Caleb Ryan’s time as a junior golfer is coming to a close,
but the three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier for Norristown Area High School had
a big effort in finishing fourth in the American Junior Golf Association’s KJ
Choi Foundation Junior Championship by SK Telecom, which concluded Aug. 22 at
Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club’s River Course in Bedminster Township, N.J.
Ryan was home-schooled through Commonwealth Connections
Academy, but represented Norristown on the golf course.
Ryan matched par in the opening round at the 6,974-yard,
par-72 River Course with a 72 and his 2-under 70 in the second round left him
in a three-way tie for the lead heading into the final round at 2-under 142.
Huon Joon Yoo of South Korea had opened with a sparkling 5-under
67 before adding a 3-over 75 that gave him a share of the lead with Ryan. The
third member of the trio tied for the top spot at 2-under was Shady Side
Academy junior Adam Lauer, who had registered a pair of 1-under 71s.
But Gaven Lane of Argyle, Texas closed with a flourish,
carding a 4-under 68 to leave everybody in the dust with a 5-under 211 total
that gave him a four-shot victory. Lane is entering his freshman year of high
school, but, according to the AJGA website, has verbally committed to join the
powerhouse Oklahoma State program. It was Lane’s first AJGA victory.
Yoo closed with a solid 1-over 73 to get a share of second
place with Jack Irons of Naples, Fla. at 1-under 215, four shots behind Lane.
Irons, who was showing up on Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour leaderboards in
the spring, matched par in the final round with a 72 to join Yoo at 1-under.
Caleb Ryan finished up with a 2-over 74 to finish alone in
fourth at even-par 216, a really solid showing against a top-notch AJGA field.
William Huang of Exeter, N.H., who sandwiched a second-round
77 with a pair of 2-under 70s, finished in a tie for fifth place with Matthew
Doyle of Madison, Conn. at 1-over 217. After a pair of even-par 72s, Doyle
closed with a 1-over 73.
Shady Side’s Lauer finished up with a 4-over 76 to end up
alone in seventh place at 2-over 218.
Another player rounding out his junior career, Liam Hart,
who captured the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a junior at Holy Ghost Prep in
2017, finished in a tie for 11th place at 5-over 221. Hart, who will
join Ben Feld’s Drexel program, had opened with an even-par72 and added a
1-over 73 in the second round.
Norristown junior Joshua Ryan, who joined brother Caleb at
the PIAA Class AAA Championship in each of his first two years of high school
golf, finished up with a 1-under 71 to finish in a tie for 16th at
7-over 223. Joshua Ryan figures to be one of the top players in District One
this fall.
Charlie Baker, who has helped The Haverford School claim the
last two Inter-Ac League crowns, also closed with a 1-under 71 to end up in a
tie for 18th place at 8-over 224. Baker, a senior, will be one of
the Inter-Ac’s top players this fall.
La Salle senior Steve Lorenzo, the District 12 Class AAA
champion last fall and one of the Catholic League’s top returning players,
sandwiched a 78 in the second round with a pair of 75s to end up among the
group tied for 26th at 228.
Matthew Lafond of Blue Bell finished up with a 79 to end up
in the group tied for 41st at 232.
Conestoga junior Morgan Lofland and recent Radnor graduate
David Colleran, who shared the Central League title last fall, also teed it up
at Fiddler’s Elbow.
Lofland finished in a tie for 49th place at 235
after closing with a 77. Lofland is a two-time Class AAA East Regional
qualifier and reached the state tournament as a freshman in 2017. Pretty sure
the plan for Lofland is to get back to the Heritage Hills Golf Resort and the
PIAA Class AAA Championship this fall.
Colleran, who, like Holy Ghost’s Hart, will join the Drexel
program, finished up with an 83 to end up in a tie for 53rd at 239.
On the girls side at Fiddler’s Elbow, South Korea’s Karbin
Choi made a pretty impressive American debut as she rode a sizzling opening
round of 8-under 64 on a River Course that measured 5,911 yards for the girls
to a four-shot victory.
Choi followed up that spectacular 64 with a 1-under 71 in
the second round and a 1-over 73 in the final round for an 8-under 208 total
and a four-shot victory, her first AJGA win.
Xiaowen Yin of China claimed runnerup honors with a 4-under
212 total. After opening with a 1-over 73, Yin fired rounds of 3-under 69 and
2-under 70 to get it to 4-under.
Brooke Rivers of Canada was another shot behind Yin in third
place at 3-under 213. Rivers fired a 4-under 68 in the opening round and was
only four shots behind Choi. Rivers added a 1-over 73 in the second round
before closing with an even-par 72.
Sophia Bae of Norwood, N.J. was another five shots behind
Rivers in fourth place at 2-over 218 after posting three consecutive 1-over
73s. Bae reached the second round of match in this summer’s U.S. Girls’ Junior
Championship at SentryWorld in Stevens Point, Wis.
Heading the local contingent at Fiddler’s Elbow was
Pennsbury junior Jade Gu, who captured the Class AAA East Regional title a week
after sharing second place at the District One Championship. Gu finished in a
tie for 18th at 228 after closing with a 77.
Padua Academy senior Haley Quickel bounced back from a pair
of 85s with a final-round 76 to finish alone in 34th place at 246.
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