With three of the top five finishers in last fall’s Bert Linton Invitational for the Inter-Ac League’s individual championship at Aronimink Golf Club returning to its lineup, Malvern Prep had to be considered as a challenger to reigning Inter-Ac champion Haverford School this season.
But it was a slow start to the 2024 season for senior Michael Henry, the runnerup in the Bert Linton a year ago, and sophomore Colby Komancheck, who was battling some elbow and wrist soreness.
Henry and Komancheck got back on track Tuesday with Henry carding a 1-under par 35 and Komancheck matching par with a 36 in the Springside Chestnut Hill Academy Invitational at Sunnybrook Golf Club as they led the Friars to a sweep and tightened the Inter-Ac League race.
Malvern Prep ended up with a 183 total, two shots clear of Episcopal Academy, which finished at 185. Reigning Inter-Ac champion Haverford School was another two shots behind Episcopal Academy in third place with a 187 total.
Episcopal Academy, which had a 5-0 sweep of the season-opening Haverford School Invitational at Gulph Mills Golf Club, and the Fords, who swept last week’s Penn Charter Invitational at The 1912 Club, entered the day Tuesday tied for first place with 9-1 marks.
EA’s runnerup finish at Sunnybrook enabled the Churchmen to take over sole possession of first place with a 13-2 mark. Haverford School fell into second place with a 12-3 record. The 5-0 day left the Friars very much in contention as they are in third place with an 11-4 record.
Junior Davis Conaway and sophomore Michael DiDomenico each added a 1-over 37 for Malvern Prep.
Conaway won the Bert Linton Invitational as a freshman at Llanerch Country Club two years ago and finished in a tie for third place in last year’s Bert Linton at Aronimink. Conaway and Henry represented the Philadelphia Section PGA and Malvern Prep in this summer’s Boys Junior PGA Championship, one of the marquee national junior events in the country, at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.
Henry had defeated Conaway in a playoff for the title in the Philadelphia Boys Junior PGA Championship at Bellewood Country Club, which was the qualifier for the Boys Junior PGA Championship at Congressional.
Senior co-captain Mac Traynor registered a 2-over 38 for the important final counter for the Friars.
The individual co-medalists for the day were Episcopal Academy sophomore Liam Crowley and Haverford School senior J.P. Hoban as both posted sparkling 2-under 34s.
Backing up Crowley for the Churchmen was sophomore Freddy Hartmann, who signed for a 1-over 37.
Rounding out the counters for a young Episcopal Academy team were junior co-captain Jimmy Warmkessel, freshman Max Leung and George Hampel, just an eighth-grader, as each tallied a solid 2-over 38.
Backing up Hoban for The Haverford School was senior Harrison Brown with a 1-over 37. Junior Sean Curran chipped in with a 2-over 38.
The Fords could take their pick of two of the three 39s they recorded for their final two counters as senior Gregor Weissenberger, the winner of the Bert Linton Invitational at Aronimink last fall, junior Nicky Nemo and sophomore Harry Neilly, each had a 3-over round.
Penn Charter finished five shots behind Haverford School in fourth place, Germantown Academy was fifth with a 200 and host Springside Chestnut Hill was sixth with a 201 total.
Penn Charter remained in fourth place in the overall standings with a 6-9 record, Germantown Academy is fifth with a 3-12 mark and Springside Chestnut Hill remained winless in sixth place at 0-15.
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