Ciocca again captures Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA crown; Dunigan finishes atop Girls leaderboard

    For some reason, Devon Prep junior Nick Ciocca always seems to play his very best in the Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship.

   Ciocca, a Berwyn resident and a product of the junior program at Aronimink Golf Club, blitzed the Bellewood Country Club layout with a sizzling 6-under-par 65 in the second round of the one-day 36-hole test Monday to capture the title for the third year in a row.

   Ciocca, who led Devon Prep to the PIAA Class AA team crown last fall at the Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York County, had struggled a little on the front nine of his morning round on his way to a 4-over 75 that left him six shots behind Josh Ryan, who won the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Junior Boys’ Championship for the third straight time last month at Bala Golf Club.

   But Ciocca caught Ryan with his afternoon surge, both players landing on 2-under 140 over the par-71 Bellewood layout in North Coventry Township across the Schuylkill River from Pottstown, and then defeated Ryan on the second hole of a playoff to again land atop one of the strongest local fields of the summer.

   The victory also earned Ciocca a second straight trip to the Boys Junior PGA Championship, one of the premier national junior events staged by the PGA of America, which tees off Aug. 2 at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in Lemont, Ill. in suburban Chicago.

   Over at Laurel Creek Country Club in Mount Laurel Township, N.J. Monday, Unionville senior Mary Grace Dunigan, riding the momentum from her victory in last month’s Pennsylvania Junior Girls’ Championship at Lebanon Country Club, rolled to a four-shot victory over a similarly strong field to capture the Philadelphia Girls PGA Championship.

   Two years ago Ciocca, who hadn’t started ninth grade yet, won the Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship at Bellewood, but in the coronavirus pandemic year of 2020, there was no national Boys Junior PGA Championship to go to with the event cancelled due to the outbreak.

   Ciocca repeated the feat a year ago in an edition of the Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship at Valley Country Club shortened to 18 holes by thunderstorms. This time Ciocca did get to tee it up on a national stage in the Boys Junior PGA Championship at Kearney Hills Golf Links in Lexington, Ky.

   Ciocca failed to make the cut at Kearney Hills, but he will head to Cog Hill with that experience in the bank. And he will be coming off yet another really strong performance in the local qualifier.

   There is overall scoring in the 13-to-18 age group and the Philly Junior Tour breaks out its usual 16-to-18 and 13-to-15 divisions. That was what was so impressive about Ciocca’s win two years ago because he was still a 13-to-15 performer, but he beat even the older guys to capture the overall victory.

   The only top-10 finisher from the 13-to-15 division this year was the division’s winner, Dallastown sophomore Reed Krosse of York, whose 8-over 150 total enabled him to sneak into the group tied for 10^th place in the overall scoring with, among others, older brother Lane Krosse, a junior for the Wildcats, who claimed the District Three Class AAA team crown last fall.

   Ciocca really struggled in the opening round at Bellewood with four bogeys and a triple bogey in a front-nine 43. They might have used split tees, so I’m only guessing if that was Ciocca’s first nine holes.

   But either way, Ciocca dominated the incoming nine at Bellewood in both rounds. In the morning, he made birdies at the 10^th and 11^th holes before briefly stumbling with a double bogey at 13. But he closed with birdies at the 14^th, 16^th and 17^th holes for a back-nine 32.

   Ciocca was much better on the outgoing nine in the afternoon with birdies at the third, seventh and eighth holes. He again made a birdie at the 10^th hole and added a birdie at 13 before the only blemish on his scorecard, a bogey at 14.

   But Ciocca made birdies at the 15^th and 18^th holes, his sixth and seventh of the round, respectively, for another back-nine 32 and a remarkable and clutch 6-under 65.

   Ryan, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier while representing Norristown High, opened with a solid 2-under 69 that featured birdies at the seventh, eighth, 14^th and 18^th holes to offset two bogeys. In the afternoon, Ryan made birdies at seventh, 15^th and 18^th holes to offset three bogeys in an even-par 71 that left him tied with Ciocca.

   I know the winner gets an automatic spot in the Boys Junior PGA Championship, but I’m pretty sure Ryan, who will join the program at Liberty after taking a gap year, gets a highly likely wild-card spot in the field at Cog Hill. Ryan’s tie for fourth place in the Pennsylvania Amateur at Merion Golf Club’s historic East Course last summer makes me think he might thrive on a challenging course like Cog Hill.

   Ryan, who plays out of The 1912 Club, was coming off a tie for seventh place in the Pennsylvania Junior Boys’ Championship at Hershey Country Club’s East Course.

   Liberty senior Matt Vital matched par in the morning with a 71 before adding a 2-over 73 in the afternoon to finish in third place in the 16-to-18 division and in the overall scoring, two shots behind the top two with a 2-over 144 total.

   All the top-10 finishers in the 16-to-18 division have the same spots in the overall scoring.

   In the opening round, Vital, often a birdie machine, made birdies at the second, sixth, seventh, eighth and 18^th holes and had nine pars on his scorecard. In the afternoon, Vital, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier, made birdies at the sixth, eighth and 18^th holes and had 11 pars on his card.

   Recent West Chester Rustin graduate Ryan D’Ariano, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier, was a shot behind Vital in fourth place with a 3-over 145 total. D’Ariano was only a shot out of the lead after opening with a 1-under 70 before adding a 4-over 75 in the afternoon.

   La Salle senior Kevin Lafond and Manheim Township junior Andrew Bilson were a shot behind D’Ariano in a tie for sixth place, each signing for a 4-over 146 total.

   Lafond, who helped the Explorers win Catholic League and District 12 Class AAA team crowns last fall, matched par in the afternoon with a 71 after opening with a 4-over 75. Bilson added a 1-over 72 in the afternoon to his opening-round 74.

   Strath Haven senior Tyler Debusschere, Sean P. Kelly, a PIAA Class AA qualifier as a senior at Lewisburg last fall, and Evan Barbin of the golfing Barbin family of Elkton, Md., finished in a tie for seventh place, each landing on 6-over 148.

   Debusschere, who has been right in the middle of the most successful era of golf for the Panthers, carded a pair of 74s.

   After opening with a 1-over 72, Kelly added a 76 in the afternoon. Barbin opened with a 76 before adding a 1-over 72 in the afternoon.

   A couple of PIAA Class AAA qualifiers out of the Central League last fall, Penncrest senior Eli Shah and Radnor junior Shaun Mazzalupi headed a group of six players who rounded out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division at 8-over 150.

   Shah carded a pair of 4-over 75s while Mazzalupi struggled a little in the afternoon with a 77 after opening with a solid 2-over 73.

   Rounding out the large group tied at 150 among the older guys were Kennett junior Kasim Narinesingh-Smith, Quakertown junior Nick Joyce, recent Malvern Prep graduate Jack Davis, and Lane Krosse, the older of the Dallastown Krosse brothers.

   Narinesingh-Smith matched Shah’s splits with a pair of 4-over 75s.

   Joyce, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier last fall who has been one of the top players on the Philly Junior Tour in 2022, was very much in the hunt after matching par in the opening round with a 71, but struggled a little in the afternoon with a 79. Davis was also solid in the morning with a 1-over 72 before adding a 78 in the afternoon.

   Lane Krosse struggled in the morning with an 81, but came on strong with the only other sub-par round besides Ciocca’s 65 in the afternoon, a sparkling 2-under 69.

   Younger brother Reed Krosse opened with a solid 2-over 73 and was eight shots ahead of Lane Krosse for low-Krosse honors, but Reed Krosse allowed his brother to catch him with an afternoon 77. Still, Reed Krosse’s 150 total enabled him to finish atop the 13-to-15 division and join six other players from the older group tied for 10^th place overall.

   Sam Feeney, who capped a really impressive freshman season at West Chester Rustin by finishing in a tie for fourth place in the PIAA Class AAA Championship, was the runnerup in the 13-to-15 division with an 11-over 153 total that left him three shots behind Reed Krosse. After opening with a 3-over 74, Feeney added a 79 in the afternoon.

   Feeney’s steady opening round featured a birdie at the 10^th hole and 13 pars. Feeney had 11 pars on his scorecard in the afternoon.

   La Salle junior Ethan Martin, another player who has been prominent on Philly Junior Tour leaderboards this season, finished two shots behind Feeney in third place with a 155 total.

   Martin, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier last fall, made birdies at the second and 15^th holes and had 10 pars on his card on his way to a 4-over 75 in the opening round. Martin made a birdie at the 13^th hole and had nine pars while recording an 80 in the afternoon.

   York Suburban sophomore Andrew Ekstrom was a shot behind Martin in fourth place at 156 as he added a 5-over 76 to his opening-round 80.

   Trevor Sieben of Medford, N.J. and John Curran of Malvern had the same splits, each shaving nine shots off an opening-round 84 with a 4-over 75, as they finished in a tie for fifth place among the younger guys with a 159 total.

   Nick Linkchorst of Glen Mills added an 84 in the afternoon to his opening-round 86 to finish in seventh place with a 170 total. Another Delco guy, Matthew Caputo of Swarthmore, was a shot behind Linkchorst in eighth place in the 13-to-15 division with a 171 total as he added an 83 in the afternoon to his opening-round 88.

   Quin Zuegner of New Hope finished in ninth place as he improved seven shots from an opening-round 90 with an 83 in the afternoon for a 173 total.

   Liam McFadden of Bryn Mawr rounded out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division as he added an 88 in the second round to his opening-round 87 to finish alone in 10^th place with a 175 total.

   Over at Laurel Creek, Dunigan, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Unionville, took command with one of just two sub-par rounds recorded, a sparkling 2-under 69, in the opening round and never looked back.

   Dunigan, the daughter of Golf Digest top-50 instructor John Dunigan who is playing out of Kennett Square Golf & Country Club, then added a solid 2-over 73 in the afternoon over the par-71 Laurel Creek layout for an even-par 142 total.

   Dunigan made birdies at the first, seventh, eighth, 10^th and 15^th holes and had 10 pars on her scorecard in her masterful tour of the Laurel Creek layout in the morning.

   In the afternoon, Dunigan protected her lead, making birdies at the third, fourth and seventh holes and finishing with 10 pars on her scorecard. She grinded out six straight pars from the 12^th through the 17^th holes on her way to the clubhouse.

   Second place in the overall scoring went to Sussex Academy sophomore Sawyer Brockstedt, the Rehoboth Beach, Del. phenom who finished atop the 13-to-15 division with a 4-over 146 total.

   That left her in a tie for second place in the overall scoring with recent Strath Haven graduate Grace Smith and Wilson junior Kayla Maletto. Brockstedt prevailed in a two-hole playoff with, I’m pretty sure, a wild-card ticket to the Girls Junior PGA Championship at Cog Hill at stake.

   I never did get around to wrapping up the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship, which was played in April at the Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, but Brockstedt and her partner Elle Lundquist, who finished in a tie for fourth place in the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a freshman at Central Bucks East last fall, earned a spot in the match-play bracket before falling in the opening round.

   Brockstedt and Lundquist had claimed medalist honors in a GAP-administered qualifier for the U.S. Women’s Four Ball last fall at Berkshire Country Club. Brockstedt and Lundquist were both all of 14-years old at the time.

   Brockstedt matched Dunigan’s opening-round 69 at Laurel Creek, which included a scorching stretch when she made a birdie at the eighth hole, an eagle at nine and a birdie at 10. She added a birdie at the 18^th hole and had nine pars on her scorecard.

   Brockstedt struggled a little in the afternoon with a 6-over 77 as she made birdies at the first and 13^th holes and had 10 pars on her card.

   Smith, who will join the program at Stetson later this summer, finished second in the playoff to end up as the runnerup to Dunigan in the 16-to-18 division and in third place in the overall scoring. Pretty sure that will give Smith some kind of alternate status if a spot opens up for the Girls Junior PGA Championship field at Cog Hill.

   Smith, coming off a solid third-place finish in the Pennsylvania Junior Girls’ Championship at Lebanon, opened with a 3-over 74 that featured birdies at the ninth and 15^th holes and 11 pars. Smith made birdies at the fifth, sixth, ninth and 16^th holes and had 10 pars on her scorecard as she matched par in the afternoon with 72 that enabled her to join Brockstedt and Maletto at 4-over 146.

   Maletto, whose sophomore season at Wilson was cut short by injury last fall, appears to be rounding into form again. She made birdies at the fourth and ninth holes and had 12 pars on her scorecard in an opening round of 4-over 75.

   Maletto was aggressive in the afternoon, making birdies at the first, fourth, ninth, 13^th, 16^th and 18^th holes, six in all, and registering six pars as she matched par with a 71 and finished in third place among the older girls and fourth in the overall scoring.

   Brooke Oberparleiter, who spends time in South Jersey in the summer and South Florida in the winter, finished in fourth place in the 16-to-18 division and sixth in the overall scoring with a 9-over 151 total as she added a 76 in the afternoon to her opening round of 4-over 75.

   Oberparleiter won the Ione D. Jones/Doherty Women’s Amateur Championship at Coral Ridge Country Club in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. a stop on the unofficial Orange Blossom Tour for amateur players in the winter by beating South Florida teen phenom Alexa Pano in the match-play final. Pretty sure Pano has turned pro by now.

   Central Bucks West senior Abby Lynn, the Suburban One Liberty Division individual champion last fall, added an 81 in the afternoon to her opening round of 4-over 75 to finish alone in fifth place in the 16-to-18 division and ninth overall with a 156 total.

   Downingtown East senior Silvana Gonzalez, a member of the Cougars’ PIAA Class AAA championship team last fall, and Janelle Valera of Piscataway, N.J. shared sixth place in the 16-to-18 division, each landing on 157. The pair also rounded out the top 10 in the overall scoring as they finished in a tie for 10th place.

   Gonzalez opened with a solid 76 before adding an 81 in the afternoon while Valera had the opposite splits, shaving five shots off her opening-round 81 with a 76 in the afternoon.

   Germantown Academy senior Serena Bagga, who helped the Patriots capture the Inter-Ac League crown last fall, and Phoenixville junior Kate Roberts, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier last fall, finished in a tie for eighth place among the older girls, each ending up with a 159 total.

   Bagga opened with a 7-over 78 before adding an 81 in the afternoon while Roberts improved by seven shots in the afternoon with her 5-over 76 after struggling to an 83 in the opening round.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division were recent Mount St. Joseph graduate Caroline Gola and Spring-Ford senior Nicole Yun as they shared 10^th place, each posting a 161 total.

   Gola, a member of the Mount’s 2019 PIAA Class AAA championship team and a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a senior last fall, added an 80 in the afternoon to her opening-round 81. Yun opened with a 79 before adding an 82 in the afternoon.

   It was a solid showing for Plymouth-Whitemarsh sophomore Rhianna Gooneratne as she was the runnerup to Brockstedt in the 13-to-15 division and finished alone in fifth place in the overall scoring with an 8-over 150 total.

   Gooneratne, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier in her freshman season last fall, made birdies at the first and 16^th holes and had 12 pars on her scorecard in an opening round of 3-over 74. Gooneratne again made a birdie at the 16^th hole and again registered 12 pars on her way to a 76 in the afternoon.

   Zoey Zhu of Basking Ridge, N.J. was another two shots behind Gooneratne in third place among the younger girls and seventh overall with a 10-over 152 total.

   Zhu opened with a 78 that featured a birdie at the 15^th hole and 10 pars, including six in a row from the fifth to the 10^th holes. Zhu made birdies at the fourth, 15^th and 18^th holes and had nine pars as she closed with a 3-over 74.

   Lia Huang of Great Neck, N.Y. was three shots behind Zhu in fourth place in the 13-to-15 division and eighth overall with a 155 total. After opening with a 5-over 76, Huang added a 79 in the afternoon.

   Kayley Roberts, who will join big sister Kate on the Phoenixville girls team this fall, finished alone in fifth place in the 13-to-15 division with a 159 total that left her tied with Kate Roberts for low-Roberts honors.

   Kayley Roberts added a 78 in the afternoon to her opening-round 81 to join Kate Roberts in the group tied for 12^th place in the overall scoring.

   Meredith Finger of Wilmington, Del. took sixth place among the younger girls as she added an 80 in the afternoon to her opening-round 81 for a 161 total.

   Downingtown East junior Mia Pace, Gonzalez’s teammate on the Cougars’ PIAA Class AAA championship team last fall, was two shots behind Finger in seventh place with a 163 total as she shaved five shots off an opening-round 84 with a 79 in the afternoon.

   A couple of Moorestown, N.J. girls, Katherine Liu and Savannah Laverty, finished in a tie for eighth place in the 13-to-15 division, each landing on 166. Liu added an 80 to her opening-round 86 while Laverty opened with an 82 before finishing up with an 84.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division was Alexandra Engart of Harleysville as she added an 84 in the afternoon to her opening-round 87 for a 171 total.