An encouraging return to the Alabama lineup for Gross in The Hayt at Sawgrass

 

   Nick Gross, the best scholastic golfer in Pennsylvania during a standout career at Downingtown West, returned to the Alabama lineup for the first time since last September in The Hoyt, which wrapped up Monday at Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

   Gross, a sophomore, had been in the lineup for the Crimson Tide in every event during his freshman year. He helped Alabama capture the team title in the Folds of Honor Collegiate in the opener of the wraparound 2025-2026 season at American Dunes Golf Club in Grand Haven, Mich.

   Gross was not in the lineup for the rest of the fall and for Alabama’s first tournament of the spring, last month’s Watersound Invitational, which the Crimson Tide hosted at The Third Course at Watersound Golf Club in Panama City, Fla.

   As I mentioned at the time, it might just be as simple as Gross not surviving in-team qualifiers for tournaments. Some of the most competitive golf at some of these high-powered programs comes when you’re just trying to beat out your teammates for a spot in the lineup.

   Gross was listed as the No. 5 player in the Alabama lineup for The Hoyt. Alabama brought along Connor Brown, a graduate student from Pinehurst, N.C., to compete as an individual.

   And who had best finish among the Alabama contingent? Well, Brown, of course. After opening with a 1-over-par 73 over the 7,150-yard, par-72 East-West nines at Sawgrass, the original home of the Tournament Players Championship before TPC Sawgrass was built, Brown added a 4-under 68 in Sunday’s second round before closing with a 2-under 70 to finish in the group tied for 16^th place at 5-under 211.

   It was certainly an encouraging return to action for Gross, though, as he opened with a sparkling 5-under 67 that had him near the top of the leaderboard in a tie for second place and helped Alabama land in third place in the team standings.

   After making a birdie at the first hole, Gross eagled the par-5 eighth. A birdie at the 13^th hole got him to 4-under before a pesky double bogey at 14 dropped him back to 2-under. But Gross finished strong, rattling off birdies at the 16^th, 17^th and 18^th holes to get in at 5-under.

   It’s easy to forget sometimes that the kid is still only 19-years old. Gross, the PIAA Class AAA champion as a junior at Downingtown West in 2021, set the expectation bar kind of high when he reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J. a week shy of his 16^th birthday in 2022.

   Gross cooled off a little in the final two rounds at the demanding Sawgrass layout. The 14^th hole jumped up and bit him again and a double bogey there led to a 2-over 74 in Sunday’s second round, although he did finish with a birdie at the last.

   Gross eagled the par-5 eighth for the second time to get it to 2-under in the final round. But he struggled on his way to the house with bogeys at the ninth and 17^th holes and another of those annoying double bogeys at the last. It was another 2-over 74 that left him among the group tied for 36^th place at 1-under 215 for the tournament.

   Gross was running with the big dogs at The Hayt as Auburn’s Jackson Koivun, the No. 1 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), birdied the last hole to earn the individual title and seal the team title for the Plains Tigers, a win that enabled them to overtake Virginia for the No. 1 spot in the latest Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings.

   Koivun led Auburn to the first national title in program history two years ago and the Plains Tigers took a ton of momentum into the match-play bracket of last year’s NCAA Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. before falling to eventual runnerup Virginia in a hard-fought quarterfinal.

   Well, Auburn, a Southeastern Conference power, is at it again.

   The Plains Tigers opened with a 9-under 279 at Sawgrass and added a 6-under 282 in Sunday’s second round that left them in a tie for second place, three shots behind surprising Charlotte, the reigning American Athletic Conference champion, going into Monday’s final round.

   But behind Koivun’s sparkling 5-under 67 in the final round, Auburn put together a 13-under 275 for a 28-under 836 total that was two shots better than Big 12 power Texas Tech.

   It was the third team win of the wraparound 2025-’26 season. And Koivun, he just keeps being Koivun.

   He captured the individual title in leading the Plains Tigers to the team crown in the birdie-fest that is the Amer Ari Intercollegiate in Hawaii to open their spring campaign and Koivun was the medalist in the Gators Invitational at Florida’s home course, the Mark Bostick Golf Course in Gainesville, Fla., with Auburn settling for runnerup honors in the team chase.

   Koivun had opened with a 4-under 68 at Sawgrass and added a 2-under 70 that left him in a tie for fourth place, a shot behind a trio of co-leaders that included Charlotte’s Seb Cave, a junior from England, Virginia’s Ben James, a senior from Milford, Conn. and No. 2 in the WAGR, and Texas Tech’s Connor Graham, a sophomore from Scotland and No. 31 in the WAGR, going into the final round.

   But that birdie at the 18^th hole proved to be the difference for Koivun as he finished with an 11-under 205 total and his third victory in four collegiate starts this season.

   Texas Tech, which moved up a spot in the Scoreboard rankings from No. 11 to No. 10 in the aftermath of The Hayt, opened with a 1-under 287 and then really got it going, recording a sizzling 13-under 275 in Sunday’s second round and closing with a 12-under 276 to finish two shots behind Auburn with a 26-under 838 total.

   Graham led the way for the Red Raiders as he added a 3-under 69 in Sunday’s second round to his opening-round 68 to get a share of the lead going into the final round. He closed with a 2-under 70 to finish in a tie for fourth place with Virginia’s James at 9-under 207.

   Texas Tech also got a strong showing from Tim Wiedemeyer, a junior from Germany and No. 27 in the WAGR who finished in a tie for sixth place with a pair of LSU entries, Alfons Bandesson, a senior from Sweden and No. 79 in the WAGR who was competing as an individual, and Jay Mendell, a junior from Lafayette, La., each landing on 8-under 208.

   After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Wiedemeyer put together back-to-back 4-under 68s.

   Texas Tech earned a ticket to the NCAA Championship by finishing in fifth place as a four seed in the Urbana Regional last spring and came up just short of a spot in the match-play bracket at La Costa, just three shots out of eighth place in the team standings in 10^th place.

   Charlotte, which moved up two spots in the Scoreboard rankings from No. 21 to No. 19 following The Hayt, and LSU, another SEC entry that maintained its hold on the No. 6 spot in the Scoreboard rankings, finished in a tie for third place, each landing on 23-under 841.

   It was a really strong showing for the 49ers as they opened with an 8-over 280 and added a 10-under 278 in Sunday’s second round to take a three-shot lead over Auburn and LSU going into the final round. Charlotte closed with a solid 5-under 283.

   Cave led the way for the 49ers as he finished in a tie for second place with Duke’s William Love, a senior from Atlanta, Ga., each ending up a shot behind Koivun with a 10-under 206 total.

   After opening with a 1-under 71, Cave ripped off a 6-under 66 in Sunday’s second round that gave him a share of the individual lead going into the final round. Cave finished up with a 3-under 69.

   Charlotte was unable to advance to the NCAA Championship last spring as a seven seed in the Bremerton Regional.

   The Bayou Tigers opened with the best team round of the tournament, a sizzling 14-under 274. They added a 1-under 287 in Sunday’s second round before closing with a solid 8-under 280.

   Mendell led the way for LSU as he sandwiched a 2-over 74 in Sunday’s second round with a pair of 5-under 67s to join his teammate Bendesson and Texas Tech’s Wiedemeyer in the tie for sixth place at 8-under.

   Bendesson, competing as individual, opened with a 4-under 68 before adding back-to-back 2-under 70s in the final two rounds to get it to 8-under.

   It was a disappointing end to the 2024-’25 season for the Bayou Tigers as they failed to advance to the NCAA Championship as the top seed in the Amherst Regional.

   North Carolina, an Atlantic Coast Conference power, finished seven shots behind Charlotte and LSU in fifth place with a 16-under 848 total.

   The Tar Heels, who maintained their No. 17 spot in the Scoreboard rankings following their fifth-place finish in The Hayt, added a 1-under 287 in Sunday’s second round to their opening round of 6-under 282 before closing with a solid 9-under 279.

   North Carolina was led by Grant Roscich, a sophomore from Glen Ellyn, Ill. who finished among a foursome tied for ninth place that included South Carolina’s Talah Harrison, a freshman from Kannapolis, N.C., Clemson’s Oscar Valdemar Holm Bredkjaer, a junior from Denmark, and Central Florida’s Hans Resvaer, a junior from Miami, Fla., each ending up with a 7-under 209 total.

   Roscich opened with a solid 4-under 68 and added a 71 in Sunday’s second round before closing with a 70.

   Much like LSU, it was a disappointing spring for North Carolina a year ago as the Tar Heels failed to advance to the NCAA Championship as a two seed in the Urbana Regional.

   It was a historic spring for North Carolina’s ACC rival Virginia a year ago as the Cavaliers claimed the first ACC title in program history and made it all the way to the NCAA Championship’s Final Match at La Costa before falling to Oklahoma State in a hard-fought battle.

   Virginia, which lost the top spot in the Scoreboard rankings to Auburn and fell to No. 2 following The Hayt, opened with a sparkling 12-under 276 before backing off with a 10-over 298 in Sunday’s second round. The Cavaliers bounced right back with an 11-under 277 in the final round to finish three shots behind North Carolina in sixth place with a 13-under 851 total.

   Virginia was led, as it has been throughout the best era in the program’s history, by James, who had a share of the lead going into the final round after adding a 2-under 70 in Sunday’s second round to his opening round of 5-under 67. He closed with another 2-under 70 to get a share of fourth place, a shot behind Charlotte's Cave and Duke's Love with a 9-under 207 total.

   Koivun and James were teammates on a United States team that claimed a deceptively easy 17-9 Walker Cup victory over a Great Britain & Ireland team that included Texas Tech’s Graham last September at the iconic Cypress Point Club on northern California’s Monterey Peninsula.

   Gross and Alabama, which fell a spot from No. 15 to No. 16 in the Scoreboard rankings following The Hayt, fell back after a strong start and finished in 11^th place in the tough 16-team field with an 8-under 856 total.

   After opening with a solid 9-under 279, behind Gross’ fast start, Alabama added a 2-under 286 in Sunday’s second round before closing with a 3-over 291.

   Alabama was unable to survive a tough weather draw in the Reno Regional last spring – there was a delay at the start of one day’s play to allow the snow to melt – and failed to advance to the NCAA Championship as a three seed.

   With Auburn pointing out on its website that it is 11-2 versus Alabama since the 2021-’22 season, you can be certain that the Crimson Tide are looking for a better outcome this spring. That rivalry, in all sports, is real.

   Backing up Koivun for Auburn was Jake Albert, a freshman from Blacksburg, Va. who finished among the group tied for 16^th place with a 5-under 211 total. Albert, who is having a really solid rookie campaign, matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a 2-under 70 in Sunday’s second round before contributing a 3-under 69 to the Plains Tigers’ strong finish in the final round.

   Josiah Gilbert, a junior from Millbrook, Ala. and No. 12 in the WAGR, had similar splits as Albert did, opening with a 1-over 73 and adding a 2-under 70 in Sunday’s second round before closing with a 69 to finish in the group tied for 20^th place at 4-under 212.

   Logan Reilly, a freshman from Lovettsville, Va., and Cayden Pope, a junior from Lexington, Ky. and No. 53 in the WAGR, rounded out the Auburn lineup as they finished among the group tied for 26^th place at 3-under 213.

   Reilly sandwiched a 1-over 73 in Sunday’s second round with a pair of 2-under 70s. After opening with a 3-under 69, Pope matched par in the final two rounds with a pair of 72s.

   Auburn head coach Nick Clinard brought along Billy Davis, a sophomore from Spring Valley, Calif. and the twin brother of Anna Davis, a standout on the Auburn women’s team, to compete as an individual and Davis finished in the group tied for 59^th place at 3-over 219.

   Davis matched par in the opening round with a 72 and closed with a solid 3-under 69, but struggled to a 6-over 78 in Sunday’s second round.

   Really strong showing by Duke’s Love in getting a share of second place in the individual standings with Charlotte’s Cave at 10-under, a shot behind Koivun.

   Love grabbed the lead with a sizzling opening round of 6-under 66, matched par in Sunday’s second round with a 72 and closed with a 4-under 68.

   The Blue Devils finished eight shots behind Alabama in 12^th place with an even-par 864 total and dropped from No. 20 in the Scoreboard rankings to No. 25.

   South Carolina’s Harrison opened with a 1-over 73 and followed that up with a 5-under 67 in Sunday’s second round and a 3-under 69 in the final round to join the quartet that rounded out the top 10 by finishing in a tie for ninth place at 7-under.

   The Gamecocks, out of the SEC, finished a shot behind Virginia in seventh place with a 12-under 852 total. South Carolina moved up from No. 49 to No. 44 in the Scoreboard rankings following its seventh-place finish in The Hayt.

   Clemson’s Valdemar Holm Bredkjaer put together back-to-back 3-under 69s in the first two rounds before closing with a 1-under 71 to join the group at 7-under.

   The ACC’s Tigers, who maintained their No. 40 spot in the Scoreboard rankings in the aftermath of The Hayt, finished a shot behind their in-state rival South Carolina in eighth place in the team standings with an 11-under 853 total.

   UCF’s Resvaer rounded out the foursome at 7-under as he opened with a 3-under 68 and added a 2-under 70 in Sunday’s second round before closing with a 71.

   The Knights, a Big 12 entry and No. 100 in the latest Scoreboard rankings, finished in 14^th place in the team standings in The Hayt with a 3-over 867 total.

   Norristown’s Josh Ryan, winner of the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Junior Boys’ Championship three years in a row from 2020 to 2022, finished among the group tied for 55^th place at 2-over 218 for Liberty, a Conference USA representative.

   Ryan, a senior with the Flames, added a 1-under 71 in Sunday’s second round to his opening round of 3-over 75 before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Sophomore Michael Lugiano, a two-time PIAA Class AA qualifier during an outstanding scholastic career at Lake Lehman, finished in the group tied for 68^th place at 5-over 221 for Liberty.

   Lugiano, the runnerup in last summer’s Pennsylvania Amateur Championship at his home course, Huntsville Golf Club, opened with a 1-over 73 and followed it up with back-to-back 2-over 74s in the final two rounds.

   Also in the Liberty lineup was senior Evan Barbin of the golfing Barbins of Elkton, Md. as he finished among a trio tied for 79^th place with an 8-over 224 total. Barbin sandwiched a 4-over 76 with a pair of 2-over 74s.

   Liberty, No. 85 in the latest Scoreboard rankings, finished in 15^th place in the team standings with an 8-over 872 total.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sokol's game warms right up as he claims a Philly Junior Tour victory with a 71 at Kimberton

 

   Henry Sokol, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a freshman at Harriton last fall, got his spring off to a good start Sunday with a sparkling 1-over-par 71 at Kimberton Golf Club, the George Fazio design along Route 23 west of Phoenixville, that gave him a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour victory in the 13-to-15 division.

   A sudden and welcome warmup greeted the players on the first day of Daylight Saving Time. As was the case with the Philly Junior Tour season opener Saturday at Five Ponds Golf Club, kudos to the green crew at Kimberton for getting the course playable after some heavy rain and snow melt from our interminable winter made for some soggy conditions.

   Henry Sokol was the Philly Junior Tour’s 13-to-15 division Player of the Year for the second year in a row in 2025.

   Henry Sokol picked up right where he left off last year Sunday as he made birdies on the seventh and 10^th holes and had 13 pars on his scorecard. He had runs of five straight pars on both nines, from the third through the seventh holes on the front side and again from 11 through 15 on the incoming nine.

   Helmut Dang of Newtown Square, one of the top performers among a very competitive group of 12-and-under nine-holers a year ago, made birdies on the seventh, 13^th and 15^th holes and had six pars on his card as he finished five shots behind Henry Sokol in second place with a 6-over 76.

   Dang was coming off a tie for second place in the 13-to-15 division in Saturday’s Philly Junior Tour season opener at Five Ponds.

   Luciano Follo, a sophomore on the Marple Newtown golf team, made a birdie on the 14^th hole and had seven pars on his card as he finished in third place with an 80.

   Nathan Lobo of Collegeville took fourth place with an 82, Jonah Lowenberg of Villanova was fifth with an 83 and Jack Sokol, Henry Sokol’s twin brother who had a pretty solid freshman season at Harriton as well, earning a spot in the field for the District One Class AAA Championship at Turtle Creek Golf Course, was sixth with an 84.

   Samuel Nelligan of Gilbertsville took seventh place with an 86, Jack Ferry of Port Deposit, Md. was eighth with an 88 and the trio of Jack Gilbert of Bryn Mawr, another player moving up from that competitive group of nine-holers last year, Nolan Johnson of West Chester and Declan Mayo of Chadds Ford rounded out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division as they finished in a tie for ninth, each posting a 90.

   Colby Seislove, a District One Class AAA qualifier as a senior at Spring-Ford in the fall, made a birdie on the 15^th hole and had 11 pars on his scorecard as he claimed a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 16-to-18 division with an 8-over 78.

   Ryan Kelly, a junior on the Souderton golf team, made back-to-back birdies at the second and third holes and had six pars on his card as he finished two shots behind Seislove in second place with an 80.

   The trio of Jack Ferm, a District One Class AAA qualifier as a junior at Garnet Valley last fall, Chris Pullano, a Wynnewood resident and the Catholic League’s individual champion as a senior at Devon Prep last fall, and Billy Nikolaidis, a sophomore on the Muhlenberg golf team, finished in a tie for third place, each ending up a shot behind Kelly with an 81.

   Ferm made a birdie on the 15^th hole and had eight pars on his card, including four straight pars to open his round. Pullano made a birdie on the 10^th hole and had nine pars on his card, including a string of five straight pars from 12 through 16. Nikolaidis made a birdie on the seventh hole and had eight pars on his card.

   Walker Mannon, a junior on the Phoenixville golf team, finished alone in sixth place with an 82.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division was a group of five players tied for seventh place with 84s that included Brayden Dolan, a junior on the Springfield (Delco) golf team, Shane Cornell, a junior on the Avon Grove golf team, Ethan Lang, a sophomore on the Souderton golf team, Harry Traynor, who wrapped up his scholastic career at Great Valley last fall, and Jesse Shurman of Villanova.

   Sarah Stumacher, a junior on the Germantown Friends School golf team, made a birdie on the 12^th hole and had 12 pars on her scorecard as she toured the incoming nine at Phoenixville in even-par 36 on her way to a sparkling 4-over 74 that gave the Gladwyne resident a Philly Junior Tour victory in the girls 16-to-18 division.

   Megan Choi, who earned her second straight trip to the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a sophomore on the Harriton golf team last fall, had 11 pars on her card, including a run of seven straight pars from the 11^th through the 17^th holes, as she claimed runnerup honors with a solid 79.

   Alexa Shure, a sophomore on the Great Valley golf team, had five pars on her card as she finished in third place with a 91.

   Rounding out the field in the 16-to-18 division was Faridah Ismaila, a classmate of Shure’s on the Great Valley roster who finished in fourth place with a 113.

   Sarah Fanelli, a District One Class AAA qualifier as a sophomore on the Radnor golf team last fall, had seven pars on her scorecard as she claimed the top spot in the 13-to-15 division with a 90.

   Allison Choi, another member of Penn Valley’s Team Choi, had three pars on her card as she earned runnerup honors with a 101.

   Kate Benson, a freshman on the Great Valley golf team, made a par on the 17th hole as she finished in third place with a 106.

   Sophia Carvalho of Downingtown and Mia Venezia of Perkiomenville shared fourth place, each registering a 112, Ashley Yurko of Collegeville was sixth with a 120 and Karena Boyd of Kennett Square rounded out the field in the 13-to-15 division as she finished seventh with a 155.

   Blake Shurman, another member of Villanova’s Team Shurman, had six pars on his scorecard, opening his round with three straight pars, as he bested the field of boys 12-and-under nine-holers with a 3-over 37.

   Joey Charpentier of Schwenksville had five pars on his card as he earned runnerup honors with a 6-over 40.

   Connor Michaels of Lancaster and Michael Antolino of Richboro finished in a tie for third place, each ending up with a 42. Michaels had five pars on his card while Antolino had three pars on his card.

   Kash Gray of Eagleville took fifth place with a 45 and Victor Wang of Hockessin, Del. was sixth with a 47. Wang had opened the season with a victory Saturday at Five Ponds.

   Alex Cheng of Wilmington, Del. and Jaden Chase of Philadelphia shared seventh place as each tallied a 50 and Jamie Cahn of Penn Valley rounded out the field in the boys 12-and-under division as he finished ninth with a 53.

   Trisha Lobo, another member of Collegeville’s Team Lobo and the division’s reigning Player of the Year, had three pars on her scorecard as she bested the field of girls 12-and-under nine-holers with a 7-over 41.

   Katelyn Burks of Paoli made a birdie on the eighth hole and had two pars on her card as she earned runnerup honors with a 43 that left her two shots behind Trisha Lobo.

   Aashi Chakraborty of Kennett Square made a par on the fifth hole as she finished in third place with a 51.

   Sophia Kim of Chester Springs took fourth place with a 52, Addison Sabatini of West Chester was fifth with a 55 and Miya Freas of Collegeville rounded out the field in the girls 12-and-under division as she finished sixth with a 60.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

O'Hara's DeMarco claims a victory as Philly Junior Tour season tees off at Five Ponds

 

   Matt DeMarco, a junior on the Cardinal O’Hara golf team, opened the Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour season on a dismal, chilly Saturday by carding a solid 2-over-par 73 at Five Ponds Golf Club in Warminster to claim the top spot in the 16-to-18 division.

   Kudos to the crew at Five Ponds because the ground was undoubtedly soggy following a drenching rainstorm Thursday night into Friday on top of considerable snow melt from a truly awful winter.

   But the greenkeeper got Five Ponds in playable condition and a bunch of junior golfers, kept off the golf course for the majority of a miserable winter, came out in force, given the opportunity to tee it up.

   The less-than-ideal conditions certainly didn’t seem to bother DeMarco as he had 16 pars on his scorecard, including 11 straight pars to finish his solid round.

   Colin McAskin ventured down to Bucks County from New York City and finished a shot behind DeMarco in second place among the older guys with a 3-over 74. McAskin made a birdie on the seventh hole and had 13 pars on his card, including a string of six straight pars from 12 through 17.

   Jesse Shurman of Villanova had 14 pars on his card, including eight straight pars to open his round as he finished three shots behind McAskin in third place with a 6-over 77.

   Nolan Murray Jr., who wrapped up his scholastic career at Upper Dublin last fall, took fourth place with a 78 and Chase Andrews, a junior on the Souderton golf team, and Jake Yerkes, a Wyncote resident and a sophomore on the golf team at Catholic League power La Salle, finished in a tie for fifth, each posting a 79.

   Logan Cassidy, a junior on the Holy Ghost Prep golf team and a Bensalem resident, and Jake Jaffe and Nolan Traczykiewicz, junior teammates on the Central Bucks South golf team, finished in a three-way tie for seventh place, each tallying an 81.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division was Landon Stern, a classmate of Andrews on the Souderton golf team who finished in 10^th place with an 84.

   Aiden Maguire of Blue Bell had nine pars on his scorecard, including a run of four straight pars from the third through the sixth holes, as he signed for an 81 to earn a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 13-to-15 division.

   Helmut Dang of Newtown Square and Ethan Clouser, a Newtown resident and a freshman on the La Salle golf team, finished in a tie for second place, each registering an 82.

   Dang, who was one of the top performers among a very competitive group of 12-and-under nine-holers last year, had nine pars on his card, including a string of five straight pars from the third through the seventh holes. Clouser made a birdie on the fifth hole and had eight pars on his card.

   Jackson Ehrlich of Berwyn and Jonah Lowenberg of Villanova shared fourth place, each posting an 85, and Matthew Pilcher of Wilmington, Del. and Carter Bove of Kennett Square finished in a tie for sixth, each tallying an 88.

   Jack Gilbert of Bryn Mawr, another player moving up from that competitive group of nine-holers last year, and Oliver Hubbert, a Gwynedd Valley resident and a freshman in the program at La Salle, ended up in a tie for eighth place, each recording an 89.

    Rounding out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division was Isaiah Stevenson, a Media resident and a freshman at Friends’ Central who finished in 10^th place with a 90.

   Team Bodge, sisters Kiersten and Katelyn, West Chester residents and members of the golf team at Notre Dame, swept to titles in the two girls divisions at Five Ponds. The Inter-Ac girls still play a spring schedule so the Bodge sisters are tuning up for a scholastic campaign that is just about to get under way.

   Kiersten Bodge, a junior at Notre Dame, got off to a great start at Five Ponds, making a birdie at the fourth hole while going 1-under through six holes. She finished with 12 pars on her scorecard in a solid 5-over 76 that gave her the top spot in the 16-to-18 division.

   Kiersten Bodge saw a streak of three straight runnerup finishes in the Inter-Ac League Championship snapped last spring when she finished in sixth place at French Creek Golf Club.

   The girl can play as she proved by finishing in ninth place against the big girls in the Pennsylvania Women’s Amateur Championship at Waynesborough Country Club in the summer of 2024.

   Mariana Walker, who wrapped up her scholastic career at Council Rock North last fall, had two pars on her card as she was the runnerup among the older girls with a 94.

   Rounding out the field in the 16-to-18 division were a couple of Cinnaminson, N.J. entries as Emily Renouf and Madison Gibson finished in a tie for third place, each carding a 106. Renouf made a par on the third hole.

   Katelyn Bodge, just an eighth-grader at Notre Dame, couldn’t quite earn low-Bodge honors, but she made back-to-back birdies at the 14^th and 15^th holes and had eight pars on her scorecard, including a run of four straight pars from two through five, as she claimed a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 13-to-15 division with a 7-over 78.

   Katelyn Bodge finished in seventh place as a seventh-grader in her debut in the Inter-Ac Championship at French Creek last spring. The Bodge sisters are products of the junior program at Overbrook Golf Club, right next door to Notre Dame.

   That was a pretty good player Katelyn Bodge beat to finish at the top of the leaderboard in the 13-to-15 division as Cardinal O’Hara sophomore Alaina Carson, the reigning Pennsylvania Junior Girls champion, had six pars on her card, including a string of four straight pars from the 11^th through the 14^th holes, while earning runnerup honors with an 83.

   Carson has made two straight trips to the PIAA Class AAA Championship to begin her scholastic career, finishing in a tie for 10^th place at Penn State last fall after ending up in a tie for third as a freshman in the fall of 2024.

   A couple of Gigis, Gigi Gratz, a District One Class AAA qualifier as a sophomore at North Penn last fall, and Gigi Lake of Newtown, shared third place, each landing on 100.

   Gratz had two pars on her card and Lake had three pars on her card.

   Brianna Stwaley, a sophomore on the Central Bucks West golf team, took fifth place with a 104 and Mia Venezia of Perkiomenville rounded out the field in the 13-to-15 division as she finished sixth with a 124.

   Victor Wang of Hockessin, Del. made a birdie on the sixth hole and had five pars on his scorecard as he opened the Philly Junior Tour’s spring season by besting the field of boys 12-and-under nine-holers with a 3-over 38.

   Jack Kolmer of Wayne made a birdie on the fifth hole and had two pars on his card as he finished three shots behind Wang in second place with a 6-over 41.

   Brody Rollins of Milton, Del. had four pars on his card, opening his round with three straight pars, as he finished a shot behind Kolmer in third place with a 42.

   James Wilson of Wilmington, Del. and Blake Shurman, another member of Villanova’s Team Shurman, shared fourth place, each tallying a 43, and the trio of Kamran Patel of Moorestown, N.J., Joey Charpentier of Schwenksville and Smith Rawes of Elkins Park finished in a tie for sixth place, each landing on 44.

   Andrew DElia of Clarks Summit took ninth place with a 45 and Chase Venne, another Moorestown, N.J. guy, and Michael Antolino of Richboro rounded out the top 10 in the boys 12-and-under division as they finished in a tie for 10^th, each signing for a 46.

   Aashi Chakraborty of Kennett Square was the lone entry in the girls 12-and-under division and she made a par on the second hole on her way to a 53.