Michael Vital, a Liberty junior, has often been overshadowed by his twin brother Matt’s accomplishments on the golf course.
Matt Vital won the Boys 12-13 division in the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals, broadcast on The Golf Channel from Augusta National Golf Club, in 2019. Matt Vital broke Sam Snead’s course record at Reading Country Club with a sizzling 62 in a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour stop in April.
But Monday in the 43rd Junior Tour Championship at Talamore Country Club in Ambler, the spotlight belonged to Michael Vital as he matched par with a 71 to not only claim victory in the 13-to-15 division, but capture the overall title among all the 13-to-18 competitors in the culmination of the wraparound 2020-2021 season.
Michael Vital made three birdies on the outgoing nine over the 6,234-yard, par-71 Talamore layout at the second, third and ninth holes as he went out in 2-under 33. He finished with 12 pars on his scorecard as he topped one of the strongest fields of the summer in the Philly Junior Tour’s biggest event.
It was a pretty strong day for the younger 13-to-15 division as seven of the top 10 finishers in the overall 13-to-18 scoring came from the group of younger guys.
Ethan Martin of North Wales was the runnerup to Michael Vital in the 13-to-15 division and finished in a tie for second in the overall scoring with a 1-over 72. Martin, who has been a roll late in the summer, began his round with seven straight pars followed by birdies at the eighth and ninth holes as he, like Michael Vital, toured the front nine in 2-under 33. Martin finished with 13 pars on his card.
Three players, Ajeet Bagga of Blue Bell, Noah Wallace of Elkton, Md., and Strath Haven junior Tyler Debusschere, each carded a 2-over 73, but the Junior Tour broke ties for the top three spots with a playoff and Bagga claimed third place on the second hole of the playoff. Bagga, Wallace and Tyler Debusschere finished in a tie for fifth place in the overall scoring.
Bagga made an eagle on the par-5 13th hole, made birdies at the fifth and 15th holes and had 10 pars on his scorecard. Wallace took fourth place in the 13-to-15 division with a rock steady round. After making a birdie at the sixth hole, Wallace made 12 straight pars to finish out his round. Wallace had 15 pars on his card overall.
Tyler Debusschere, coming off a Junior Tour victory Friday at Indian Spring Golf Course, made birdies on the fourth, 16th and 18th holes and had 11 pars on his card. Tyler Debusschere toured the incoming nine at Talamore in 2-under 34.
Aiden Farkas of Ardmore and Josh Baker of West Chester shared sixth place in the 13-to-15 division and were part of a three-way tie for eighth place in the overall scoring as each signed for a 74.
Justin Forman of Sewell, N.J. took eighth place in the division with a 76, Nick Joyce of Quakertown was ninth with a 78 and Kasim Narinesingh-Smith of Kennett Square rounded out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division as he carded an 80 to finish alone in 10th.
Charlie Kerprich of Dresher, another player who has been on top of his game of late, claimed a victory in the 16-to-18 division as he defeated Owen Weisner on the third hole of a playoff after both registered a solid 1-over 72. Kerprich and Weisner shared second place in the overall scoring with Martin from the 13-to-15 division.
In regulation, Kerprich had bookend birdies at the first and 18th holes and 13 pars in between, including nine straight from nine through 17. Weisner birdied the 10th hole and had 15 pars on his scorecard, including eight in a row to finish his round following the birdie at 10.
Penncrest junior Eli Shah, coming off an impressive victory in last week’s Harry Hammond Invitational at Penn Oaks Golf Club, finished third among the older guys, two shots behind the top two with a 3-over 74. Along with Farkas and Baker from the 13-to-15 division, Shah rounded out the top 10 in the overall scoring as the trio finished in a tie for eighth place.
Shah birdied the fifth hole and had 13 pars on his scorecard.
Michael Maslanka of Taylor took fourth place in the 16-to-18 division with a 75 and Jack Orr of Medford, N.J. was fifth with a 76. Orr was coming off a co-medalist showing among the older guys in the Junior Tour stop at Indian Spring Friday.
A couple of Shah’s Central League rivals, Garnet Valley senior Nick Woods and Conestoga sophomore Sachin Blake, were part of a four-way logjam tied for sixth place at 79. Joining Woods and Blake at that figure were Brendan Meagher of Swedesboro, N.J. and Alexander McCauley of Maple Glen.
Rounding out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division was another four-way logjam of players tied for 10th place at 80. Jackson Debusschere of Wallingford’s Team Debusschere, a June graduate of Strath Haven, and Blake Stewart, who graduated from Pennridge earlier this year, headed the foursome at 80. They were joined at that figure by Brady Manning of Downingtown and Tyler Hager of Lehighton.
North Penn junior Hayley Ekert had a steady round of 80 that featured 10 pars as she finished atop the 16-to-18 division and captured the girls overall 13-to-18 title.
Curstan Bunch of Wilmington, Del. was the runnerup in the 16-to-18 division as she had eight pars on her way to an 83. For some reason, Bunch was not included in the overall scoring.
Germantown Academy junior Serena Bagga of Blue Bell’s Team Bagga also had eight pars as she finished in third place among the older girls and third overall with an 85.
Ashley Ea, who graduated from Pennridge earlier this year, finished in fourth place in the division and fourth overall with an 86. Conestoga senior Sophia Brubaker took fifth place in the division and sixth overall with an 88 and Villa Maria Academy senior Elizabeth O’Connell rounded out the 16-to-18 division field as she finished in sixth place in the division and 10th overall with a 108.
Meredith Finger of Wilmington, Del. led the way in the 13-to-15 division and finished in second place in the overall scoring as she birdied the sixth hole and had nine pars on her scorecard on her way to a solid 83.
Alexandra Engart of Harleysville had seven pars on her scorecard as she signed for an 87 that earned her a runnerup finish in the division and left her in fifth place in the overall scoring.
Reagan Garnsey of Camden-Wyoming, Del. birdied the second hole and had three pars as she took third place among the younger girls and finished seventh overall with a 94.
Sophia DeSantis of Glen Mills took fourth place in the division and eighth overall with a 95 and Makayla Stone of Garnet Valley rounded out the 13-to-15 division field as she finished in fifth place and ninth overall with a 101.
Quinten Joiner of Millington, Md. bested the field of nine-holers as he made birdies at the seventh and ninth holes and had five pars on his scorecard on his way to an even-par 35. Luke McGraw of Boalsburg made back-to-back birdies on the second and third holes and had four pars as he earned a runnerup finish with a 1-over 36.
Trevor Sieben of Medford, N.J. prevailed in a five-hole playoff for third place after carding a 3-over 38 that featured seven pars, including six straight from the second through the seventh holes. Sieben was another player coming off a victory in the Philly Junior Tour stop at Indian Spring Friday.
Callahan Harrell of York, who captured the Junior Tour Championship for the coed 12-and-under division Aug. 4 at Huntingdon Valley Country Club’s Centennial Nine, and Anthony Proud of Stroudsburg also landed on 3-over 38. Harrell, who had birdies at the seventh and ninth holes and had four pars on his scorecard, took fourth place and Proud, who made a birdie on the sixth hole and had four pars on his card, finished fifth.
Jackson Lane of Cinnaminson, N.J. finished alone in sixth place with a 4-over 39 and Jason Mack of Delaware Water Gap and Ian Rotto of Kennett Square ended up in a tie for seventh place, each landing on 42.
Lawson Leeper of York took ninth place with a 43 and Jack Luterman of Ardmore rounded out the top 10 in the very competitive coed 12-and-under division as he finished alone in 10th with a 44.
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