Although it was host Malvern Prep that won the day in Wednesday’s Malvern Prep Invitational at Waynesborough Country Club, it was The Haverford School that walked away with the biggest prize, its second straight Inter-Ac League championship.
The Fords had built enough of a cushion through the first five of the six invitationals that comprise the Inter-Ac’s regular season that they had the luxury of a runnerup finish Wednesday at Waynesborough as they finished just ahead of Malvern Prep and Episcopal Academy to end up at the top of the heap in, arguably, the toughest league to win in Pennsylvania.
A couple of underclassmen, Malvern Prep sophomore Colby Komancheck and Haverford School junior Sean Curran, led the way for their respective teams as each matched par at Waynesborough with a 35 to share medalist honors for the day.
In the case of Curran, a product of the junior program at Merion Golf Club, taking co-medalist honors nailed down the season-long individual points crown. When the top Inter-Ac golfers gather Tuesday at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club for the Bert Linton Invitational for the Inter-Ac’s individual championship, Curran will be recognized as the league’s champion golfer of the year.
Curran put together a record of 251-16-18 during the six Inter-Ac invitationals for 517 points while compiling a sparkling scoring average of 35.3, nearly a full stroke better than runnerup Freddy Hartmann, a sophomore at Episcopal who piled up 498 points with a scoring average of 36.2.
Komancheck is the son of the husband and wife team of Jamie and Kelly Komancheck that runs the pro shop at the RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve. He finished in third place in the Boys 14-15 division of the Drive, Chip & Putt National Finals the Sunday of Masters week at Augusta National Golf Club in April.
Komancheck had struggled a little while recovering from an injury early in the Inter-Ac season, but his talent was on display Wednesday as his even-par round led the way for Malvern Prep, which put together a team total of 187 to edge Haverford School by three shots.
Junior Davis Conaway backed up Komancheck with a solid 2-over 37 and seniors Michael Henry and Eamon Cochran each added a 3-over 38. The Friars could take their pick from the pair of 4-over 39s posted by senior co-captain Mac Traynor and junior Thomas Ploszay to account for their final counter.
Junior Liam McFadden backed up Curran for Haverford School with a 3-over 38 as the Fords finished three shots behind Malvern Prep in second place at Waynesborough with a 190 team total. It was the runnerup finish the Fords needed to clinch the Inter-Ac title.
Rounding out the scoring for Haverford School was the trio of senior Harrison Brown, junior Nicky Nemo and sophomore Quinn Gallagher as each signed for a 4-over 39.
Brown, winner of the final Golf Association of Philadelphia’s final major championship for juniors in the summer, the Jock Mackenzie Memorial at Sandy Run Country Club, and a product of the junior program at Philadelphia Country Club, finished in third place in the season-long individual points race. Brown finished with 477 points.
A youthful Episcopal Academy team, led by eighth-grader George Hempel’s 1-over 36, was five shots behind Haverford School in third place at Waynesborough with a team total of 195.
Backing up Hempel for the Churchmen was Hartmann, who registered a 4-over 39 while nailing down runnerup honors in the season-long individual points race.
Rounding out the scoring for Episcopal Academy was the trio of sophomores Liam Crowley and Carson Jakuc and junior co-captain Will Krietsch as each recorded a 5-over 40.
Haverford School’s 4-1 day at Waynesborough left the Fords with a final mark of 26-4 with Malvern Prep and Episcopal Academy right behind them in a tie for second place, each ending up at 23-7.
A couple of bounces here or there, a putt or two that wouldn’t fall or worse, lipped out, and the Friars or the Churchmen could easily have been crowned the Inter-Ac champion Wednesday. It was that close among the three rivals.
Penn Charter finished in fourth place in the Malvern Prep Invitational with a team total of 204, Springside Chestnut Hill Academy avoided being shut out for the season by taking fifth with a 208 total and Germantown Academy was sixth with a 216 total.
That left Penn Charter in fourth place in the final league standings with a 12-18 mark with Germantown Academy in fifth with a 5-25 record and Springside Chestnut Hill ending up sixth with a 1-29 slate.
Haverford School senior J.P. Hoban came into the Malvern Prep Invitational as Curran’s closest pursuer in the individual points race, but posted a 41 at Waynesborough to fall back to fourth place with 472 points. He was a crucial piece to the championship puzzle for the Fords this fall.
Malvern Prep’s Conaway finished in fifth place in the individual points race with 458 points.
Conaway will be one of two former champions in the field for the Bert Linton Invitational Tuesday at Whitemarsh Valley. Conaway captured the title in dramatic fashion as a freshman two years ago at Llanerch Country Club.
Haverford School senior Gregor Weissenberger will defend the title he won a year ago on his home course at Aronimink Golf Club.
The top finishers on the individual points list from the six invitationals – pretty sure it’s the top 17 or so – are automatic qualifiers for the Bert Linton and each coach gets a wild-card selection into the field.
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