Debusschere earns Junior Tour victory by a shot at Chesapeake Bay

    Strath Haven sophomore Tyler Debusschere matched the low round of the day with a 3-over-par 74 to finish atop the leaderboard in the 13-to-15 division in a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour stop Saturday at Chesapeake Bay Golf Club in Rising Sun, Md.

   Debusschere’s scholastic season last fall was limited due to coronavirus pandemic concerns, but he took advantage of the competitive opportunities provided by the Philly Junior Tour to fill the void and has continued to show up on the circuit’s leaderboards this spring.

   When the Central League did get around to holding a championship tournament at Downingtown Country Club after the PIAA postseason was completed, Debusschere finished in fourth place and led the Panthers to the team title.

   Debusschere made eight pars on the outgoing nine on the par-71 Chesapeake Bay layout and then made birdies at the 12^th, 13^th and 16^th holes on the back nine on his way to the Junior Tour victory.

   Samuel Feeney of West Chester finished a shot behind Debusschere in second place with a 4-over 75 as he had 14 pars on his scorecard, including 10 straight between the fourth and 13^th holes. Noah Wallace, playing close to his Elkton, Md. home, had 12 pars as he finished three shots behind Feeney in third place with a 78.

   Michael Vital of Bethlehem and Hank Kancher of Philadelphia shared fourth place, each landing on 80, two shots behind Wallace. Travis Robertson of Fort Washington was a shot behind Michael Vital and Kancher in sixth place with an 81 and J.P. Hoban of Havertown was alone in seventh place with an 89.

   Jacob Gabbard of Lewes, Del. and Jamie Ciesielka of Woolwich Township, N.J. ended up in a tie for eighth place, each signing for a 98, and Christopher Chicano of West Berlin, N.J. rounded out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division as he finished alone in 10^th place with a 103.

   Colin Vineburg of Sparks, Md. and Liberty sophomore Matt Vital of Bethlehem’s Team Vital matched Debusschere’s 3-over 74 to share top honors in the 16-to-18 division.

   Vineburg, who has been showing up on Philly Junior Tour leaderboards regularly this spring, birdied the fifth and seventh holes. Matt Vital, winner of the Boys 12-13 division in the 2019 Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club and a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a freshman later that year, had birdies at the sixth and 16^th holes on his way to a share of first place among the older guys.

   Evan Barbin of the golfing Barbin family of Elkton, Md. was playing on his home course at Chesapeake Bay and made birdies at the sixth, seventh and 12^th holes to finish a shot behind Vineburg and Matt Vital in third place with a 4-over 75.

   Garnet Valley teammates Matt Pulcinella and Bradyn Cantwell, both juniors, shared fourth place as each signed for a 78 that left them three shots behind Barbin. Oxford senior Joseph Madden, a District One Class AAA qualifier last fall, finished alone in sixth place with an 82.

   Brady Manning of Downingtown and Anthony Carson of Broomall finished in a tie for seventh place, each registering an 84, Matthew Dietl of Glenmoore was ninth with an 85 and Thomas DiGiulio of Sicklerville, N.J. rounded out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division as he ended up alone in 10^th place with a 103.

   Mount St. Joseph senior Clare Gimpel had the best score among the girls as she claimed a victory in the 16-to-18 division with an 81. Gimpel capped an outstanding scholastic career last fall by finishing in a tie for second place in the District One Class AAA Championship and ending up in a tie for seventh in the PIAA Class AAA Championship at the Heritage Hills Golf Resort.

   Gimpel had birdies at the seventh and 16^th holes and posted a 3-over 39 on Chesapeake Bay’s incoming nine on her way to the victory.

   Silvana Gonzalez of Exton birdied the 11^th hole and had seven pars as she earned runnerup honors with an 88. Kate Roberts, a District One Class AAA qualifier as a freshman at Phoenixville last fall, birdied the sixth hole and had eight pars as she continued a strong run of play this spring with an 89 that left her a shot behind Gonzalez in third place.

   Mary Emma Guldi, a District One Class AAA qualifier as a senior at West Chester Rustin last fall, was two shots behind Roberts in fourth place with a 91. Maria Crowe of Downingtown rounded out the 16-to-18 field as she finished in fifth place with a 117.

   Kylie Yiengst of Wyoming, Del. birdied the 18^th hole and had five pars on her scorecard as she claimed the top spot in the 13-to-15 division with a 90. Kaitlynne Simmons of Townsend, Del. had a par on the eighth hole as she earned runnerup honors with a 96.

   Karina Serio of Colora, Md. had two pars, one on each side, as she finished two shots behind Simmons in third place with a 98. Brynne Mushlin of Berwyn rounded out the 13-to-15 field as she ended up in fourth place with a 106.

   Anthony Proud of Stroudsburg and Gus Stoltzfus of Lincoln University each carded a 5-over 40 to share first place among the nine-holers.

   Proud, who has regularly been in contention in the coed 12-and-under division this spring, had six pars, including five straight from the second through the sixth holes. Stoltzfus also had six pars on his scorecard.

   Trevor Sieben of Medford, N.J. birdied the sixth hole and had three pars on his card as he finished alone in third place, a shot behind Proud and Stoltzfus with a 6-over 41.

   Ian Rotto of Kennett Square and Lawson Leeper of York landed in a tie for fourth place, each posting a 43, and Jake Hollerback of Millsboro, Del. was a shot behind Rotto and Leeper in sixth with a 44.

   Alaina Carson of Broomall’s Team Carson and Giula Weisser of Reading finished in a tie for seventh place, each signing for a 45, Declan Conner of Swarthmore was a shot behind Carson and Weisser in ninth with a 46 and Nicholas Fargnoli of Mickleton, N.J. rounded out the top 10 in the coed 12-and-under division as he ended up in 10^th place with a 55.