Phoenixville's Roberts leads girls field, Conestoga's Johnson at top of boys leaderboard as District One Championship tees off

 

   Phoenixville junior Kayley Roberts and Plymouth-Whitemarsh senior Rhianna Gooneratne were two of the top returning scholastic golfers in Pennsylvania this fall.

   Gooneratne rolled to a five-shot victory in the PIAA Class AAA Championship at Penn State’s Blue Course a year ago while Roberts, who fell hopelessly behind when she struggled in the opening round of the state tournament, battled back with the best round of the second day at Penn State to finish in fourth place, seven shots behind Gooneratne.

   Roberts will take a one-shot lead over Gooneratne and Conestoga sophomore Jill Burks into the second round of the District One Class AAA Championship after Roberts opened with a 4-over-par 75 on a windswept Monday at Raven’s Claw Golf Club where Lower Pottsgrove Township meets Limerick Township along Ridge Pike.

   The District One tourney for the girls heads back down Ridge Pike to Turtle Creek Golf Course for Tuesday’s second round with the weather forecast promising more wild winds and chilly temperatures.

   The District One Class AAA Championship for the boys opened Monday at Turtle Creek and Conestoga freshman Will Johnson, pretty much duplicating his effort of two weeks ago when he was the medalist in the Central League Championship at the Turtle, posted a steady 1-over 73 to take a one-shot lead over Central League rival Seiji Sako, a junior at Lower Merion.

   Roberts will be on familiar turf for Tuesday’s second round at Turtle Creek. The Phoenixville girls play and practice at the Turtle, where the Phantoms’ coach, Sandy Waltz, is part of the family that owns and operates one of the region’s most popular public courses.

   A year ago, Kayley Roberts settled for a runnerup finish in the District One Championship, a shot behind her older sister Kate, who has moved on to the program at Mountain West power San Jose State. Gooneratne finished in third place in the district tourney a year ago, two shots behind Kayley Roberts and three shots behind the champion, Kate Roberts.

   I was looping at Stonewall, about 20 miles from Turtle Creek, Monday and it was blowing out there. We’re talking some serious wind.

   Not sure if Kayley Roberts started off the first tee, but the par-4 18^th hole was the key to her round as she made an eagle. It’s only 288 yards on the scorecard from the red tee and I’m guessing it was downwind Monday, so either Roberts either drove the green and made a putt or got it within chip-in distance off the tee.

   Roberts made a birdie at the third hole, but struggled in the middle of the Raven’s Claw scorecard. She made bogeys at the fourth and fifth holes and a double bogey at the par-5 seventh hole, which appeared to give several of the players in the field fits.

   Roberts made bogeys at the eighth, 11^th and 12^th holes before making a birdie at 13. She made another bogey at the par-3 17^th hole, but the eagle at the last enabled her to finish at 4-over.

   Gooneratne and Burks were a shot behind Roberts as they each signed for a 4-over 75.

   Burks was pretty comfortable at Turtle Creek a couple of weeks ago when she matched par with a 72 to claim medalist honors among the girls in the Central League Championship. Burks finished in fifth place in her first appearance in the district tourney a year ago.

   Council Rock North’s Naaz Mehta was a shot behind Gooneratne and Burks in fourth place with a 6-over 77.

   Emma Lewis of Downingtown West and Radnor junior Elayna Fanelli were a shot behind Mehta in a tie for fifth place as each registered a 7-over 78.

   Lewis led the way for the Whippets as they captured the District One Class AAA team crown, which sends them to Penn State next week to compete for the PIAA Class AAA team title.

   Downingtown West’s Malaina Druffner backed up Lewis as she stood in seventh place in the individual standings with a 79.

   Souderton’s Alli Engart was two shots behind Druffner in eighth place with an 81 and Harriton’s Megan Choi was another shot behind Engart in ninth with an 82.

   Rounding out the top 10 following the opening round at Raven’s Claw were Mount St. Joseph’s Michaela Lanieri and Cheltenham’s Andi Jones as they were tied for 10^th place, each landing on 83.

   The top finishers in Tuesday’s second round will earn a trip to next week’s PIAA Class AAA Championship at Penn State. Roberts, Gooneratne, Burks, Fanelli and Engart will all be trying to book a return date in the field for the state tournament.

   Rachel Schuda contributed the crucial third counter for Downingtown West with an 87 that gave the Whippets a 31-over 244 total.

   Also in the Downingtown West lineup were Reagan McGruther, who registered a 95, and Macyn Linsley, who recorded a 97.

   Conestoga, led by Burks, finished five shots behind Downingtown West in second place with a 249 total in defense of the title the Pioneers won a year ago.

   Mount St. Joseph, a perennial District One power, finished in third place with a 260 total, Pioneer Athletic Conference power Perkiomen Valley was fourth with a 283 total and Unionville, out of the Ches-Mont League, was another shot behind the Vikings in fifth with a 284 total.

   Conestoga’s Johnson had just a single bogey on his card when he captured the Central League individual crown two weeks ago at the Turtle with a 2-under 70.

   In much more difficult conditions Monday, Johnson was nearly as good. He made birdies at the third and eighth holes and bogeys at nine, 13 and 18 to grab the lead following the opening round of the District One Class AAA with his 1-over round.

   Sako, who finished in a tie for second place in the Central League Championship, was a shot behind Johnson in second Monday with a 2-over 74.

   Sako had the highest finish of any District One player in the PIAA Class AAA Championship when he ended up in a tie for fourth at Penn State’s Blue Course as a sophomore a year ago.

   Unionville’s Nicolas Gaughan was a shot behind Sako in third place with a 3-over 75 and Downingtown West sophomore Ian Larsen was another shot behind Gaughan in fourth with a 4-over 76.

   Radnor senior Lannon Boyd, who shared second place with Sako in the Central League Championship two weeks ago, headed a group of four players tied for fifth place at 6-over 78.

   A trio of Pioneer Athletic Conference standouts, Perkiomen Valley junior Alex Hall, Spring-Ford senior Abe McNelly and Methacton senior Matt Rieger joined Boyd in the quartet tied for fifth place.

   Hall is the grandson of Gary Player, one of the elite group of five players to have completed professional golf’s career Grand Slam.

   The top finishers in Class AAA following Tuesday’s second round will earn a berth in next week’s PIAA Class AAA Championship at Penn State. The District One Class AAA team crown for the boys will be contested Tuesday with Gaughan and Unionville defending their title.

   Justin Carpio of Collegium took the lead in the District Class AA Championship with an 84. Max Wright was seven shots behind Carpio in second place with a 91.