Vital holds off Stetson by a shot to take Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship at Toftrees

 

   Matt Vital, coming off a victory in last month’s Pennsylvania Junior Boys’ Championship, put together two solid rounds Monday at the Toftrees Golf Resort outside of State College to capture the Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship.

   Vital, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Liberty, bested probably the most talented group of junior players this region can put together with a 7-under-par 137 total in the grueling 36-hole test.

   They were there because the top two finishers earned a trip to the Boys Junior PGA Championship, one of the premier national events for junior players which tees off Aug. 1^st at Hot Springs Country Club in Hot Springs, Ark.

   The qualifier was for players ages 13 to 18, but the Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour broke out its usual 13-to-15 and 16-to-18 divisions and I’ll break down those divisions while referencing the overall scoring.

   Matt Vital, who will join head coach Brian Quinn’s Temple program later this summer, was nearly flawless in following up a sparkling 4-under 68 in the opening round with a 3-under 69.

    The kid has earned a reputation as a player who can make birdies in bunches and he made his share Monday, but Matt Vital only had two bogeys all day.

   Episcopal Academy senior Hunter Stetson, winner of the Bert Linton Inter-Ac League’s individual title as a sophomore in the fall of 2021, closed with a sparkling 5-under 67 to earn runnerup honors in the 16-to-18 division and in the overall scoring with a 6-under 138 total.

   The runnerup finish earned Stetson a trip to the Boys Junior PGA Championship in Hot Springs. That means Stetson will be in the field for two major national junior tournaments as he earned a trip to the U.S. Junior Amateur at the Daniel Island Club in Charleston, S.C. with a clutch 4-under 67 in a highly competitive Golf Association of Philadelphia-administered qualifier last month at the RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve. The U.S. Junior Amateur tees off July 24^th.

   Pretty sure the third-place finisher at Toftrees is in line for a possible wild-card berth into the Boys Junior PGA Championship. Callahan Harrell, a talented sophomore at York Suburban, grabbed that third-place finish in the overall standings as he added a 1-under 71 in the afternoon to his opening round of 4-under 68 for a 5-under 139 total.

   Harrell, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a freshman last fall, was the top finisher in the 13-to-15 division. More on Harrell’s day later.

   In his opening round, Matt Vital made birdies on the second, seventh, eighth, 13^th and 14^th holes to offset a bogey at the last. In the afternoon, Matt Vital made birdies at the second, fourth and eighth holes to get to 7-under for the day.

   Matt Vital made his lone bogey of the afternoon at the 10^th hole before getting back to 7-under with a birdie at 14. He then grinded out pars on the last four holes to maintain his one-shot edge on Stetson.

   Stetson struggled a little in the middle of his opening round with bogeys at the 10^th, 14^th and 15^th holes, but he made birdies at 16 and 17 to get it into red figures at 1-under for the round.

   Stetson was flawless in the afternoon with birdies at the fourth, sixth, 12^th, 14^th and 17^th holes with nary a bogey on his scorecard to finish just a shot behind Matt Vital.

   Michael Vital has played in the shadow of his twin brother a little, but he matched Stetson’s 5-under 67 in the afternoon to finish in third place among the older guys and in fourth overall with a 4-under 140 total.

   Michael Vital, who will join his brother on the Temple roster for the 2023-2024 season, had opened with a 1-over 73 as he made birdies on the fifth, 11^th, 14^th and 17^th holes and had 10 pars on his card.

In the afternoon, Michael Vital really got it going with birdies at the second, fourth, eighth, 14^th, 16^th and 17^th holes and 11 pars on his card.

   Eli Shah, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier during a standout scholastic career at Penncrest, finished a shot behind Michael Vital in fourth place in the 16-to-18 division and fifth overall with a 3-under 141 total. After opening with a solid 2-under 70, Shah posted a 1-under 71 in the afternoon.

   Evan Eichenlaub, who capped a standout scholastic career at Moravian Academy by finishing in fourth place in the PIAA Class AA Championship last fall, was another shot behind Shah in fifth place in the 16-to-18 division and sixth overall with a 2-under 142 total.

   Eichenlaub’s opening round of 3-under 69 left him just a shot behind Matt Vital and Harrell for the overall lead. Eichenlaub added a 1-over 73 in the afternoon. Eichenlaub was the runnerup to Matt Vital in last month’s Pennsylvania Junior Boys’ Championship at Hershey Country Club’s East Course.

   Michael Lugiano, who finished in third place in the PIAA Class AA Championship and helped Lake Lehman claim the state Class AA team crown as a junior last fall, finished alone in sixth place among the older guys and was eighth in the overall scoring with an even-par 144 total.

   Lugiano was in the hunt following an opening round of 2-under 70 before falling back a little with a 2-over 74 in the afternoon.

   Davis Conaway, winner of the Bert Linton Inter-Ac individual crown last fall as a freshman at Malvern Prep, and John Curran – pretty sure he’s the same guy who was a sophomore on the Devon Prep team that was the runnerup to Lake Lehman in the PIAA Class AA team competition – finished in a tie for seventh place in the 16-to-18 division and rounded out the top 10 in the overall scoring, ending up in a tie for ninth at 1-over 145.

   Conaway added a 2-over 74 in the afternoon to his opening round of 1-under 71. Curran matched par in the afternoon with a 72 after opening with a 1-over 73.

   It was a really, really talented group that strutted their stuff at Toftrees.

   Cade Kelleher of Clarks Summit finished in ninth place in the 16-to-18 division with a 2-over 146 total as he added a 3-over 75 in the afternoon to his opening round of 1-under 71.

   Nick Ciocca’s domination of the Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship finally came to an end at Toftrees. Winner of the PIAA Class AA individual title as a junior at Devon Prep last fall at Penn State, Ciocca had won this event the last three years in a row.

   Ciocca, who will join the program at Notre Dame in the summer of 2024, matched par in the afternoon with a 72 after opening with a 3-over 75 as he and Haverford School junior J.P. Hoban rounded out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division, finishing in a tie for 10^th place at 3-over 147.  Hoban matched par in the opening round with a 72 before adding a 3-over 75 in the afternoon.

   Ciocca and Stetson are both products of the junior program at Aronimink Golf Club.

   Harrell got off to a great start and had a share of the lead with Matt Vital with a 4-under 68 in the opening round. It was an efficient round as Harrell made a birdie on the eighth hole, an eagle on the par-5 14^th and a birdie at 17 and didn’t have a bogey on his scorecard.

   After making a bogey at the fifth hole in the afternoon, Harrell ripped off four straight birdies at seven, eight, nine and 10 that got him to 7-under for the tournament. Harrell finally cooled off a little with bogeys at the 11^th, 12^th and 16^th holes before making a birdie at 17 to finish at 5-under, good for the top spot in the 13-to-15 division and third place in the overall scoring.

   Ian Larsen, who will join the program at reigning District One Class AAA champion Downingtown West next month, was the only other player out of the younger group to get in the top 10 in the overall standings.

   Larsen opened with a 1-over 73 that included birdies at the first, ninth and 10^th holes and 11 pars, including six straight to finish the round. In the afternoon, Larsen made birdies on the first, fourth, 12^th, 13^th and 17^th holes on his way to a 2-under 70 that left him in second place in the 13-to-15 division and seventh overall with a 1-under 143 total. Larsen went 3-under over the last 13 holes.

   Last week, Larsen teamed with Lower Merion sophomore Seiji Sako to win GAP’s 37^th Francis X. Hussey Memorial at Rolling Green Golf Club.

   Haverford School sophomore Nicky Nemo closed with a 1-over 73 after opening with a 77 as he finished in third place in the 13-to-15 division with a 6-over 150. In the opening round, Nemo made birdies at the second, ninth and 14^th holes and had nine pars on his card. Nemo’s solid final round included birdies at the sixth and eighth holes, an eagle on the par-5 14^th and 10 pars.

   Keller Tannehill of Margate, N.J. was four shots behind Nemo in fourth place among the younger guys with a 154 total as he added a 4-over 76 to his opening-round 78.

   Trevor Sieben of Medford, N.J. was two shots behind Tannehill in fifth place in the division as he added an 81 in the afternoon to his opening round of 3-over 75 for a 156 total.

   Charlie Barrickman of West Chester was a shot behind Sieben in sixth place in the 13-to-15 division with a 157 total as he added a 5-over 77 in the afternoon to his opening-round 80.

   Collin Schreiber of Kunkletown carded a pair of 79s as he finished a shot behind Barrickman in seventh place in the division with a 158 total.

   Quin Zuegner of New Hope finished in eighth place in the 13-to-15 division with a 159 total as he shaved five shots off his opening-round 82 with a closing 77.

   Conestoga sophomore Chris Sung finished in ninth place in the division with a 161 total as he added an 82 in the afternoon to his opening-round 78.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division was Christopher Mark Parrish of Woolwich Township, N.J. as he finished alone in 10^th place with a 162 total, adding an 80 in the afternoon to his opening-round 82.