Ramsey, Zhang the respective boys, girls champions in two-day Junior Tour stop at Penn State

   I know I’m doing a lot of college stuff, but I haven’t forgotten my core constituency, the Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour. First things first, the Mother’s Day weekend two-day event in what is now two weekends ago at Penn State …

   Apparently, Cedar Crest freshman Dylan Ramsey feels quite comfortable playing golf at Penn State.

   Last fall, in a little bit of a surprise, Ramsey claimed the PIAA Class AAA Championship over a couple of Division I-bound guys in Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s Rocco Salvitti and Downingtown West’s Nick Gross over two days at Penn State’s White Course.

   Last weekend, a bunch of real good scholastic players gathered at Penn State for a two-day Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour event, the kind of tournament that rewards Junior Golf Scoreboard (JGS) points and can confer some added status on other junior circuits, the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) chief among them.

   This event started with a Saturday round at the White Course and concluded with a Sunday round at the Blue Course. And Ramsey dominated, opening with a solid 3-under 69 on the White Course and then adding a sparkling 4-under 68 on the Blue Course to claim a four-shot victory in the 16-to-18 division and in the overall 13-to-18 scoring.

   The Philly Junior Tour breaks out its normal age groups and the overall 13-to-18 scoring is what counts for the JGS points.

   Ramsey really lit it up on the incoming nine on the Blue Course in the final round. After making birdies at the first, third and ninth holes, Ramsey added birdies at 11, 12, 14, 15 and 18 on his way to a 5-under 31 on the back nine and a final-round 68 that gave him a 7-under 137 total. Ramsey had seven pars on his scorecard in the second round.

   Opening on the White Course, the scene of his success in the state tournament, Ramsey opened with a 5-under 31 on the outgoing nine with birdies at the first, third, fourth, sixth and eighth holes. He made birdies at the 15^th and 18^th holes on the back nine and had seven pars on his card while recording a 69.

   The PIAA Class AA championship team from Lake Lehman was well-represented in the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division and in the overall scoring, led by senior Eli Ropietski, who was the runnerup among the older guys and in the overall 13-to-18 division with a 3-under 141 total.

   Eli Ropietski matched par in the final round on the Blue Course with a 72 as he made birdies at the second, seventh, 12^th and 14^th holes and had seven pars on his card.

   Eli Ropietski had matched Ramsey’s opening round of 3-under 69 on the White Course. After making a birdie on the third hole, Eli Ropietski made an eagle at the par-5 sixth hole. He ripped off three straight birdies at the ninth, 10^th and 11^th holes and added his fifth birdie of the day at 13. Eli Ropietski had eight pars on his card in the opening round.

   Wyoming Seminary sophomore Nick Werner, who has qualified for the PIAA Class AA Championship in each of his first two seasons of high school golf, finished at the top of 13-to-15 division with a solid 1-under 143 total that enabled him to finish in third place in the overall scoring.

   I’ll get back to Werner, but the rest of the top 10 in the overall 13-to-18 division came out of the older 16-to-18 division.

   Haverford School sophomore John Curran and Wilson senior Evan Jozwiak finished in a tie for third place in the 16-to-18 division and in tie for fourth in the overall scoring as each landed on 1-over 145.

   Curran matched par in the second round at the Blue Course with a 72 that featured birdies at the fourth, 12^th, 13^th, 15^th and 18^th holes and eight pars. Curran made birdies at the sixth, seventh and 10^th holes and had 11 pars on his card in an opening round of 1-over 73 at the White Course.

   After making a birdie at the ninth hole, Jozwiak picked up an eagle at the par-5 12^th hole and had 10 pars on his card in a 5-over 76 in the second round at the Blue Course. Jozwiak was right there with Ramsey and Eli Ropietski following an opening round of 3-under 69 that included birdies at the second, third, sixth, seventh, 11^th, 16^th and 17^th holes and seven pars.

   Butler junior Hunter Swidzinski, who finished in a tie for sixth place in last fall’s PIAA Class AAA Championship, and Reed Krosse, a sophomore on Dallastown’s PIAA Class AAA runnerup in the team competition, finished in a tie for fifth place in the 16-to-18 division and a tie for sixth overall, each landing on 2-over 146.

   Swidzinski and Krosse both finished up with a 4-over 76 on the Blue Course and both were just a shot out of the lead with matching 2-under 70s in the opening round on the White Course.

   Swidzinski’s opening round included birdies at the second, sixth, seventh, 10^th, 13^th, 17^th and 18^th holes and six pars while Krosse made birdies at six, eight, 10, 15 and 18 to go with the 10 pars on his card.

   Two other members of Lake Lehman’s Class AA state championship team, Eli Ropietski’s younger brother Cael and Michael Lugiano, both juniors, were among a trio of players tied for seventh place among the older guys and in a tie for eighth in the overall scoring, each posting a 3-over 147 total.

   Cael Ropietski closed with a solid 1-over 73 on the Blue Course after opening with a 2-over 74 on the White Course. Lugiano had the opposite splits, finishing up with a 2-over 74 on the Blue Course after opening with a 1-over 73 on the White Course.

   Joining the Lake Lehman guys at 3-over was Kennett junior Kasim Narinesingh-Smith, who was a PIAA Class AAA qualifier last fall. Narinesingh-Smith closed with a 4-over 76 on the Blue Course after opening with a solid 1-under 71 on the White Course.

   Cael Ropietski, Lugiano and Narinesingh-Smith rounded out the top 10 in the overall 13-to-18 division.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 was John Stevenson of Flourtown who matched par in the opening round with a 72 on the White Course and closed with a 4-over 76 on the Blue Course to finish alone in 10^th place with a 4-over 148 total.

   Werner made birdies at the fifth, ninth and 13^th holes and had 12 pars on his scorecard in a closing 1-over 73 on the Blue Course that left him nine shots clear of the 13-to-15 division and in third place in the overall scoring with a 1-under 143 total.

   Werner was just a shot out of the overall lead after opening with a 2-under 70 on the White Course, a round that featured birdies on the second, third, 11^th and 17^th holes and 12 pars. Werner toured the White Course’s incoming nine in 1-under 35.

   Ian Larsen of Glenmoore and Celin McAskin of New York City shared runnerup honors in the 13-to-15 division as each landed on 8-over 152.

   Larsen closed with a 5-over 77 on the Blue Course that featured birdies at the 11^th and 18^th holes and had 10 pars on his card. He made birdies on the 11^th and 18^th holes and had 11 pars on his card in an opening round of 3-over 75 on the White Course.

   McAskin’s splits were the same as he closed with a 5-over 77 on the Blue Course that included a birdie on the 12^th hole and 12 pars. In an opening round of 3-over 75 on the White Course, McAskin made a birdie on the 16^th hole and had 13 pars on his card, including eight pars in a row to open his round.

   Callahan Harrell of York and Charlie Barrickman of West Chester finished in a tie for fourth place among the younger guys, each ending up with a 9-over 153 total.

   Harrell added a 3-over 75 on the Blue Course to his opening round of 6-over 78 on the White Course. Barrickman struggled a little on the Blue Course with a closing 80 after opening with a solid 1-over 73. Barrickman’s round on the White Course featured birdies at the third, eighth and 10^th holes and 11 pars.

   Seiji Sako, who had a solid freshman season at Lower Merion last fall, closed with a 79 on the Blue Course after opening with a 5-over 77 on the White Course as he finished alone in sixth place in the 13-to-15 division with a 156 total.

   Enzo Allain of Basking Ridge, N.J. and Aldan Kim of Ellicott City, Md. finished in a tie for seventh place, each ending up two shots behind Sako at 158.

   Allain was among the leaders in the 13-to-15 division following an opening round of 2-over 74 on the White Course that included birdies at the fourth, sixth, 11^th and 17^th holes ad eight pars. He closed with an 84 on the Blue Course. Kim finished up with an 84 on the Blue Course after opening with a 4-over 76 on the White Course.

   Haverford School freshman Nicky Nemo was a shot behind Allain and Kim in ninth place with a 159 total as he finished up with an 82 on the Blue Course after opening with a 5-over 77 on the White Course.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division was Luke McGraw of Boalsburg as he finished a shot behind Nemo in 10^th place with a 160 total. McGraw closed a 7-over 79 on the Blue Course after opening with an 81 on the White Course.

   The overall girls champion emerged from the younger 13-to-15 division as Alyssa Zhang of Allison Park added a 5-over 77 at the Blue Course to the 6-over 78 she opened with at the White Course for an 11-over 155 total that was nine shots clear of the field.

   It’s a phenom alert as Zhang is a Class of 2028 competitor, which means she’s finishing up seventh grade this spring.

   Zhang had 13 pars on her scorecard in her final round at the Blue Course, including a run of 10 straight pars from the second through the 11^th holes. Zhang’s opening round on the White Course featured a birdie at the sixth hole and 10 pars.

   Jillian Burks of Paoli was Zhang’s closest pursuer as she closed with a solid 81 on the Blue Course after opening with an 83 on the White Course for a 164 total that gave her runnerup honors in the 13-to-15 division and in the overall scoring.

   Burks made a birdie on the 14^th hole and had 10 pars on her card in her closing 81 on the Blue Course. Burks had 10 pars on her card in her opening-round 83 on the White Course, including four straight pars to open her round.

   Mara Dubacher of Bethlehem finished in third place in the 13-to-15 division and was sixth overall with a 167 total. Dubacher had eight pars on her card on her way to an opening-round 81 on the White Course before closing with an 86 on the Blue Course that featured eight pars.

   Crosby Denis of Duncansville closed with a 95 on the Blue Course after opening with a solid 82 on the White Course as she finished in fourth place in the 13-to-15 division and eighth overall with a 177 total.

   Makayla Stone, who just completed her freshman season at Agnes Irwin, was another two shots behind Denis in fifth place in the division and ninth in the overall 13-to-18 scoring with a 179 total. Stone closed with an 89 on the Blue Course after opening with a 90 on the White Course.

   Emma Lewis of Downingtown finished in sixth place in the division and got a share of 10^th place in the overall scoring with a 185 total. Lewis finished up with a 90 on the Blue Course after opening with a 95 on the White Course.

   Mina Benedetto of West Chester took seventh place among the younger girls as she added a 92 on the Blue Course to her opening-round 98 on the White Course for a 190 total.

   Rounding out the field in the 13-to-15 division was Seloni Patel of Collegeville as she bounced back from a 100 in the opening round on the White Course with a 94 in the second round on the Blue Course for a 194 total that left her in eighth place.

   West Chester Rustin junior Sophia DeSantis, Ava Liburdi of Hermitage and Kylie Yiengst of Wyoming, Del. each finished with a 165 total to share the top spot in the 16-to-18 division and in a tie for third place in the overall scoring.

   DeSantis took a two-shot lead into the second round as she opened with an 82 at the White Course as she had nine pars on her scorecard, seven of them on the outgoing nine. DeSantis made a birdie on the fourth hole and had eight pars on her card at the Blue Course on her way to an 83 in the final round.

   Yiengst had four pars in the final round at the Blue Course as she recorded an 81 to catch DeSantis for a share of first place among the older girls. Yiengst made birdies on the third and sixth holes and had five pars on her card on her way to opening-round 84 on the White Course.

   Liburdi had the best score in the second round at the Blue Course as she made a birdie at the 14^th hole and had 10 pars on her card on her way to a solid 80 that gave her a share of the top spot in the division. Liburdi had eight pars on her card in an opening-round 85 on the White Course.

   Kayla Benson of Beach Lake added a solid 82 in the second round at the Blue Course to her opening-round 93 on the White Course as she finished in fourth place among the older girls and seventh overall with a 175 total.

   Rounding out the field in the 16-to-18 division was Hannah Kopac of State College as she added a 93 in the second round at the Blue Course to her opening-round 92 on the White Course that left her in fifth place in the division with a 185. Kopac shared 10^th place in the overall scoring with Downingtown’s Lewis out of the 13-to-15 division.

   Callen Edmonston of Thurmont, Md. bested the field of nine-holers with a 12-over 84. Edmonston had six pars on his scorecard, including a string of five in a row from the second through the sixth holes, in a solid 4-over 40 in the second round on the Blue Course. Edmonston had five pars on his card in an opening-round 44 on the White Course.

   Taimoor Naseem of Sinking Spring and Bryce Bussom of Lewisburg finished in a tie for second place, each landing on 86, two shots behind Edmonston.

   Naseem led Bussom by a shot and Edmonston by two going into the second round after he had four pars on his card in an opening-round 42 on the White Course. Naseem finished up with three pars on his way to a 44 in the second round on the Blue Course.

   Bussom had three pars on his card in an opening-round 43 on the White Course before finishing up with a matching 43, again recording three pars, in the final round on the Blue Course.

   Preston Minio of Lansdale added a 42 in the second round on the Blue Course to his opening-round 46 on the White Course as he finished alone in fourth place with an 88 total, two shots behind Naseem and Bussom

   After opening with a 47 on the White Course, Ethan Clouser of Newtown added a solid 43 on the Blue Course in the second round to finish two shots behind Minio in fifth place with a 90 total.

   Chloe Donohue of Moorestown, N.J. carded matching 47s on the White Course and the Blue Course as she finished in sixth place with a 94 total.

   It was a home game for William Hanrahan, who resides in State College, and he added a 46 on the Blue Course in the second round after opening with a 50 on the White Course as he ended up in seventh place with a 96.

   Rounding out the coed 12-and-under division was John (Jack) Shea of  Harleysville as he added a 47 in the second round on the Blue Course to his opening-round 50 on the White Course as he finished in eighth place with a 97 total.