Werner lights up Heritage Hills with a 70 to claim a Junior Tour victory

    With the PIAA Championships coming to the Heritage Hills Golf Resort in a little next week, the Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour made a stop at the Springettsbury Township, York County layout Saturday.

   It was Wyoming Seminary freshman Nick Werner of Wilkes-Barre who stole the show as he made four birdies on his way to a sparkling 1-under-par 70 that gave him a win in the younger 13-to-15 age group. Werner, who began his 2021 season by finishing in ninth place in the Boys 12-13 division in the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals the Sunday of Masters week at Augusta National Golf Club, birdied the second, eighth, 12^th and 16^th holes at the par-71 Heritage Hills layout and had 11 pars on his scorecard.

   Andrew Ekstrom of York made birdies at the third, sixth and 16^th holes and had 10 pars on his card as he earned runnerup honors with a solid 2-over 73.

   Radnor sophomore Shaun Mazzalupi, who earned a trip to the PIAA Class AAA Championship by finishing in a tie for eighth place in last week’s District One Championship at Turtle Creek Golf Club, shared third place with Cael Ropietski of Harveys Lake, each posting a 6-over 77. Mazzalupi had 12 pars on his scorecard, including four straight to open his round.  Ropietski had 13 pars on his card, opening each nine with four straight pars.

   Kasim Narinesingh-Smith of Kennett Square took fifth place with an 83, John Curran of Malvern was sixth with an 85, Danny DiLella of Wayne was seventh with an 86 and Callahan Harrell of York was eighth with an 87.

   Nevin Nardo of York was alone in ninth place with an 89 and Benjamin Mayer of Garnet Valley and Keegan Redmond of Hummelstown rounded out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division as they finished in a tie for 10^th, each registering a 95.

   Nick Mahoney of Lewisburg made birdies at the second and fifth holes and had 12 pars on his scorecard, including six straight from the 10^th through the 15^th holes, as he landed atop the leaderboard in the 16-to-18 division with a 3-over 74.

   Kevin Lafond of Blue Bell birdied the second hole and had 11 pars on his card, including six straight from the sixth through the 11^th holes, as he finished two shots behind Mahoney in second place with a 5-over 76. Sam Wertmiller of Selinsgrove also birdied the par-5 second hole and had 11 pars as he finished a shot behind Lafond in third place with a 77.

   Eli Ropietski of Harveys Lake’s Team Ropietski finished alone in fourth place with a 78 and Grey Conta of Hummelstown and Matthew Dietl of Glenmoore shared fifth place, each signing for a 79. Moravian Academy junior Evan Eichenlaub was a shot behind Conta and Dietl in seventh place with an 80.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division were three players – Conestoga junior Kyle Mauro, Downingtown West junior Brady Manning and Thomas Young of Center Valley – who finished in a tie for eighth place, each posting an 81.

   Phoenixville’s Team Roberts, Kayley and older sister Kate, swept top honors in the two girls divisions.

   Kayley Roberts edged big sister Kate by a shot for the best score among the girls for the day as Kayley Roberts birdied the 18^th hole – a par-5 for the girls as opposed to it being a par-4 for the guys, making Heritage Hills a par 72 for the girls – and had nine pars on her scorecard as she carded a 7-over 79 to claim a victory in the 13-to-15 division.

   Kayla Benson of Beach Lake had nine pars on her card, six of them on Heritage Hills’ outgoing nine, as she earned runnerup honors with an 83. Katherine Liu of Moorestown, N.J. had eight pars as she finished alone in third place with a 91.

   Sophia DeSantis of Glen Mills took fourth place with a 92 and Makayla Stone of Garnet Valley was fifth with a 96. Hannah Kopac of State College landed in sixth place with a 99 and Caitlyn Monestere of Downingtown rounded out the 13-to-15 division field as she finished in seventh place with a 120.

   Kate Roberts, a sophomore at Phoenixville High, made birdies at the sixth and 18^th holes and had eight pars, including a string of seven in a row from the 11^th through the 17^th holes, to claim the top spot in the 16-to-18 division with an 80, leaving her a shot behind Kayley Roberts in the battle for low Roberts.

   Kate Roberts will be right back at Heritage Hills Tuesday, Oct. 19 as she earned a trip to the PIAA Class AAA Championship by finishing in sixth place last week in the District One Class AAA Championship at Raven’s Claw Golf Club and Turtle Creek Golf Club.

   Got a chance to watch Kate Roberts play the last 12 holes of her round at the Turtle Tuesday as she was in a foursome with the eventual champion, Sydney Yermish of Lower Merion, the defending champion, Downtown East’s Ava O’Sullivan, and Unionville’s Mary Grace Dunigan. Kate Roberts can really play and had a particularly nice touch around the greens at the Turtle.

   North Penn junior Hayley Ekert, who came up one frustrating shot short of a trip to the state tournament with her 10^th-place finish in the District One Class AAA Championship last week, birdied the third hole and had six pars on her card as she registered an 88 to earn runnerup honors.

   Alyssa Campanella of Williamstown, N.J. rounded out the 16-to-18 division field as she finished in third place with a 113 that featured pars on the 14^th and 17^th holes.

   Lawson Leeper, playing not far from his York home, had seven pars on his scorecard, including six straight to finish up his round, as he bested the field of nine-holers with a 2-over 38. Giula Weisser of Reading carded a 44 that featured five pars, to finish in second place.

   Calvin Pace of Downingtown finished alone in third place with a 45 that included four pars.

   Vyom Shukla of Berwyn took fourth place with a 49, Rory Spindler of Selbyville, Del. was fifth with a 52, Matthew Benfield of Malvern was sixth with a 56 and Gabriella Magno of Delran, N.J. rounded out the coed 12-and-under division field by finishing seventh with a 57.