Vital, Roberts top boys, girls fields in two-day Junior Tour Precision Pro event at Penn State

    Excuse my college golf obsession, but I certainly haven’t forgotten about the Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour, which, ultimately, is my bread and butter …

   Every once in a while, Matt Vital, a junior at Bethlehem’s Liberty High who is a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier, just starts making birdies in bunches.

   It happened again in a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour two-day Precision Pro event two weekends ago at the Penn State Golf Courses. The event also offered Junior Golf Scoreboard points, which can earn players eligibility on some of the bigger junior circuits like the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA).

   There was overall scoring for boys and girls ages 13 to 18 and the Philly Junior Tour broke down the results in its usual 13-to-15 and 16-to-18 divisions. The nine-holers also competed in the coed 12-and-under division.

   There were some weather issues with the first day of play May 14^th on Penn State’s White Course suspended by lightning. Play resumed the morning of May 15^th followed by the second round on Penn State’s Blue Course.

   It was in round 2 on the Blue Course when Vital went off. It started quietly enough with a birdie at the first hole, but then he ripped off three straight birdies at seven, eight and nine. Birdies at the 12^th, 14^th and 16^th holes got him to 7-under for the round.

   The only blemish of the day for Vital came when he made bogey at the 17^th hole, but he quickly made up for it with a birdie at 18, his eighth of the round, to complete a sparkling 7-under-par 65 that gave him a 7-under 137 total as he claimed the top spot in the 16-to-18 division and in the overall 13-to-18 scoring.

   Vital had opened with an even-par 72 on the White Course that featured birdies at the third, sixth, eighth, 14^th and 18^th holes that offset five bogeys.

   Michael Lugiano, a Lake-Lehman sophomore, and Evan Eichenlaub, a Moravian Academy junior who finished in a tie for sixth place in last fall’s PIAA Class AA Championship, had each opened with a 5-under 67 on the White Course to share the lead following the opening round, but neither could keep up with Vital’s blistering pace in the second round at the Blue Course.

   Lugiano closed with an even-par 72 that left him alone in second place among the older guys and in the overall scoring, two shots behind Vital at 5-under 139. Lugiano’s final round included a birdie at the 11^th hole and then three straight birdies to finish his round at 16, 17 and 18 with nine pars scattered throughout his scorecard.

   Lugiano had a strong start to the weekend as the blitzed the White Course with birdies at the third and sixth holes and an eagle 2 at the par-4 ninth as well as birdies on the incoming nine at 10, 11 and 13. He had 10 pars on his card, six of them in a sparkling back nine of 3-under 33.

   Eichenlaub finished up with a 3-over 75 on the Blue Course to end up three shots behind Lugiano in third place in the 16-to-18 division and in the overall scoring with a 2-under 142 total. In his second round, Eichenlaub made birdies at the seventh, 12^th and 15^th holes and had 10 pars on his scorecard.

   Eichenlaub’s sparkling opening-round 65 featured birdies at the third and ninth holes, an eagle at the par-5 10^th hole and birdies at 11, 15 and 18. Eichenlaub also had 10 pars and did Lugiano one better on the back nine with a 4-under 32.

   Timothy Peters, a junior at Saint Joseph’s Academy and a State College resident, also had a strong weekend as he added a 1-over 73 in the second round on the Blue Course to his opening round of 2-under 70 on the White Course to finish in fourth place in the 16-to-18 division and in the overall scoring with a 1-under 143 total.

   Peters was also in the group tied for sixth place in the PIAA Class AA Championship last fall at the Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York County along with Eichenlaub. Only the top four finishers at Penn State ended up under par for two rounds.

   Downingtown West junior Brady Manning added a 4-over 76 in the second round on the Blue Course to his opening round of 2-under 70 on the White Course as he finished alone in fifth place among the older guys and in the overall scoring with a 2-over 146 total.

   Bishop Shanahan’s Ben Saggers, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a junior last fall, posted a 3-over 75 on the Blue Course after matching par on the White Course with a 72 in the opening round as he finished alone in sixth place in the 16-to-18 division and shared sixth in the overall scoring with 13-to-15 division winner Dylan Ramsey of Lebanon, each landing on 3-over 147.

   John Stevenson of Flourtown was two shots behind Saggers in seventh place in the 16-to-18 division and in a tie for eighth in the overall scoring with 13-to-15 division runnerup Nick Werner of Wilkes-Barre at 5-over 149. Stevenson struggled to a 79 in the opening round on the White Course before bouncing back with a solid 2-under 70 in the second round on the Blue Course.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division were three players who earned a trip to the PIAA Class AAA Championship as sophomores last fall.

   Joey Sembrot of Central Dauphin added a 1-under 71 in the second round on the Blue Course to his opening-round 79 at the White Course as he finished a shot behind Stevenson in eighth place with a 6-over 150 total.

   Quakertown’s Nick Joyce and Radnor’s Shaun Mazzalupi finished in a tie for ninth place among the older guys, each ending up a shot behind Sembrot with a 151 total. Joyce shaved five shots off his opening-round 78 on the White Course with a solid 1-over 73 on the Blue Course. Mazzalupi added a 75 in the second round on the Blue Course to his opening-round 76 on the White Course.

   Ramsey finished atop the 13-to-15 leaderboard and tied for sixth in the overall scoring on the strength of a 1-under 71 in the second round on the Blue Course that gave him a 3-over 147 total. Ramsey made birdies on the fifth, ninth, 16^th and 18^th holes and had 11 pars on his scorecard in his strong second-round showing.

   Ramsey had opened with a 4-over 76 on the White Course, a round that featured birdies at the sixth and 12^th holes and 10 pars.

   Werner was a freshman at Wyoming Seminary last fall and was also part of the group that included Peters and Eichenlaub tied for sixth place in the PIAA Class AA Championship. Werner had the lead in the 13-to-15 division following an opening round of 1-over 73 on the White Course.

   A 4-over 76 in the final round on the Blue Course left Werner two shots behind Ramsey in second place among the younger guys and in a tie for eighth in the overall scoring with a 5-over 149 total. Werner made a birdie on the 18^th hole and had 12 pars on his card, including a run of five straight pars to open his round.

   Werner’s opening-round 73 included birdies on the second, sixth, 10^th and 13^th holes and 10 pars.

   Andrew Ekstrom of York had a steady final round on the Blue Course that featured a birdie at the fifth hole and 15 pars, including eight straight to close out his round, as he signed for a 1-over 73 that left him alone in third place in the 13-to-15 division with a 9-over 153 total.

   Ekstrom had opened with an 80 on the White Course as he made birdies at the first and 16^th holes and had five pars on his scorecard.

   Another York guy, Lawson Leeper, finished seven shots behind Ekstrom in fourth place in the 13-to-15 division with a 160 total as he added an 82 in the second round on the Blue Course to his opening-round 78 on the White Course.

   Luke McGraw of Boalsburg was a shot behind Leeper in fifth place among the younger guys with a 161 total as he added an 84 in the second round on the Blue Course to the opening-round 77 he posted on the White Course.

   Devin Carpenter of Philadelphia and Hunter Probst of Bear Creek were another shot behind McGraw in a tie for sixth place in the 13-to-15 division, each landing on 162. Carpenter added an 82 in the second round on the Blue Course to the opening-round 80 he recorded on the White Course. Probst signed for 81s on both courses.

   Joey McGinty of Lititz added an 84 in the second round on the Blue Course to his opening-round 79 on the White Course as he finished alone in eighth place with a 163 total. Haverford School freshman J.P. Hoban, a Havertown resident, was a shot behind McGinty in ninth place with a 164 total as he added an 85 in the final round on the Blue Course to his opening-round 79 on the White Course.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division was Ian Larsen of Glenmoore as he closed with an 82 on the Blue Course after opening with an 83 on the White Course, finishing a shot behind Hoban in 10^th place with a 165 total.

   Phoenixville’s Roberts sisters went 1-2 in the overall 13-to-18 scoring among the girls, but older sister Kate Roberts, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a sophomore last fall, was particularly dominant at Penn State.

   Kate Roberts closed with an even-par 72 on the Blue Course that included a birdie burst at the sixth, seventh and ninth holes and a fourth birdie at 15 as well as eight pars. That gave her a 4-over 148 total that was 14 shots better than younger sister Kayley Roberts. Kate Roberts won the older 16-to-18 division by 24 shots.

   Kate Roberts only led Kayley Roberts by two shots after Kate Roberts opened with a 4-over 76 on the White Course, a round that featured birdies at the third, ninth and 13^th holes and nine pars.

   Kayley Roberts, who is expected to join the Phoenixville program as a freshman later this year, closed with an 84 on the Blue Course to finish as the runnerup in the overall scoring to her big sister while winning the 13-to-15 division by 19 shots with a 162 total.

   Kayley Roberts had 10 pars, six of them on the back nine, in her final-round 84. Her steady opening-round 78 on the White Course included a birdie on the sixth hole and 11 pars.

   Sophia DeSantis of Glen Mills had six pars on her way to an 87 in the second round on the Blue Course to claim runnerup honors in the 16-to-18 division and finish third in the overall scoring with a 172 total. DeSantis had opened with an 85 on the White Course that featured eight pars.

   Brooke Graham of Carlisle added an 88 in the final round on the Blue Course to her opening-round 87 on the White Course as she finished third among the older girls and fourth in the overall scoring with a 175 total, three shots behind DeSantis.

   Graham had seven pars, six of them on the Blue Course’s incoming nine, in her final-round 88 and made a birdie on the 14^th hole and had four pars in her opening-round 87 on the White Course.

   Ava Liburdi of Hermitage improved six shots from an opening-round 92 on the White Course with a final-round 86 on the Blue Course as she finished fourth in the 16-to-18 division and fifth in the overall scoring with a 178 total, three shots behind Graham.

   Oley Valley junior Heidi Wegscheider shaved seven shots off her opening-round 95 on the White Course with an 88 in the second round at the Blue Course as she finished in fifth place among the older girls and seventh overall with a 183 total.

   Natalie White of Bangor carded a pair of 93s to finish in sixth place in the 16-to-18 division with a 186 total. That also got White into the top 10 in the overall scoring as she shared ninth place with Kayla Benson of Beach Lake and Makayla Stone of Garnet Valley, both of whom were in the 13-to-15 division.

   Cierra Griffith of Pottstown added a 91 in the final round on the Blue Course to her opening-round 96 on the White Course to finish in seventh place in the 16-to-18 division with a 187 total.

   Rounding out the field in the 16-to-18 division was Geneva Merino of York, who added a 108 on the Blue Course to her opening-round 107 on the White Course as she finished in eighth place with a 215 total.

   Mina Benedetto of West Chester was the runnerup to Kayley Roberts in the 13-to-15 division and in sixth place in the overall scoring with a 181 total. Benedetto had six pars in a second-round 93 on the Blue Course after opening with an 88 on the White Course, a round that featured a birdie on the ninth hole and four pars.

   Naaz Mehta of Newtown took third place among the younger girls and was eighth in the overall scoring with a 195 total. Mehta had five pars on her scorecard in a final-round 90 on the Blue Course after making birdies at the ninth and 17^th holes and posting five pars in her opening-round 95 on the White Course.

   Benson and Stone, who joined White from the 16-to-18 division in a tie for ninth place in the overall scoring, shared fourth place in the 13-to-15 division, each landing on 186. Benson added a 92 in the final round on the Blue Course to her opening-round 94 on the White Course. Stone shaved 10 shots off her opening-round 98 on the White Course with a solid 88 in the final round on the Blue Course.

   Camryn Hoff of Nazareth took sixth place among the younger girls as she added a 100 in the second round on the Blue Course to her opening-round 102 on the White Course for a 202 total.

   Rounding out the field in the 13-to-15 division was Hannah Kopac of State College, who finished in seventh place with a 204 total as she added a 108 in the second round on the Blue Course to her opening-round 96 on the White Course.

   Colby Komancheck, the son of the husband-and-wife team of Jamie and Kelly Komancheck that runs the pro shop at the RiverCrest Reserve & Golf Club, bested the field of nine-holers at Penn State as he added a 45 on the Blue Course to the opening-round 38 he recorded on the White Course for an 83 total.

   Komancheck had three pars in his final round at the Blue Course after giving himself a big lead with seven pars in an opening round of 2-over 38 on the White Course.

   Holden Springs of Nazareth had three pars in a final-round 42 on the Blue Course that enabled him to claim runnerup honors, three shots behind Komancheck with an 86 total. Sparks had four pars in an opening-round 44 on the White Course.

   Isabella Stuldi of Fairfield had four pars in a final-round 43 on the Blue Course as she finished in third place, three shots behind Sparks, with an 89 total. Stuldi made a par on the sixth hole on her way to an opening-round 46 on the White Course.

   Miles McGinty of Lititz’s Team McGinty and J.D. Sivel of Hanover finished in a tie for fourth place, each landing on 91. Miles McGinty added a 46 in the second round at the Blue Course to the opening-round 45 he posted on the White Course. Sivel closed with a solid 43 on the Blue Course after opening with a 48 on the White Course.

   Ethan Clouser of Newtown finished alone in sixth place, adding a 47 in the final round on the Blue Course to his opening-round 48 on the White Course for a 95 total.

   Noor Mehta of Newtown’s Team Mehta improved six shots from an opening-round 56 on the White Course with a final-round 50 on the Blue Course to finish in seventh place with a 106 total.

   Rounding out the field in the coed 12-and-under division was Charley Lundmark of Phoenixville as he registered a 54 on both courses for a 108 total that left him in eighth place.