Lower Merion's Yermish the girls leader, Norristown's Ryan ahead of the boys pack at District One Championship

   LIMERICK – If you haven’t figured it out by now, Lower Merion freshman Sydney Yermish is a player.

   Yermish announced her intention to contend for a state championship with a brilliant 6-under-par 65 in the opening round of the District One Class AAA Championship at Raven’s Claw Golf Club Monday.

   Yermish, who plays out of Rolling Green Golf Club, had qualified for the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship as a 12-year-old in the summer of 2018 and finished fifth in the 12-13 Girls division in the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club the Sunday of Masters week last spring.

   She finished in a tie for first place in last week’s Central League Championship at Turtle Creek Golf Club with a cautious 6-over 78. But Yermish unleashed the full arsenal of her still developing game Monday at the 5,357-yard, par-71 Raven’s Claw layout.

   Maybe it was because Yermish was aware that the Symetra Tour, the LPGA developmental circuit, plays its Valley Forge Invitational at Raven’s Claw, but she played a smart, nearly flawless round of golf that included four birdies, an eagle and nary a bogey as she grabbed a three-shot lead over Pennsbury junior Jade Gu, who will defend her Class AAA East Regional title next week at Golden Oaks Golf Club.

   Several of her fellow competitors upon being informed that Yermish had shot a 65 wore that did-she-play-the-same-golf-course-I-just-played look.

   “I played a practice round Saturday and I knew it was the kind of course where I needed to make sure to put it in play,” said Yermish, who finished in a tie for fifth place in the Pennsylvania Junior Girls’ Championship at Hershey Country Club’s East Course in the summer. “I don’t think I missed a fairway, maybe one just off the fairway. But I hit the driver really well.

   “It was my goal to try to win every tournament, Centrals, districts, regionals and states.”

   Another talented freshman, Wissahickon’s Elizabeth Beek, also bettered par with a 1-under 70 that left her two shots behind Gu in third place. Beek finished in seventh place in the state Junior Girls at Hershey East.

   Yermish made six straight pars after teeing off on No. 2 in the shotgun start.

   She didn’t use driver on the drivable par-4 eighth hole, leaving it just in front of the 248-yard hole and then chipping it close for her first birdie. A 4-hybrid on the 307-yard ninth hole left Yermish with a pitching wedge that she stopped a foot from the hole.

   She added two more birdies at the 327-yard, par-4 16^th hole and the 140-yard, par-3 17^th hole and arrived at the tee at the 447-yard, par-5 first hole, her last of the day, 4-under for the round. Yermish’s drive left her 195 yards to the green and she hit a 5-hybrid to 18 feet.

   “I’m standing over that putt and I’m thinking, ‘well, you’ve got 66 at least, let’s see if I can make this,’” Yermish said.

   Yermish indeed drained the putt for an eagle and 65.

   “That was the longest putt I made all day,” Yermish said. “It was a little frustrating. I made some longer par putts, but I had three putts inside six feet for birdie and another 12-footer for birdie that I missed.”

   Yermish headed a group of 15 girls who survived the cut and will head down Ridge Pike to Turtle Creek for Tuesday’s final round. Yermish’s 78 at Centrals last week was her first look at the Turtle. She’ll probably have a better idea how to attack the course with a round under her belt there.

   The top finishers after Tuesday’s second round will advance to Golden Oaks for the East Regional next Monday.

   Mount St. Joseph’s junior Clare Gimpel was alone in fourth place at 2-over 73, three shots behind Beek. Gimpel, who has reached the Class AAA East Regional in each of her first two scholastic seasons, also led the Mount to, by my count, its seventh straight District One Class AAA team crown.

   Gimpel, who plays out of Whitemarsh Valley Country Club, is another top-10 finisher from the Pennsylvania Junior Girls as she finished in a tie for 10^th place at Hershey East.

   Gimpel’s teammate at Mount St. Joe’s, senior Olivia Wirsching, headed a group of three players tied for fifth place at 3-over 74. Wirsching was joined at that figure by Downingtown East sophomore Ava O’Sullivan and another talented freshman, Owen J. Roberts’ Stefania Fedun.

   Haverford junior Riley Quartermain, a product of the Llanerch Country Club junior program, headed a group of four players tied for eighth place at 5-over 76. Quartermain, who matched Yermish’s 78 in the Central League Championships last week, was a PIAA Class AAA qualifier a year ago.

   Joining Quartermain at 76 were defending District One champion Victoria Kim, a sophomore at West Chester East, Central Bucks East senior Sarah Scarpill, and yet another freshman standout, Mary Dunigan of Unionville.

   Unionville junior Charlotte Scully, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier a year ago, was alone in 12^th place after posting a 6-over 77.

   Strath Haven sophomore Grace Smith, the third member of the trio of co-medalists at Centrals last week, was tied for 13^th place with Pennridge junior Ashley Ea, each carding a 7-over 78. Smith, who plays  out of The Springhaven Club, defeated Dunigan to claim the Women’s Golf Association of Philadelphia Junior Girls’ crown in the summer.

   One more freshman, Central Bucks South’s Emma Reilly, advanced to Day 2 as she finished alone in 15^th place with a 79.

   The third counter for Mount St. Joseph in the team competition came from sophomore Carolyn Gola, whose 83, combined with Gimpel’s 73 and Wirsching’s 74, gave the Mount a 230 total. Completing the Mount St. Joe’s lineup were sophomore Nora Blatney with an 87 and junior Sofia Gambone with a 93.

   Unionville was the runnerup with a 240. Pretty sure the Indians will also earn a shot to compete for the PIAA team crown.

   Last year Downingtown East was the runnerup to Mount St. Joe’s in the district tournament, but finished ahead of the Mount with a runnerup finish to North Allegheny at the state tournament. The Cougars finished 20 shots behind Ches-Mont League rival Unionville in third place at 260.

   Methacton finished fourth with a 291, Gwynedd Mercy was fifth with a 296, Spring-Ford was sixth with a 302, Central Bucks East was seventh at 303 and Garnet Valley was eighth with a 346.

   The boys, meanwhile, got started down Ridge Pike at the Turtle and Josh Ryan, who represents Norristown High on the golf course, put his considerable experience on display as he grabbed the lead in Class AAA after the opening round with a 1-under 70.

   Ryan, a junior who won the Pioneer Athletic Conference individual title last week with a 69 at Gilbertsville Golf Club, has qualified for the PIAA Class AAA Championship in each of his first two seasons of scholastic golf.

   “Day 1 you want to make sure you make the cut,” Ryan said after matching his best round at the 6,375-yard, par-72 Turtle Creek layout. “With this round, I can go out on Day 2 and try to win it.”

   Ryan took a two-shot lead over Unionville senior Jack Cooley, a member of both of the Indians’ last two District One Class AAA championship teams, and Harriton senior David Fitzgerald, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier a year ago. Cooley and Fitzgerald each posted a 1-over 73 on an overcast and windy day in western Montgomery County.

   Ryan, who is home-schooled by Commonwealth Connections Academy, hit 15 greens in regulation, but had a little trouble getting the ball in the hole.

   “I’ve been hitting the driver straight and far and striking the ball really well,” said Ryan, who made the cut and finished in a tie for 33^rd against arguably the toughest field in the area in the Philadelphia Open at Huntingdon Valley Country Club in the summer. “I just didn’t putt real well. I only had one three-putt, but I had 32 putts.”

   After settling for pars on the first six holes, Ryan blasted his drive on the 349-yard, par-4 seventh hole and had just 30 yards left. He flipped a wedge to two feet and made the short birdie try. He needed just a 7-iron to reach the 516-yard, par-5 eighth hole in two and two-putted for birdie to get it to 2-under.

   Ryan made a mess of the short, par-4 10^th hole and walked away with a double bogey. But he quickly got those two shots back when he blasted a driver on the 325-yard, par-4 12 hole just off the green and chipped in for an eagle.

   “It all depends on where the tee is on 12,” Ryan said of his decision to try to drive it on the green. “If it’s on the left side, you lay up with 2-iron. If it’s on the right side, you can go for it. Depends on where you are in the round, too. I was even-par, so I figured it was worth it.”

   Bogeys at the par-5 13^th hole and the par-3 15^th hole dropped Ryan back to even-par for the round, but he finally got a birdie putt to fall, a 12-footer at the par-4 17^th hole, to get back in red figures.

It looked like Ryan might get it to 2-under when he blasted a 2-iron just off the green at the risk-reward 552-yard, par-5 18^th hole. He was a little short-sided, but his chip shot hit the pin and caromed eight feet away. But he couldn’t get the birdie putt to fall.

   “This course rally lays out well for me, I can hit driver off almost every tee,” Ryan said. “I just need to hit as many fairways as possible and try to get the par-5s.”

   Ryan is in pretty good shape for a spot in the East Regional at Golden Oaks, a course he lit up with a 65 in the qualifier for the Philadelphia Open in the summer.

   “I hit 18 greens, the first time I’ve done that,” Ryan said. “And I made seven putts.”

   By the way, Yermish and Ryan have one thing in common. Both are students of Mark Sheftic, the head of instruction at Merion Golf Club. Seems like Sheftic’s lessons are getting results.

   Conestoga senior Ben Lee, one of the three co-medalists in last week’s Central League Championship at the Turtle, headed a group of seven players tied for fourth place at 2-over 74, a shot behind Cooley and Fitzgerald.

   Rounding out that group were Holy Ghost Prep sophomore Calen Sanderson, Plymouth-Whitemarsh junior Dylan Gooneratne, a pair of Central Bucks West players, junior Milo Jezzeny and sophomore Kevin Lydon, Pennridge junior Brendon Bauer and Phoenixville’s Kyle Resuta.

   Harriton senior Andrew Wallace, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier a year ago, was tied for 11^th place with Central Bucks East junior Jack Dunsmore and Unionville senior Will Hage, each posting a 3-over 75.

   Six more players are tied for 14^th place at 4-over 76, including Central Buck West’s Nick Hano, Wissahickon sophomore Christian Matt, Hatboro-Horsham senior Jack Marvin, West Chester Rustin sophomore Ryan D’Ariano, Methacton senor Jeff Cooper and Garnet Valley sophomore Nick Woods.

   Heading a group of eight players tied for 20^th place at 5-over 77 was West Chester Henderson sophomore Dylan Kochis, who captured the Ches-Mont League individual crown at Applecross Country Club last week.

   Joining Kochis at 5-over were Radnor senior Jack Hamilton, Boyertown junior Jack Engle, Downingtown East sophomore Jake Leon, Owen J. Roberts senior Conrad Benford, Pennsbury senior Will Gerrity, Conestoga senior Drew Ridder and Hatboro-Horsham junior Noah Sim.

   Conestoga junior Morgan Lofland, another of the co-medalists at last week’s Central League Championship, had to sweat it out, but made the cut on the number, one of eight players who finished tied for 28^th place, each carding a 7-over 78. Lofland was a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a freshman two years ago.

   Joining Lofland at 78 were Pennsbury junior Ryan Rearden, Unionville junior Roy Anderson, Spring-Ford junior Luke Watson, a pair of Wissahickon players, senior Samuel Barsh and junior Jackson Tappen, Souderton senior James O’Malley and Oxford junior Joseph Maddon.

   In Class AA, Pope John Paul II’s Paul Brady headed a group of four players who made the cut for Tuesday’s second round as Brady posted a 7-over 77.

   The remaining three survivors were all New Hope-Solebury players. Junior Evan Menz was in second place with an 81, junior Kyle Sullivan was third with an 82 and freshman Nate Wiseman was fourth with an 87.

   The District One boys team champions will be crowned Tuesday. Unionville, the PIAA Class AAA champion two years ago and the runnerup to Pittsburgh Central Catholic a year ago, is the favorite to make it three straight district titles, but the Indians will have plenty of challengers.

   Looks like it’s between Pope John Paul II and New Hope-Solebury for the Class AA championship.