Farnese gets it going at Bala to capture a Philly Junior Tour victory

 

   Luke Farnese, a senior on the Plymouth-Whitemarsh golf team, carded a solid 5-over-par 68 at Bala Golf Club, just inside the city limits of Philadelphia, to capture a Philadelphia Section PGA Junior Tour victory in the 16-to-18 division Sept. 28^th.

   Farnese made birdies on the 10^th and 17^th holes and had 11 pars on his scorecard, including a string of four straight pars from 12 through 15 at the short, but challenging Bala layout.

   Carson Deringer, a senior on the Harriton golf team, made a birdie on the second hole, went back-to-back with birdies at 16 and 17 and had six pars on his card as earned runnerup honors with a 9-over 77.

   A day later, Deringer tallied a solid 1-over 73 in the Central League Championship at Turtle Creek Golf Course to finish in third place and punch his ticket to the District One Class AAA Championship, which tees off Oct. 13 back at the Turtle.

   Jackson Murland, a junior on the Friends’ Central golf team and a Villanova resident, had 10 pars on his card as he finished three shots behind Deringer in third place at Bala with an 80.

   David Watts of Haddonfield, N.J. took fourth place with an 81, Jack McPeak, a senior on the Upper Moreland golf team was fifth with an 82 and Adrian Ciavarelli, another senior on the Harriton golf team finished sixth with an 83.

   A day later at Turtle Creek, Ciavarelli finished in a tie for 10^th place at Centrals with a 4-over 76 that enabled him to join his teammate Deringer as a District One Class AAA qualifier.

   Joshua Kriegel of Lawrenceville, N.J. took seventh place with an 88, Andrew Bradshaw of Moorestown, N.J. was eighth with a 92 and Chase Kuech, another senior on the Upper Moreland golf team finished ninth with a 99.

   Blaze Yearsley, a member of the Garden Spot golf team, took 10^th place with a 102 and Robert Carroll rounded out the field in the 16-to-18 division as he finished 11^th with a 104.

   Jack Lobley of Gladwyne and Jesse Shurman of Villanova shared the top spot in the 13-to-15 division, each signing for a 7-over 75.

   Lobley made a birdie on the 17^th hole and had 10 pars on his scorecard, including a string of four pars in a row from six through nine. Jesse Shurman made birdies at the third, 14^th and 17^th holes and had six pars on his card.

   Beckett Kush of Yardley had 10 pars on his card, opening his round with pars on five of his first six holes, as he finished in third place with a 78.

   Jack Sokol, a freshman on the Harriton golf team, and Demetri Orloff, a member of the Springfield golf team, shared fourth place, each registering a 79, Luciano Follo of Newtown Square was sixth with an 80 and Henry Sokol, like his twin brother Jack Sokol a freshman on the Harriton golf team, finished seventh with an 81.

   A day later the Sokol twins made it two more Harriton players who earned a trip to the District One Class AAA Championship in the Central League Championship at Turtle Creek as Henry Sokol finished in a tie for fourth place with a 2-over 74 and Jack Sokol survived a playoff among six players for the final four berths to districts after ending up in a tie for 18^th with a 78.

   Vaughn Smartt of Bryn Mawr took eighth place with a 90, Sy Kavitsky, a sophomore on the Neshaminy golf team, was ninth with an 81 and Ethan Lerner of Blue Bell was 10^th with a 105.

   Max Charbonneau of Wayne rounded out the field in the 13-to-15 division as he finished in 11^th place with a 111.

   Megan Choi, a sophomore on the Harriton golf team, had the best score among the girls as she claimed a Philly Junior Tour victory in the 13-to-15 division with a 3-over 71. Choi made birdies on the fourth, eighth and 12^th holes and had nine pars on her scorecard, including four straight pars from 14 through 17.

   Choi, a PIAA Class AAA qualifier as a freshman a year ago, began her scholastic postseason journey the day after her victory at Bala by finishing in a tie for fourth place in the Central League Championship with an 81 at Turtle Creek that punched her ticket to the District One Class AAA Championship, which tees off Oct. 13 for the girls at Raven’s Claw Golf Club.

   Looks like getting a tuneup round at Bala worked out well for the Harriton contingent the following day in Centrals at the Turtle.

   Gigi Gratz, a sophomore on the North Penn golf team, earned runnerup honors at Bala as she had three pars on her card on her way to a 90.

   Lela Canataro made pars on the fourth and 16^th holes as she finished in third place with a 113.

   Antonella Ferrer of Wynnewood rounded out the field in the 13-to-15 division as she finished in fourth place with a 119.

   Emily Maurer of Mount Laurel, N.J. had eight pars on her scorecard on her way to an 81 that left her atop the leaderboard in the 16-to-18 division.

   Nicole Tarquinio of Bridgeton, N.J. opened her round with a birdie on the first hole and had six pars on her card as she earned runnerup honors with an 86.

   Christina St. Pierre, a senior on the Pennsbury golf team, made a birdie on the 16^th hole as she rounded out a short field in the 16-to-18 division by finishing in third place with a 102.

   Jonathan Thomas of Landenberg and Niko Muego of Bryn Mawr finished in a tie atop a typically competitive field of boys 12-and-under nine-holers, each carding a 3-over 36.

   Thomas opened his round with a par on the first hole and had four pars on his scorecard. Muego made a birdie on the second hole and had five pars on his card.

   Aiden Jose of Brick, N.J. and Damien Dollard of Cinnaminson, N.J. finished in a tie for third place, each signing for a 4-over 37.

   Jose made birdies at the second and eighth holes and had two pars on his card. Dollard, who has been hanging around the top of the leaderboard in the boys 12-and-under division a lot lately, made a birdie on the fourth hole and hade four pars on his card, including three straight pars to open his round.

   Charlie Sears of Wilmington, Del. took fifth place with a 38, Blake Shurman, another member of Villanova’s Team Shurman, and Graeme Day of West Chester shared sixth, each registering a 40 and Carter Bove of Kennett Square and Aidan Threshaj finished in a tie for eighth, each tallying a 41.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the boys 12-and-under division was the trio of Joey Charpentier of Schwenksville, Ryan Kaye of Lansdale and Mark Westfall of Medford, N.J., each landing on 42.

   Only six shots separated the top 12 finishers among the boys 12-and-under nine-holers.

   Allison Choi, another member of Penn Valley’s Team Choi, made a birdie at the sixth hole as she bested the field of girls 12-and-under nine-holers with a 45.

   Lillian Fry of Pennsburg made a par on the sixth hole as she finished a shot behind Allison Choi in second place with a 46.

   Addison Sabatini of West Chester took third place with a 56 and Avery Jaffe of Richboro rounded out the field in the girls 12-and-under division as she finished fourth with a 63.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

McCrery helps Duke earn a share of the team title with host Northwestern in Windy City Collegiate

 

   The arrival of Avery McCrery, a native of Wilmington, Del., as a member of the Duke women’s golf team in August was a little overshadowed by the presence of her fellow freshman, Rianne Malixi of the Philippines.

   It was Malixi who had completed the rare double of capturing titles in the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship and the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship in one summer in 2024.

  Not that McCrery was a slouch. After all, she had captured the title in another major junior championship, the Girls Junior PGA Championship, in the summer of 2024 at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.

   McCrery had been a scholastic standout at the Tower Hill School, but finished out her schooling in the ICL Academy, the on-line arm of the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA), which allowed her to pursue her academic and golf ambitions simultaneously.

   With Malixi, who is No. 12 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), out of the lineup while representing the Philippines in the World Amateur Team Championship in Singapore this week, McCrery made a major contribution for the Blue Devils, finishing in the group tied for 18^th place with an even-par 216 total, as the Dookies got a piece of the team title with tournament host and reigning national champion Northwestern in the Windy City Collegiate Challenge, which wrapped up Tuesday at the Glen View Club in Golf, Ill.

   It was a rare NCAA Championship at the La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. last spring with Duke not among the qualifiers. The Blue Devils, winners of seven NCAA Division I women’s golf crowns, finished in 11^th place as a five seed in the Norman Regional.

   But head coach Dan Brooks knew better times were ahead with Malixi and McCrery headed for Durham to join the Duke program.

   And McCrery has had an immediate impact. She was in the lineup when Duke opened the wraparound 2025-2026 season by finishing in ninth place in an elite 12-team field in the Annika Invitational Sept. 8^th to 10^th at the Royal Golf Club in Lake Elmo, Minn.

   McCrery closed out the Annika Invitational with an even-par 72 as she finished among the group tied for 36^th place with an 8-over 224 total.

   This week at the Windy City Collegiate, McCrery finished up with a 1-under 71 over the 6,368-yard, par-72 Glen View layout in Tuesday’s final round to help the Blue Devils erase a seven-shot deficit and earn a share of the team title with Northwestern.

   Duke, an Atlantic Coast Conference power, had opened with a solid 5-under 283 and added a 1-under 287 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round. The Blue Devils then closed with a 7-under 281 to catch Big Ten power Northwestern, each landing on 13-under 851.

   Northwestern had gotten the jump on the field with an opening round of 10-under 278 and added a 2-under 285 in Monday afternoon’s second round. But an even-par 288 in Tuesday’s final round wasn’t quite enough to hold off the charge by Duke as the Wildcats were forced to settle for a share of the team crown in their home event.

   SMU, another ACC entry, finished another seven shots behind Duke and Northwestern in third place with a 6-under 858 total. The Mustangs got off to a solid start, opening with a 6-under 282 and adding a 5-under 283 in Monday afternoon’s second round before stumbling a little in the final round with a 5-over 293.

   SMU failed to advance to the NCAA Championship last spring as six seed in the Columbus Regional.

   A pair of Big Ten representatives, UCLA and Michigan State, and Iowa State, out of the Big 12, finished in a tie for fourth place in the 11-team field, each ending up a shot behind SMU with a 5-under 859 total.

   The Bruins matched par in the opening round with a 288 and added a 3-under 285 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 2-under 286. UCLA reached last spring’s NCAA Championship at La Costa by finishing in fifth place as a five seed in the Charlottesville Regional.

   UCLA was led by the individual champion as Jenny Lee, a sophomore from South Korea playing in just her second tournament as a Bruin after transferring from Baylor, sandwiched a 4-under 68 in Monday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 2-under 70s to finish with an 8-under 208 total.

   The Spartans also matched par in the opening round with a 288 and added a solid 7-under 281 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 2-over 290. Michigan State advanced to the NCAA Championship by finishing in third place as a four seed in the Norman Regional last spring.

   Michigan State was led by Ana Sofia Marcia, a junior from Colombia who finished in third place in the individual standings with a 6-under 210 total that left her a shot behind Iowa State’s Pammy Chookaew, a senior from Thailand.

   Murcia was only a shot behind UCLA’s Jenny Lee, the eventual winner, after opening with a sparkling 4-under 68 and adding a 71 in Monday afternoon’s second round. Murcia finished up with a second straight 1-under 71.

   After opening with a 5-over 293, the Cyclones added a 7-under 281 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 3-under 285. Iowa State also earned a trio to La Costa for the NCAA Championship by finishing in third place as a five seed in the Lubbock Regional last spring.

   Chookaew led the way for Iowa State as she, like Murcia, trailed UCLA’s Jenny Lee by just a shot after adding a 3-under 69 in Monday afternoon’s second round to her opening-round 70. Chookaew added another 3-under 69 in the final round to finish a shot behind Jenny Lee in second place with a 7-under 209 total.

   Duke had three players finish among the top six, led by Anna Canado Espinal, a sophomore from Spain who shared fourth place in the individual standings with Virginia’s Kennedy Swedick, a sophomore from Albany, N.Y., with a 5-under 211 total.

   Canado Espinal opened with a 4-under 68 and added a 1-over 73 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a solid 2-under 70.

   Backing up Canado Espinal for Duke were Katie Li, the talented junior from Basking Ridge, N.J. and Andie Smith, a graduate student from Hobe Sound, Fla. and No. 52 in the Women’s WAGR, both of whom landed among a group of five players tied for sixth place at 5-under 212.

   Li sandwiched a 2-under 70 in Monday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 1-under 71s.

   After opening with a 1-over 73, Smith, who reached the round of 16 in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at the Bandon Dunes Resort on the rugged Oregon coastline in August, tallied a 2-under 70 in Monday afternoon’s second round before contributing a 3-under 69 to the Blue Devils’ final-round surge.

   McCrery had opened with a 1-under 71 and added a 2-over 74 in Monday afternoon’s second round before adding her second 71 in the final round to join the group tied for 18^th place at even-par.

   Rounding out the Duke lineup was Carla De Troia, a sophomore from France who finished among a trio of players tied for 59^th place with a 232 total. After opening with a 5-over 77, De Troia added an 80 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 75.

   Northwestern was led by Dianna Lee, a senior from San Diego, Calif. and No. 97 in the Women’s WAGR, and Arianna Lau, a freshman from China and No. 36 in the Women’s WAGR, both of whom were in the group along with Duke’s Li and Smith tied for sixth place at 4-under.

   Dianna Lee was the hero of Northwestern’s stunning run to the national championship last spring, earning the winning point in both the Wildcats’ semifinal victory over Oregon and in the Final Match against Stanford.

    Dianna Lee contributed a solid 3-under 69 to Northwestern’s strong start and added a 1-under 71 in Monday afternoon’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Lau, who reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Bandon Dunes in August, matched Dianna Lee’s splits, opening with a 3-under 69, adding a 71 in Monday afternoon’s second round and matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Northwestern got a strong showing from sophomore Megan Meng, who starred scholastically at Hopewell Valley Central High in South Jersey. Meng first got on my radar when, playing out of Jericho National Golf Club in Bucks County, she captured the Pennsylvania Junior Girls’ Championship in the pandemic summer of 2020.

    Meng will be counted on to fill the void created by the departing seniors from Northwestern’s national championship team and it looked like she was ready to fulfill that role in the Windy City Collegiate as she finished among the group tied for 11^th place with a 3-under 213 total.

   Meng was the low Wildcat with her opening round of 4-under 68 and added a 1-over 73 in Monday afternoon’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Hsin Tai Lin, a sophomore from Taiwan, finished among the group tied for 28^th place for Northwestern as she opened with a solid 2-under 70 and added a 4-over 76 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 1-over 73.

   Rounding out the Northwestern lineup was Ashley Yun, a junior from West Covina, Calif. and No. 71 in the Women’s WAGR, as she finished in the group tied for 35^th place with a 5-over 221 total. Yun sandwiched a 1-under 71 in Monday afternoon’s second round with a pair of 3-over 75s.

   Dianna Lee, Tai Lin and Yun were in the lineup for Northwestern’s epic 3-2 upset of Stanford in the NCAA Championship’s Final Match at La Costa last spring.

   Northwestern also had a couple of players competing as individuals in its home tournament.

   Jiayi Wang finished among the group tied for 40^th place with a 6-over 222 total as she opened with a 2-over 73 and added a 75 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 74.

   Lauren E. Lee, a freshman from Irvine, Calif., finished in a tie for 62^nd place with a 233 total as she opened with a 5-over 77 and added an 80 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 76.

   Swedick had a strong showing for Virginia by getting a share of fourth place with Duke’s Canado Espinal at 5-under. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Swedick added a sparkling 4-under 68 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 71.

   Rounding out the quintet tied for sixth place at 4-under was Stanford’s Kelly Xu, a senior from Claremont, Calif. and No. 30 in the Women’s WAGR who was competing as an individual.

   Xu had a share of the individual lead with UCLA’s Jenny Lee going into the final round after adding a 4-under 68 in Monday afternoon’s second round to her opening-round 70. But she closed with a 2-over 74 to fall back into the five-way tie for sixth place.

   Normally, Stanford would be competing in the team chase in the Windy City Collegiate, but no less than four members of the Cardinal are representing their respective countries in the World Amateur Team Championship in Singapore.

   That group includes junior Paula Martin Sampedro, No. 2 in the Women’s WAGR, and sophomore Andrea Revuelta, No. 3 in the Women’s WAGR, both of whom are playing for Spain, senior Megha Ganne, No. 5 in the Women’s WAGR and winner of the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Bandon Dunes playing for the United States, and sophomore Meja Ortengren, No. 6 in the Women’s WAGR playing for Sweden.

   Ganne and the United States are in second place behind South Korea going into Saturday’s final round and Martin Sampedro and Revuelta and Spain are tied for fourth place.

   But you read that right. Stanford’s lineup has Nos. 2, 3, 5 and 6 in the Women’s WAGR. If none of them turn pro between now and next spring, Stanford figures to be right in the mix for the national championship, just like always.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hartmann leads the way as Episcopal Academy sweeps Germantown Academy Invitational at Bluestone

 

   Behind a 1-under-par 35 by junior Freddy Hartmann, Episcopal Academy swept the field in the Germantown Academy Invitational, the third of the six invitationals that comprise the Inter-Ac League’s regular season, Tuesday at Bluestone Country Club.

   Malvern Prep, behind individual medalist Colby Komancheck, a junior who carded a sparkling 2-under 34 at Bluestone, finished three shots behind the Churchmen in second place to retain the top spot in the Inter-Ac standings through three invitationals.

   Hartmann led the way as Episcopal put together a 2-over 282, three shots better than Malvern Prep’s 5-over 285.

   Episcopal and Malvern Prep had finished in a tie at the top in the Penn Charter Invitational at Huntingdon Valley Country Club, the opener on the Inter-Ac schedule. The Friars edged two-time defending champion Haverford School in last week’s Episcopal Academy Invitational at Merion Golf Club’s West Course with EA finishing in third place.

   Malvern Prep’s runnerup finish Tuesday left the Friars atop the Inter-Ac standings with a 13-1-1 mark. Episcopal’s 5-0 sweep of the field at Bluestone tightened the race as the Churchmen are right behind Malvern Prep in second place with a 12-2-1 record.

   Haverford School was just two shots behind Malvern Prep in third place with a 187 total Tuesday at Bluestone. That left the Fords in third place with a 10-5 mark. Haverford School has way too much talent to be counted out as it bids for a third straight Inter-Ac crown.

   Backing up Hartmann was his talented classmate, Liam Crowley, and senior co-captain Will Krietsch, each of whom matched par on the outgoing nine at Bluestone with a 36.

   Carson Jakuc, also a junior, tallied a 2-over 37 for the Churchmen and EA’s depth was on display as Team Hampel, George, a freshman, and Arthur, a junior, and junior Connor Smolenski each posted a 38, any one of which could be the final counter.

   Malvern Prep was led by the talented Komancheck, who made birdies at the first, second, fourth and eighth holes in touring Bluestone’s front side in 2-under.

   Komancheck, who earned a trip to the Boys Junior PGA Championship at Purdue’s Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Ind. in the summer, is leading the individual points race through the first three Inter-Ac invitationals.

   Komancheck’s closest pursuer in that individual points race is his teammate, Davis Conaway, one of the Friars’ senior captains. Conaway backed up Komancheck Tuesday at Bluestone as he made birdies at the first and fourth holes on his way to a 1-under 35.

   Conaway captured the title in the Bert Linton Invitational, the Inter-Ac’s individual championship, as a freshman in 2022 and he and Komancheck have both been top-five finishers in each of the last two playings of the Bert Linton.

   Backing up Komancheck and Conaway for the Friars was junior Ayden Gallen, who recorded a 2-over 38.

   Malvern Prep’s final two counters were two of the three 3-over 39s registered by Thomas Ploszay, another of the Friars’ senior captains, Noah Brand, also a senior, and junior Timmy Burns.

   Rounding out the Malvern Prep lineup were Pat Duda, another of the Friars’ senior captains who carded a 40, and junior Michael DiDomenico, who had a 41.

   Haverford School was led by the trio of seniors Sean Curran and William Forman and junior Quinn Gallagher, each of whom matched par with a 36.

   Curran, who will join the program at Penn next summer, swept the Inter-Ac’s individual points race during the regular season, the Bert Linton title at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club and the individual title in the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) Championship at Radley Run Country Club a year ago.

   Senior Nicky Nemo backed up the Fords’ top three as he carded a solid 2-over 38.

   Nemo reached the final of the Golf Association of Philadelphia Junior Boys’ Championship at Merion’s West Course in June before falling to Curran, his Haverford School teammate and Merion clubmate.

   Liam McFadden, also a senior, was the final counter for Haverford School with a 41.

   Host Germantown Academy took third place at Bluestone with a 202 total. Springside Chestnut Hill Academy picked up its first win of the season by edging Penn Charter by a shot to take fifth place. The Blue Devils finished with a 212 total and the Quakers registered a 213.

   Germantown Academy and Penn Charter were tied for fourth place following Tuesday’s third invitational, each owning a 4-11 record. Springside Chestnut Hill was in sixth place with a 1-14 mark.