O'Hara's DeMarco a Philly Junior Tour winner for a second time this spring at Chesapeake Bay

 

   Matt DeMarco, a junior on the Cardinal O’Hara golf team, put together a solid 2-over-par 74 at Chesapeake Bay Golf Club in Rising Sun, Md. to claim a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour victory in the 16-to-18 division Sunday.

   It was chilly and breezy, but downright balmy compared to the conditions the Philly Junior Tour golfers faced Saturday at Honeybrook Golf Club in the northwest corner of Chester County.

   It was the second Philly Junior Tour victory of the young season for DeMarco as he prevailed in less-than-ideal conditions in the season opener March 7^th at Five Ponds Golf Club.

   DeMarco made birdies at the seventh, 11^th, 15^th and 17^th holes and had nine pars on his scorecard in a solid effort at Chesapeake Bay.

   Luke McGraw, a junior at State College who has qualified for the PIAA Class AAA Championship in each of the last two falls, made birdies at the sixth, eighth, ninth and 12^th holes and had 10 pars on his scorecard, including five straight pars to start his round, as he finished a shot behind DeMarco in second place with a 3-over 75.

   It looked like McGraw was going to run away with the victory as his birdie at the 12^th hole got him to 4-under for his round, but he cooled off a little down the stretch.

   Luke Ladrido, a classmate of McGraw’s on the State College golf team, and Frank Kunze, a sophomore on the Garnet Valley golf team, finished in a tie for third place, each landing on 5-over 77.

   Luke Ladrido had 13 pars on his card, grinding out seven straight pars to close out his round. Kunze made birdies at the sixth, eighth, ninth and 14^th holes and had six pars on his card.

   Luke Ladrido’s twin brother Charlie, also a junior on the State College golf team, and Billy Nikolaidis, a sophomore on the Muhlenberg golf team, shared fifth place, each signing for an 80.

   McGraw and the Ladrido twins were three of the five players in the State College lineup as the Little Lions finished in a tie for second place with Radnor in the PIAA Class AAA team chase, a shot behind state champion Unionville, last fall at Penn State’s Blue Course.

   Nicholas Fargnoli of Mickleton, N.J. and Ben Pifer of Wyoming, Del. shared seventh place, each posting an 81 and Josh Mohn, a junior on the St. Mark’s golf team, finished alone in ninth with an 82. Scholastic golf in Delaware is played in the spring and the season is just getting under way.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the 16-to-18 division were Anthony Beach of Westville, N.J. and Brayden Hughes of Hockessin, Del. as they finished in a tie for 10^th place, each tallying an 83.

   Evan Smith, playing not far from his Elkton, Md. home, made birdies on the second, ninth and 14^th holes and had 10 pars on his scorecard, including four straight pars to finish up his round, as he took top honors in the 13-to-15 division with a 3-over 75.

   Smith was coming off a tie for second place a day earlier in the brutal cold and wind at Honeybrook.

   Preston Minio of Lansdale, one of the many talented 12-and-under nine-holers from a year ago who have moved into the ranks of the 18-holers, made birdies on the ninth and 11^th holes and had nine pars on his card as he finished three shots behind Smith in second place with a 6-over 78.

   Taimoor Naseem, the talented 13-year-old from Sinking Spring, made birdies on the 10^th and 12^th holes and had six pars on his card as he finished in third place with an 82.

   Naseem had the best score of the day in either of the 18-hole boys divisions in the bitter cold Saturday at Honeybrook.

   Helmut Dang of Newtown Square took fourth place with an 83, Dean Matta of West Grove was fifth with an 84 and Camden Blevins, a sophomore on the Garnet Valley golf team, finished sixth with an 85.

   Connor Masulis of Pottstown and Brooks Buerhaus of Bel Air, Md. shared seventh place, each registering an 86, and Ethan Clouser, a freshman at La Salle and a Newtown resident, and Ben Meixell, a Wilmington, Del. resident whose freshman season at Salesianum is just getting under way, rounded out the top 10 in the 13-to-15 division as they finished in a tie for ninth, each carding an 87.

   The best score among the girls emerged from the 13-to-15 division as Ella Buerhaus of Abingdon, Md. had three pars on her scorecard to earn a Philly Junior Tour victory with a 94.

   Alexa Mcelwain of Schnecksville rounded out a short field in the 13-to-15 division as she made back-to-back pars on the sixth and seventh holes on her way to a 100 that earned her a runnerup finish.

   Brooke Burge of Middletown, Del. made birdies on the sixth and 10^th holes and had three pars on her scorecard as she claimed a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 16-to-18 division with a 97.

   A couple of players from Towson, Md. rounded out the field in the 16-to-18 division as Isabel Knott finished in second place with a 103 and Hadley Clark was third with a 108.

   Knott had two pars on her card and Clark made a birdie on the sixth hole and a par at 11.

   Connor Michaels of Lancaster made birdies on the sixth and eighth holes and a par at nine as he bested the field of 12-and-under nine-holers with a 6-over 42.

   Dillon Tierney of Marlton, N.J. had three pars on his card as he earned runnerup honors with a 43 that left him a shot behind Michaels.

   Victor Wang of Hockessin, Del. and Alex Cheng of Wilmington, Del. finished in a tie for third place, each signing for a 45. Wang had three pars on his card and Cheng had back-to-back pars on the eighth and ninth holes.

   A couple more Wilmington, Del. guys, Chris Pilcher and Julian Kelley, finished in a tie for fifth place, each recording a 51, and Landon Post of Lincoln University rounded out the field in the boys 12-and-under division as he finished seventh with a 52.

   Aashi Chakraborty of Kennett Square was the lone entry in the girls 12-and-under division and she made back-to-back pars at the fifth and sixth holes on her way to a 47.