While Episcopal Academy won the day in The Haverford School Invitational Tuesday at French Creek Golf Club, it was the host Fords, despite a third-place finish, who closed out their first Inter-Ac League championship since 2019.
Episcopal Academy swept to a 5-0 day as the Churchmen finished with a 184 total behind co-medalist Liam Crowley, a freshman who matched par with a 35 over the Gil Hanse design located where West Nantmeal Township meets East Nantmeal Township in northwest Chester County.
Haverford School had utilized its depth to build a nearly insurmountable lead going into the last of the six invitationals that comprise the Inter-Ac’s regular-season schedule.
The Fords finished with a 190 total at French Creek that left them a shot behind Malvern Prep in third place for the day.
But Haverford School had swept three of the first five invitationals and was always close in the three the Fords didn’t win. Their consistency left the Fords with a 25-4-1 record.
Episcopal’s victory at French Creek, their second in the six Inter-Ac mini-tournaments, left the Churchmen in second place in the final standings with a 23-7 record
Malvern Prep’s runnerup finish at French Creek with a 289 total left the Friars in third place in the final standings with a 22-7-1 mark.
Each of the six invitationals was a tremendously tight battle and a couple of bounces and putts missed or made here or there and any of the top three teams could have come out on top in the end.
That parity was on display in Tuesday’s final invitational at French Creek.
Despite making a double bogey at the first hole, Liam Crowley battled back to get a share of medalist honors for the day with his 35. It was the first time an Episcopal freshman had earned medalist honors in an Inter-Ac invitational since the format was adopted when the league switched from playing in the spring to the fall in 2011.
Liam Crowley’s older brother Jack, a senior, backed up his younger brother with a solid 1-over 36.
Episcopal’s three senior tri-captains took care of the rest of the counters. Jack Yearly recorded a solid 2-over 37 and Hunter Stetson and Jack Logan rounded out the scoring for the Churchmen as each tallied a 3-over 38.
Stetson’s 38 was his highest score in the six invitationals as he ran away with the regular-season points race in the Inter-Ac.
Stetson, the medalist in three of the six invitationals, had a remarkable 35.3 scoring average. He piled up a 256-14-11 record against the rest of the individuals in the league, which translated to 523 points. According to the Episcopal coaching staff, Stetson’s 256 wins over the rest of the league is the most recorded by an Inter-Ac player since the league adopted the format.
Stetson entered the fall season with plenty of momentum from a strong summer, including a run to the round of 16 in the U.S. Junior Amateur at the Daniel Island Club’s Ralston Creek Course in Charleston, S.C., and he has just continued that roll.
Stetson won the Bert Linton Inter-Ac individual championship as a sophomore at Bluestone Country Club. He will be teeing it up on his home course at Aronimink Golf Club for this year’s Bert Linton, which will be played Tuesday.
Stetson finished in third place in the Bert Linton, hosted by Haverford School at Llanerch Country Club, a year ago.
Stetson will be paired with the No. 2 and No. 3 players in the regular-season points standings in Malvern Prep junior Michael Henry and his teammate, sophomore Davis Conaway, in the Bert Linton. It was Conaway who captured the Bert Linton title a year ago and he will be back to defend his title.
Henry finished with 490 points in the regular-season points race with Conaway ending up in third place with 471 points.
Henry led the way for the Friars at French Creek with a solid 1-over 36. Conaway and junior Eamon Cochran backed up Henry as each posted a 2-over 37. Sophomore Thomas Ploszay added a 39 for Malvern Prep and freshman Colby Komancheck had the final counter for the Friars with a 40.
It wasn’t Haverford School’s best day at French Creek, but it was good enough.
Sophomore Sean Curran and senior Alex Nemo led the way for the Fords as each carded a 1-over 36. A trio of juniors rounded out the counters for Haverford School as J.P. Hoban added a 38, Gregor Weissenberger recorded a 39 and Harrison Brown tallied a 40.
Germantown Academy finished a shot behind Haverford School at French Creek with a 191 total.
The Patriots were led by the other co-medalist for the day, senior Ajeet Bagga, who matched Liam Crowley’s even-par 35.
Bagga won the Inter-Ac’s regular-season points race a year ago and was the runnerup to Conaway in a dramatic finish in the Bert Linton at Llanerch. Bagga was struggling early in the Inter-Ac season, but seemed to be rounding into form just in time for the Bert Linton.
Penn Charter finished in fifth place at French Creek with a 202 total and Springside Chestnut Hill Academy was sixth at 220.
Germantown Academy finished in fourth place in the final regular-season standings with a 12-18 record followed by Penn Charter in fifth with a 7-23 mark and Springside Chestnut Hill in sixth at 0-30.
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