Thomas Lynch of Dunmore seems to like the two-day, 36-hole Precision Pro Golf events on the Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour.
A winner in a Precision Pro Golf event at Penn State last month, Thomas Lynch held off James Flickinger of Waverly and another member of Dunmore’s Team Lynch, Michael Lynch III (both Lynches are Class of 2022 entries, so I’m guessing twins), to capture another Precision Pro Golf event, which wrapped up on a rainy Friday at Hickory Valley Golf Club’s Presidential Course in New Hanover Township, Montgomery County.
The Hickory Valley stop – Thursday’s opening round was at Hickory Valley’s Ambassador Course – was also the final qualifier for Monday’s Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship, which will be played at Valley Country Club. The top finishers at Valley will advance to the Boys Junior PGA Championship, a national junior event which will be staged by the PGA of America at the Kearney Hill Golf Links in Lexington, Ky.
Like a lot of national junior events, the Boys Junior PGA Championship was not contested in 2020, a casualty of the coronavirus pandemic.
The 36-hole Precision Pro Golf events offer Junior Golf Scoreboard points, which can help players earn status on the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) circuit.
Thomas Lynch edged Flickinger by a shot in the 16-to-18 division and captured the overall title in the 13-to-18 scoring. The Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship also crowns an overall 13-to-18 winner.
Thomas Lynch grabbed a one-shot lead over Flickinger with a solid 1-under-par 70 in Thursday’s opening round over the 6,132-yard, par-71 Ambassador Course. Thomas Lynch made birdies at the first, ninth and 17th holes to offset two bogeys.
Flickinger birdied the first hole at the Ambassador Course, rattled off eight straight pars and birdied the 10th hole on his way to an even-par 71. Flickinger finished with 14 pars on his scorecard.
With rain falling steadily and cool temperatures, Friday’s round at the tougher 6,599-yard, par-82 Presidential Course proved to be a challenge for all of the players.
Thomas Lynch recorded birdies at the third and 15th holes on his way to a 7-over 79 that left him with a 6-over 149 total. Flickinger was never far behind as he birdied the fourth hole and had 11 pars on his card as he matched Thomas Lynch’s 7-over 79 to earn runnerup honors in the 16-to-18 division and in the overall scoring with a 7-over 150 total.
Michael Lynch III didn’t get off to as good a start as Thomas Lynch and Flickinger did as Michael Lynch III had a birdie on the 10th hole and registered 12 pars in a 4-over 75 at the Ambassador Course. But Michael Lynch III birdied the fourth hole and had 13 pars, including six straight from the 11th through the 16th holes, on the Presidential Course in a steady 4-over 76 that left him alone in third place among the older guys and in the overall 13-to-18 scoring with an 8-over 151 total.
Harriton junior Zach Sandler, Pennridge senior Blake Stewart and Scott Hughes of Ambler finished in a three-way tie for fourth place in the 16-to-18 division and in the overall scoring as they landed on 10-over 153, two shots behind Michael Lynch III.
Sandler and Stewart both bounced back from an 80 at the Ambassador Course with a solid 1-over 73 in the tough conditions on the Presidential Course. Hughes, who opened with an 81 at the Ambassador Course, had the best round of the day in Friday’s second round as he matched par with a 72 in the rain and cold at the Presidential Course to earn his share of fourth place.
Rounding out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division and in the overall scoring were four players tied for seventh place among the older guys and tied for eighth in the overall scoring at 13-over 156.
West Chester Rustin junior Ryan D’Ariano headed that foursome, which also included Eric Fryer of Ambler, Jim Kelly of Slatington and Evan Eichenlaub of Bethlehem.
D’Ariano added an 80 at the Presidential Course to his opening round of 5-over 76, Fryer posted matching 78s at the two courses, Kelly matched D’Ariano’s splits, adding an 80 to his opening-round 76 and Eichenlaub, who was just three shots out of the lead after a solid 2-over 73 in the opening round at the Ambassador Course, struggled to an 83 in the second round at the Presidential Course.
The only player from the 13-to-15 division to crack the top 10 in the overall scoring was Liberty sophomore Michael Vital, who bested the field of younger guys and finished alone in seventh place in the 13-to-18 scoring with an 11-over 154 total.
Vital was steady in his opening round at the Ambassador Course as he had 14 pars, including eight straight from the ninth through the 16th holes, in a 4-over 75. Vital birdied the 16th hole in the second round at the Presidential Course and had nine pars on his scorecard in a 7-over 79.
Jackson Fryer, another member of Ambler’s Team Fryer, and Aidan Farkas of Ardmore finished eight shots behind Vital as they shared runnerup honors in the 13-to-15 division, each landing on 162.
Jackson Fryer had birdies at the third and 10th holes and recorded seven pars in an opening-round 82 over the Ambassador Course and added a steady 80 in the rain on the Presidential Course that featured 13 pars, including nine straight from the fifth through the 13th holes. Farkas had birdies on the ninth and 17th holes in an opening-round 83 at the Ambassador Course and put together a solid 7-over 79 at the Presidential Course that was highlighted by back-to-back birdies at the 15th and 16th holes and nine pars.
Thomas Young of Center Valley opened with a 4-over 75 at the Ambassador Course before struggling to an 89 in Friday’s tough conditions at the Presidential Course as he finished two shots behind Jackson Fryer and Farkas in fourth place in the 13-to-15 division with a 164 total.
Alex Nemo of Bryn Mawr was a shot behind Young in fifth place as he added an 85 at the Presidential Course to his opening-round 80 for a 165 total. It was another shot back to Kevin Zheng of Warren, N.J., who ended up alone in sixth place at 166 after adding an 87 at the Presidential Course to a solid opening-round 79 at the Ambassador Course.
J.P. Hoban, winner of the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Junior-Junior Championship last summer at West Chester Golf & Country Club, finished four shots behind Zheng in seventh place at 170 as he added an 87 at the Presidential Course to his opening-round 83.
Chase Dillman, playing not from his Gilbertsville home, opened with an 80 at the Ambassador Course, but struggled to a 92 at the Presidential Course and finished two shots behind Hoban in eighth place at 172. It was another nine shots back to Macade Knoblauch fo Pottstown as he finished alone in ninth place at 181. Knoblauch signed for an 88 in Thursday’s opening round at the Ambassador Course before finishing up with a 93 at the Presidential Course.
Rounding out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division was another Gilbertsville guy, Marcus Smith, who finished alone in 10th place, a shot behind Knoblauch, at 182. Smith opened with a 93 at the Ambassador Course before shaving four strokes off that total with an 89 in the final round at the Presidential Course.
The girls divisions were a question of whom was going to be low Roberts.
Older sister Kate Roberts, a District One Class AAA qualifier as a freshman at Phoenixville last fall, edged little sister Kayley Roberts by a shot for the overall girls 13-to-18 title, although each walked away with an age-group victory.
Kate Roberts opened up with a 79 at the Ambassador Course as she made birdies at the 13th and 15th holes – she would sign for a 1-under 35 on the incoming nine – and had nine pars in an 8-over 79. She followed that up with a solid 80 at the Presidential Course that included birdies at the sixth and 12th holes and nine pars as she posted a 36-hole total of 16-over 159.
Silvana Gonzalez of Exton claimed runnerup honors among the older girls as she completed the 16-to-18 field with a 174 total that left her in third place in the overall scoring. Gonzalez had three pars on the incoming nine at the Ambassador Course while recording an 89 in Thursday’s opening round and birdied the first hole and made eight pars in a solid 85 on the Presidential Course.
Kayley Roberts was never far behind her big sister as she birdied the 17th hole and registered 13 pars, eight of them as part of a front-nine of 2-over 37, as she matched Kate Roberts’ opening-round 79 at the Ambassador Course.
Kayley Roberts then then jump-started her final round at the Presidential Course with an eagle two at the first hole and added 10 pars in an 81 that left her a shot behind Kate Roberts in the overall scoring with a 160 total. Kayley Roberts did walk away with a first-place finish in the 13-to-15 division.
Chloe Lynch, another entry from Dunmore’s Team Lynch, was the runnerup to Kayley Roberts as Lynch rounded out the 13-to-15 field with a 228 total. Chloe Lynch had three pars in an opening-round 108 at the Ambassador Course and made a par at the 15th hole on her way to a 120 in the final round at the Presidential Course.
The Hickory Valley event was not a qualifier for the girls as the Philadelphia Girls Junior PGA Championship, which tees off July 12 at Commonwealth National Golf Club, is an open tournament. The top finishers at Commonwealth Nationial will advance to the Girls Junior PGA Championship, which gets under way July 27th at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky.
Wyatt Underwood of Telford had a pair of 39s on the two courses to cruise to victory in the coed 12-and-under division with a 6-over 78 total. Underwood grabbed the lead as he made three pars in a 39 at the Ambassador Course and came back with six pars in another 39 at the Presidential Course.
Jason Mack of Delaware Water Gap capped a strong week among the nine-holers as he was the runnerup to Underwood with a 13-over 85 total.
Mack, who claimed victories Sunday at the Pine Meadows Golf Complex in Lebanon and Wednesday at Skippack Golf Club a few miles east of Hickory Valley in Montgomery County, had four pars in an opening-round 41 at the Ambassador Course that left him just two shots behind Underwood. Mack birdied the first hole and added three pars as he finished up with a 44 on the Presidential Course.
Callahan Harrell of York was just a shot behind Mack in third place as he posted 43s at each course for a total of 86. Harrell had three pars in his opening round at the Ambassador Course and four pars in the second round at the Presidential Course.
Benjamin Mayer of Garnet Valley and Quin Zuegner of New Hope shared fourth place, each landing on 90. Mayer registered a pair of 45s at each course while Zuegner followed up a 44 at the Ambassador Course in the opening roud with a 46 in the final round at the Presidential Course.
Sebastian Park of Lansdale was a shot behind Mayer and Zuegner in sixth place with a 91 as he added a 47 at the Presidential Course to an opening-round 44. Jack Luterman of Ardmore opened with a 43 at the Ambassador Course before adding a 49 that left him a shot behind Sebastian Park in seventh place with a 92 total.
Alex DiGiacento of Nazareth added a 50 at the Presidential Course to an opening-round 45 to end up alone in eighth place with a 95. Walker Mannon of Phoenixville finished alone in ninth place with a 98 as he opened with a 45, but struggled a little with a 53 in the final round at the Presidential Course.
Rounding out the top 10 in the coed 12-and-under division was Onyu Park of Blue Bell, who added a 58 at the Presidential Course to an opening-round 48 to finish in 10th place with a 106 total.
The Precision Pro Golf events offer college divisions for men and women ages 17 to 24, but only Jacqueline Slinkard of Bryn Mawr answered the challenge. Slinkard carded an 83 at the Ambassador Course that featured 10 pars and added an 84 at the Presidential Course that was highlighted by eight pars, six of them on the back nine, for a 167 total that gave her the victory in the college women’s 17-to-24 division.
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