couple of Lewisburg guys, Nick Mahoney and Sean Kelly,
accounted for the next two spots on the leaderboard as Mahoney took sixth place
with a 165 total and Kelly was seventh at 167. Mahoney added an 81 to his
opening-round 84 while Kelly posted an 84 in Friday’s second round after
opening with an 83.
George Deming of Philadelphia finished eighth as he added an
83 to his opening-round 86 for a 169 total. Drew Davenport of Haverford took
ninth with a 171 total as he opened with an 84 and finished up with an 87 in
Friday’s second round.
Alec Plante of Glen Mills took 10th place with
rounds of 90 and 96 for a 186 total. Sean Rowland of Hershey was 11th,
improving nine shots from an opening-round 103 with a 94 in Friday’s second
round for a 197 total.
Abigail Han of Hummelstown was the top finisher in the girls
16-to-18 division and was the overall winner with a 174 total. Han had four pars
on her way to a 90 in Friday’s second round. She opened with an 84 that was
highlighted by seven pars, including a string of three in a row on the front
nine.
Grace Babinchak, a Class AAA East Regional qualifier as a
junior at Hazleton, was the runnerup to Han in the 16-to-18 division and third
overall with a 185 total. Babinchak had four pars in a solid opening-round 88
and again had four pars on her scorecard, but struggled at times with a 97 in
Friday’s second round.
Elle Overly of Lititz captured top honors in the 13-to-15
division and was the runnerup to Han in the overall scoring with a 181 total.
Overly had three pars on each side as she posted an 88 in Friday’s second
round. She had five pars in her opening-round 93.
Emily McAninch of Mechanicsburg was the runnerup to Overly
in the division and fourth overall with a 186 total. McAninch birdied the 13th
hole and had four pars as she finished up with a solid 89 in Friday’s second
round. She had two pars on the back nine during her opening-round 97.
Davis Conaway of West Chester bested the field of
nine-holers with a pair of solid rounds for an 84 total that gave him a
five-shot victory. Conaway had five pars as he posted a 41 in Friday’s second
round after he had opened with a 43 that featured three pars.
Colton Orris of Hershey had back-to-back pars on the 11th
and 12th holes as he had the best round in the coed 12-and-under
field of the two days, a 40, in Friday’s second round. Orris had a par on the
10th hole to highlight an opening-round 49.
Lawson Leeper of York improved by three shots from an
opening-round 48 with a 45 in Friday’s second round that left him in third
place with a 93 total. Leeper had two pars on his scorecard in each round.
As is always the case with a Precision Pro Golf Open event,
there were also divisions for college-age players.
Shea Murphy of Wilmington, Del. had birdies at the second
and 14th holes as he closed with a 6-over 77 Friday to capture a
13-shot victory in the men’s 17-to-24 division with a 154 total.
Murphy had seven straight pars on the front nine and a
birdie at the 17th hole as he had opened with a 77 in Thursday’s
first round.
Benjamin Barnett, who finished in a tie for fifth in the
PIAA Class AA Championship as a senior at Wellsboro last fall, was the runnerup
to Murphy with a 167 total. Barnett had seven straight pars on the front nine
and a birdie at the 17th hole as he finished up with an 82 in
Friday’s second round. He had eight pars on his scorecard as he opened with an
85 Thursday.
Eric Odell of Honesdale had four pars in a final-round 93 as
he finished third with a 182 total. Odell had eight pars in an opening-round
89. Noah Pfautz of Lebanon took fourth as he added a 98 to his opening-round
108 for a 206 total.
Casey Oppenheimer was a two-time Women’s Golf Association of
Philadelphia Junior Girls champion and the Junior Tour’s Graham Company Player
of the Year in the 16-to-18 division in the wraparound 2015-’16 season and
continues to improve.
Oppenheimer had a birdie at the fifth hole and 10 pars in a
79 in Friday’s second round for a 159 total that gave her a 17-shot victory in
the women’s 17-to-24 division. She had opened with three birdies and eight
pars, including a string of four straight on the back nine, on her way to a
solid 80.
Anna McCormick of Harrisburg had birdies at the first and
sixth holes in an 87 in Friday’s second round that earned her runnerup honors
with a 176 total. She had opened with an 89 Thursday that featured seven pars,
including a streak of three in a row on the front nine.
Elaina McGarrigle of Wernersville had seven pars, including
three in a row on the front nine, as she closed with an 88 in Friday’s second
round to finish third with a 182 total. McGarrigle had three pars in an
opening-round 94.
Carolyn Mueller of Holland, a scholastic standout at Villa
Joseph Marie, finished fourth with a 201 total as she added a 103 to her
opening-round 98.
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