Sheehan, Meyers lead Penn State to team title in their final appearances in Rutherford Invitational

 

   You look back at the 2018 PIAA Class AAA Championship at the Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York County and there is Patrick Sheehan, winner of the District One title a couple of weeks earlier as a senior at Central Bucks East, in third place, and Jimmy Meyers, representing Pittsburgh Central Catholic, earning runnerup honors behind a very talented winner in Franklin Regional senior Palmer Jackson, who has been a standout at Notre Dame.

   So, it was a bit of a full-circle moment when Sheehan and Meyers earned top-eight finishes in the Rutherford Intercollegiate hosted by Penn State at its Blue Course over the weekend as they started to wrap up their careers as Nittany Lions.

   A couple of days after Meyers finished in second place in the individual competition at Heritage Hills in 2018, he helped Pittsburgh Central Catholic capture the Class AAA team crown.

   I suspect Meyers was keeping half an eye over the weekend on The Masters Tournament, where his teammate on that Pittsburgh Central Catholic state championship team, Neal Shipley, a fifth-year player at Ohio State, was claiming low-amateur honors and playing the final round with that Tiger Woods fella, yeah the guy in whose closet hangs five of those green jackets they hand out to the winner each year.

   Meyers and Shipley can catch up a little next week when the Big Ten Championship tees off April 26 at Scioto Country Club in Upper Arlington, Ohio, just outside of Columbus.

   Sheehan and Meyers arrived in Happy Valley in the fall of 2019 anxious to get their college golf careers started. Sheehan was just starting to show up in the Penn State starting lineup when the coronavirus appeared, stopping the 2019-2020 season in its tracks.

   I’ve witnessed some tough beats for Sheehan, including that final round of the PIAA Class AAA Championship in 2018.

   The following summer, I was at Coatesville Country Club, where Austin Barbin surged past Sheehan in the match-play final of the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Junior Boys’ Championship.

   Of course, nothing tops Sheehan being forced to settle for a runnerup finish in the 2021 Pennsylvania Amateur when John Peters, a junior at Duke these days, holed out from 193 yards away for an eagle on the 18^th hole -- you might be familiar with the Ben Hogan picture – at Merion Golf Club’s iconic East Course to snatch victory right out of Sheehan’s hands.

  Sheehan never, ever complained after those tough losses. He’s always just put his golf experiences, good and bad, in the bank and kept playing.

   That’s why it was nice to see Sheehan finish in a tie for second place in his final crack at the Rutherford as he led the Nittany Lions to the team title for the ninth straight time. Penn State has won the team crown in 31 of the 47 playings of the Rutherford.

   Mother Nature had a nice going-away present for Sheehan and Meyers, both graduate students, in the form of chilly temperatures and relentless winds with occasional higher gusts for Saturday’s double round.

   Sheehan, however, battled through the tough conditions to open with a 1-under-par 70 over the 7,171-yard, par-71 Blue Course layout before adding a 2-over 73 in Saturday afternoon’s second round that left him four shots behind individual co-leaders Anthony Delisanti, a junior at Valparaiso from Sanborn, N.Y., and Arsit Areephun, a freshman at Delaware from Thailand, going into Sunday’s final round.

   Penn State, out of the Big Ten, bounced back from an opening round of 9-over 283 with a solid 3-over 287 in Saturday afternoon’s second round that gave it a two-shot edge over Big East representative Connecticut in the team standings going into Sunday’s final round.

   When spring suddenly resurfaced in time for Sunday’s final round, Sheehan responded with a solid 3-under 68 as he got a share of second place with UConn’s Tommy Dallahan, a senior from Simsbury, Conn., each finishing with a 2-under 211 total.

   Sheehan led the Nittany Lions to a final round of 6-under 278, easily the best team score of the weekend, as they finished with a 6-over 858 total.

   With Penn State at No. 120 in the Scoreboard powered by clippd rankings, which were updated Wednesday, it seems unlikely that the Nittany Lions would be in line for a trip to the NCAA regionals.

   A strong showing individually in the Big Ten Championship at Scioto, a Donald Ross gem, by Sheehan might earn him a second individual nod to an NCAA regional. He represented Penn State in the Columbus Regional in 2022 at The Ohio State University’s Scarlet Course.

   Meyers matched par in Saturday afternoon’s second round with a 71 and sandwiched that with a pair of 2-over 73s as he finished among a trio of players tied for eighth place at 4-over 217.

   Penn State also got a really strong showing from Jake Griffin, a junior from Kensington, Md. who finished alone in fourth place, two shots behind Sheehan and Dallahan at even-par 213. Griffin matched par in the opening round with a 71 and added a 1-over 72 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before contributing a solid 1-under 70 to the Nittany Lions’ final-round surge.

   UConn added an 8-over 292 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to a solid opening round of 6-over 290 that left it two shots behind Penn State going into the final round. The Huskies closed with a solid 2-over 286, but couldn’t catch the Nittany Lions as UConn settled for runnerup honors, 10 shots behind the hosts with a 16-over 868 total.

   Dallahan led the way for UConn as he carded back-to-back 2-under 69s in the final two rounds after opening with a 2-over 73 in the cold and high winds to join Sheehan in the tie for second place at 2-under.

   Florida Gulf Coast, out of the ASUN, was another 12 shots behind Connecticut in third place as the Eagles matched par in the final round with a 284 for a 28-over 880 total. Florida Gulf Coast had struggled to a 303 in the opening round’s difficult conditions and added a 9-over 293 in Saturday afternoon’s second round.

   Looks like Florida Gulf Coast was the only team in the field in the top 100 and the Eagles were No. 67 when the Scoreboard rankings were updated Wednesday.

   Valparaiso, out of the Missouri Valley Conference, and Rhode Island, an Atlantic 10 entry, finished five shots behind Florida Gulf Coast in a tie for fourth place, each ending up at 33-over 885.

   Valparaiso charged into contention with a 1-under 283 in Saturday afternoon’s second round after the Beacons struggled to a 303 in the opening round. Valparaiso closed with a 299.

   The Beacons were led by Caleb VanArrogan, a fifth-year player from Blaine, Minn. who fired a sparkling 5-under 66 in the final round to surge to the individual title with a 3-under 210 total. VanArrogan, who won for the fourth time in the wraparound 2023-’24 season and for the sixth time in his career, had opened with a 3-over 74 and added a 1-under 70 in the second round that left him four shots behind his teammate Delisanti and Delaware’s Areephun going into Sunday’s final round.

   Rhode Island matched par in Sunday’s final round with a 284 to join Valparaiso at 33-over. The Rams opened with a 304 before adding a 297 in Saturday afternoon’s second round.

   Towson, a Coastal Athletic Association representative, finished a shot behind Valparaiso and Rhode Island in sixth place with a 34-over 886 total. The Tigers also matched par in the final round with a solid 284 after they had opened with a 303 and added a 299 in Saturday afternoon’s second round.

   Georgetown, one of UConn’s Big East rivals, added a 296 in Saturday afternoon’s second round after opening with a 302 before closing with a 6-over 290 to finish two shots behind Towson in seventh place with a 36-over 888 total.

   Delaware, another CAA entry, finished a shot behind Georgetown in eighth place with a 37-over 889 total as the Blue Hens added a solid 6-over 290 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to their opening-round 302 before closing with a 297.

   Delaware and Towson will tee off in the CAA Championship at Dataw Island’s Cotton Dike Course on Saint Helena Island, S.C. beginning Sunday.

   Temple, an American Athletic Conference entry, finished in 11^th place in the 14-team field with a 45-over 897 total as the Owls struggled in the opening round with a 306 and added a 295 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 296.

   It was the final tuneup for Temple before The American Championship, which tees off Friday at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla.

   Penn State also got a nice showing from sophomore Billy Pabst Jr., the runnerup in the 2021 PIAA Class AAA Championship as a senior at North Pocono. Pabst, who has been a solid contributor all season for the Nittany Lions, bounced back from an opening-round 79 by matching par with back-to-back 71s in the final two rounds to finish among the group tied for 18^th place with an 8-over 221 total.

   Rounding out the Penn State lineup was junior Morgan Lofland, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier during a standout scholastic career at Conestoga. Lofland closed out the weekend with a solid 2-under 69 that left him in the trio tied for 35^th place with a 224 total. Lofland added a 5-over 76 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 79.

   First-year head coach Mark Leon used the occasion of Penn State’s home tournament to get a look at four other players who competed as individuals.

   Leading that group was James Allen, a senior from Scarsdale, N.Y. who joined his teammate Pabst in the group tied for 18^th place at 8-over 221. Allen bounced back from an opening-round 77 with back-to-back 1-over 72s in the final two rounds.

   Jud Langile, a senior from Ossining, N.Y., added back-to-back 4-over 75s in the final two rounds to his opening-round 77 as he finished in the group tied for 44^th place with a 227 total.

   Zach Smith, a freshman from Canada, recorded a pair of 4-over 75s in Saturday’s double round before closing with a 79 as he finished among the group tied for 48^th place with a 229 total.

   Another freshman, Robby O’Regan of Northbrook, Ill., matched par in the final round with a 71 to land in the group tied for 52^nd place with a 230 total. O’Regan struggled in the difficult conditions of Saturday’s double round, adding an 80 in Saturday afternoon’s second to his opening-round 79.

   Valparaiso’s Delisanti had a share of the lead going into Sunday’s final round after adding a 3-under 68 to his opening round of 1-over 72. A final round of 4-over 75 left him in a tie for fifth place in the individual standings with Rhode Island’s Aidan O’Donovan, a sophomore from Somerville, Mass., each landing on 2-over 215, two shots behind Penn State’s Griffin.

   O’Donovan added a 1-over 72 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 73 before finishing up with a 1-under 70.

   Connecticut’s Jimmy Paradise, a senior from Tampa, Fla., finished alone in seventh place, a shot behind Delisanti and O’Donovan with a 3-over 216 as Paradise rattled off three straight 1-over 72s.

   Joining Penn State’s Meyers in the trio tied for eighth place at 4-over 217 were Delaware’s Areephun and Georgetown’s Barnes Blake, a freshman from Westfield, N.J.

   Areephun was one of just two players in the field to break 70 in the opening round’s cold and wind with a 2-under 69 and matched par in Saturday afternoon’s second round with a 71 to get a share of the individual lead with Valparaiso’s Delisanti going into Sunday’s final round. Areephun closed with a 6-over 77 to fall back to 4-over.

   Blake recorded back-to-back 2-over 73s in Saturday’s double round before matching par in the final round with a 71.

   Backing up Areephun for Delaware was Casper Nerpin, a sophomore from Sweden who finished in the group tied for 30^th place with a 223 total. Nerpin added a 3-over 74 in Saturday afternoon’s second round to his opening-round 77 before closing with a 1-over 72.

   Sparky Ariyachatvakin, a senior from Thailand, finished among the group tied for 38^th place for the Blue Hens with a 225 total. Ariyachatvakin tallied back-to-back 3-over 74s in Saturday’s double round before finishing up with a 77.

   Freshman Matt Homer, a constant presence in Golf Association of Philadelphia junior events the last few summers and a scholastic standout at The Tatnall School, finished in a tie for 42^nd place with a 226 total. Homer matched par in Saturday afternoon’s second round with a 71 after opening with a 79 before closing with a 5-over 76.

   Rounding out the Delaware lineup was Jack Halleron, a senior from Timonium, Md. who finished in a tie for 71^st place with a 237 total. Halleron struggled in Saturday’s double round, adding an 83 in the afternoon after opening with a 79, but regrouped in the final round with a 4-over 75.

   Leading the way for Temple was the veteran pair of Graham Chase, a senior from Charlotte, N.C., and Ethan Whitney, a junior from Westminster, Mass., as they landed in the group tied for 35^th place with a 9-over 222 total.

   Chase finished up with back-to-back 4-over 75s in the final two rounds after opening with a 74. Whitney closed with a solid 1-under 70 after signing for a pair of 5-over 76s in Saturday’s double round.

   Sophomore Jacob Haberstumpf, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier in 2020 with Bethlehem’s Freedom High, finished in the group tied for 38^th place with a 225 total. Haberstumpf bounced back from an opening round of 7-over 78 with a solid 1-under 70 in Saturday afternoon’s second round before finishing up with a 77.

   Freshman Matt Vital, a three-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at Bethlehem’s Liberty High, finished in the group tied for 63^rd place with a 233 total. Vital kept getting better as the weekend wore on as he added a 5-over 76 in Saturday afternoon’s second to his opening-round 83 before closing with a 74.

   Aidan Emmerich, a sophomore from Swampscott, Mass., opened with a 7-over 78 for the Owls, but had no card for the final two rounds. Emmerich had been the low Owl, finishing in a tie for ninth place, in the Princeton Invitational a week earlier at Springdale Golf Club.