Lofland takes boys crown, O'Sullivan the girls winner in Precision Pro Golf Open event at Hickory Valley

   In the summer of the coronavirus there are fewer competitive opportunities for junior golfers.

   Most notably, the four biggest national junior events each year, the U.S. Junior Amateur and the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship conducted by the United States Golf Association and the Boys and Girls Junior PGA Championships conducted by the PGA of America, have been canceled for 2020.

   The Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour and other local entities will attempt to fill the void and junior golfers will have to take their chances to compete where they can get them.

   This week’s Precision Pro Golf Open event at Hickory Valley Golf Club is one of the bigger events on the Philly Junior Tour calendar in a normal year. It is a two-day 36-hole test over Hickory Valley’s two courses and offers Junior Golf Scoreboard points that can help boys and girls ages 13 to 18 get into American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) events.

   This year’s Hickory Valley stop also awarded a berth in the Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship, which will be held June 22 at Bellewood Country Club, to the top 13 finishers in the 13-to-18 age group, although several of the top finishers had already punched their ticket to Bellewood.

   It all made for a pretty strong field and, among the boys, nobody was better than Conestoga senior Morgan Lofland, who added a 1-under-par 71 Friday at the Presidential Course, the tougher of the two courses at Hickory Valley, to the 1-over 72 he shot Thursday at the Ambassador Course for an even-par 143 total that was four shots clear of the field as he won the 16-to-18 age group and was the winner in the overall 13-to-18 competition.

   As I mentioned in my post following Thursday’s opening round, Lofland is one of the top returning golfers in District One. For the second straight year, Lofland got a share of the Central League individual title last fall. He qualified for the PIAA Class AAA Championship for the second time and turned in a solid ninth-place finish at the Heritage Hills Golf Resort after capturing the title in the East Regional with a sparkling 67 at Golden Oaks Golf Club.

   Lofland made the turn at 2-under on a glorious June Friday for golf after making an eagle at the par-5 fifth hole. He fell back to even-par with a double bogey at the 10^th hole and bogeyed the 12^th hole. But birdies at the 14^th and 16^th holes gave him the only round under par on the par-72 Presidential Course.

   Not even a hole-in-one could get defending champion Ryan McCabe, a senior at Devon Prep, any closer than four shots to Lofland. McCabe, who finished in a tie for third place in the PIAA Class AA Championship last fall after sharing second place a year earlier, found the bottom of the cup with his tee shot at the par-3 15^th hole.

   The ace enabled McCabe, the defending champion at Hickory Valley, to match par with a 72, which, combined with his opening-round 75, left him alone in second place in the division and overall with a 4-over 147 total.

   It was another four shots back to Berks Catholic senior Michael Fioravante, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier last fall, and Peyton Mussina of Muncy, both of whom landed on 8-over 151 and were tied for third place in the 16-to-18 division and tied for fourth overall. Both carded a solid 3-over 75 Friday after opening with a 76 at the Ambassador Course Thursday.

   Brandywine Heights senior Elijah Ruppert, who shared third place with McCabe in the PIAA Class AA Championship last fall, and Unionville senior Roy Anderson, a Class AAA East Regional qualifier last fall, each landed on 9-over 152 and finished tied for fifth place in the 16-to-18 division and tied for sixth overall. Both carded a solid 2-over 74 Friday after opening with a 78.

   Corey Haydu of Doylestown finished alone in seventh place among the older guys and eighth overall at 153 after adding a 78 to his opening round of 4-over 75 at the Ambassador Course.

   Episcopal Academy senior Shane Lawler, who helped the Churchmen capture the PAISSA team crown at Brookside Country Club last fall, matched the 78 he shot at the Ambassador Course with the 78 he posted Friday at the Presidential Course to finish eighth in the division and 10^th overall at 156.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division were Strath Haven senior Jackson Debusschere, who helped the Panthers claim Central League and District One Class AAA crowns last fall, and Spring-Ford senior Luke Watson, both of whom finished a shot behind Lawler in a tie for ninth place and tied for 11^th overall at 157.

   Jackson Debusschere added an 81 at the Presidential Course to his opening-round 76 while Watson improved five shots from his opening-round 81 with a solid 4-over 76 Friday at the Presidential Course.

   The Homer twins of Wilmington, Del. dominated the 13-to-15 division.

   Matthew Homer matched par with a 72 at the Presidential Course after opening with a 78 for a 7-over 150 total that gave him the top spot among the younger guys and left him in third place in the overall standings, three shots behind McCabe. It was the second straight year Matthew Homer has won the 13-to-15 division title at Hickory Valley and a year ago he was the runnerup to McCabe in the overall scoring.

   Jeffrey Homer had grabbed the overall lead with a sparkling even-par 71 at the Ambassador Course Thursday, but fell back with an 84 Friday at the Presidential Course. Still, his 155 total made him the runnerup to his twin brother in the division and in ninth place overall.

   Adrian Jordan of Lawrenceville, N.J. was another three shots behind Jeffrey Homer in third place among the younger guys and in 13^th place in the overall standings after a second straight 79 left him at 158. That spot might have earned Jordan the final ticket to the Boys PGA Junior Championship available at Hickory Valley, although there might have been some displacement since several players had already earned spots in the field at Bellewood.

   Will Huntley of Lansdale and Michael Maslanka of Taylor finished in a tie for fourth place in the 13-to-15 division, each landing on 159. Huntley added an 80 to his opening-round 79 while Maslanka shaved three shots off his opening-round 81 at the Ambassador Course with a solid 78 Friday at the Presidential Course.

   Sean Surowiec of West Chester finished alone in sixth place in the division after adding an 82 at the Presidential Course to his opening-round 78 for a 160 total.

   Strath Haven sophomore Tyler Debusschere and Bethlehem Liberty sophomore Matt Vital shared seventh place in the 13-to-15 division, each landing on 161.

   Tyler Debusschere, a key contributor in Strath Haven’s run to its first Central League title last fall, added an 80 at the Presidential Course to his opening-round 81. Vital, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier last fall and the winner of the Boys 12-13 title in the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club last spring, bounced back from an opening-round 84 with a solid 77 at the Presidential Course Friday.

   Zachary Antao of Chadds Ford improved significantly in Friday’s second round, adding a 4-over 76 at the Presidential Course to his opening-round 87 to finish alone in ninth place in the division at 163.

Rounding out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division was Kevin Zheng of Warren, N.J., who finished alone in 10^th place after adding an 86 to his opening-round 79.

   Downingtown East junior Ava O’Sullivan, a Class AAA East Regional qualifier last fall, was a dominating six-shot winner in the overall girls competition at Hickory Valley as she added a 5-over 77 at the Presidential Course to the opening-round 80 she carded Thursday at the Ambassador Course for a 157 total.

   O’Sullivan birdied two of the Presidential Course’s par-3 holes, the fifth and 15^th, and was the only girl in the field to break 80. O’Sullivan won the top spot in the 16-to-18 division by a whopping 12 shots over Haverford senior Riley Quartermain, like O’Sullivan a Class AAA East Regional qualifier last fall.

   Quartermain added an 88 at the Presidential Course to her opening-round 81 for a 169 total that left her in third place in the overall standings.

   Olivia Wirsching, who capped her scholastic career by leading Mount St. Joseph to the PIAA Class AAA team crown last fall, was another seven shots behind Quartermain in third place in the division and fourth overall at 176. Wirsching carded an 86 in Friday’s second round after opening with a 90.

   Olivia Strigh of Hammonton, N.J. was four shots behind Wirsching in fourth place among the older girls and in a tie for fifth overall at 180 after adding an 88 to her opening-round 92.

   Molly Gregor of North Wales rounded out the top 10 in the overall scoring, her 185 total leaving her alone in 10^th place and in fifth place in the 16-to-18 division. Gregor shaved three shots off her opening-round 94 at the Ambassador Course with a 91 in Friday’s second round.

   Samantha Ritchie made a road trip from Great Falls, Va. to Hickory Valley and took sixth place in the division with a 187 total. Ritchie added a 96 at the Presidential Course Friday to her opening-round 91. Lindsay Seeley of Camp Hill rounded out the 16-to-18 field as she finished seventh with a 100 Friday that left her at 199.

   It was an impressive showing by 13-to-15 winner Evelyn Wong of Macungie as she added a solid 81 at the Presidential Course to her opening-round 82 for a 163 total that earned her runnerup honors in the overall scoring, six shots behind O’Sullivan.

   Kate Roberts was the runnerup among the younger girls and shared fifth place in the overall standings with Strigh at 180. Kate Roberts carded a 94 in Friday’s second round after opening with an 86.

   Mount St. Joseph junior Carolina Gola, a teammate of Wirsching’s on the Mount’s state championship team last fall, was two shots behind Kate Roberts in third place in the division and was seventh overall at 182. Gola improved by six shots from her opening-round 94 with a solid 88 Friday at the Presidential Course.

   Kayley Roberts, another member of Phoenixville’s Team Roberts, and Elle Overly of Litiz shared fourth place in the division and were tied for eighth overall at 183. Kayley Roberts earned low-Roberts honors for the day with a 90 after she had opened with a 93 Thursday at the Ambassador Course. Everly added a 94 at the Presidential Course to her opening-round 89.

   Tristan Goff of Lancaster landed in sixth place in the division after adding a 90 to her opening-round 98 for a 188 total. Brynne Mushlin of Berwyn rounded out the 13-to-15 field as she posted a 128 in Friday’s second round for a 262 total.

   Davis Conaway of West Chester continued his roll among the nine-holers as he won for the third time since the Junior Tour schedule resumed Sunday following its coronavirus-enforced layoff this spring.

   Conaway added a 6-over 42 at the Presidential Course to his strong 2-over 38 in Thursday’s opening round for an 8-over 80 total.

   Lawson Leeper of York was the runnerup as he carded a 44 Friday after opening with a 43 for an 87 total. Ian Larsen of Glenmoore took third place, three shots behind Leeper at 90. Larsen added a 44 to his opening-round 46.

   Chase Mitstifier of Sinking Spring landed in fourth place at 97 as he carded a 50 Friday after opening with a 47.

   Xinyun Zhou of Newtown finished in fifth place at 116 after carding a 55 Friday and Bryn Klosse of York rounded out the coed 12-and-under field by taking sixth place at 123, posting a 65 in Friday’s second round.

   A Precision Pro Golf Open event includes men’s and women’s college divisions and Shea Murphy of Wilmington, Del. fired a 1-over 73 to rally for a victory in the men’s 17-to-24 division with a 155 total.

   Murphy’s opening-round 82 left him two shots behind fellow Wilmingtonian Nikita Romanov, but Murphy got it going early Friday, going 2-under on the front nine at the Presidential Course.

   Romanov, the former Mount Pleasant standout who worked his way into the starting lineup at La Salle in a pandemic-shortened freshman season, added an 84 to his opening-round 80 and was the runnerup to Murphy at 164.

   Noah Pfautz of Lebanon finished third in the division with a 191 total as he struggled to a 103 Friday after opening with an 88.

   Casey Oppenheimer of Conshohocken was the only entry in the women’s 17-to-24 division and carded a solid 79 Friday at the Presidential Course for a 172 total. Oppenheimer was a two-time winner of the Women’s Golf Association of Philadelphia Junior Girls’ crown as a junior player.