Pochet’s 1-under sends Rams past Phoenixville

LIMERICK >> Spring-Ford’s boys golf team is off to a fast start at 3-0 for the 2015 season, and sophomore Ben Pochet has been a large part of that early success.
Pochet fired a 1-under-par 35 for nine holes at Turtle Creek Golf Course Tuesday afternoon as the Rams posted a 199-224 Pioneer Athletic Conference victory over Spring-Ford.
Pochet and junior Tom Freed, who checked in with a 39 in his first varsity match this season, led the way for the Rams against the Phantoms, who were led by junior Mike Ellis with a 42.
Pochet opened his round with a pair of birdies and finished with four birdies overall. He also had two pars and three bogeys on his scorecard at the finish. The birdies came on holes No. 1 (373 yards), No. 2 (504 yards), No. 5 (402 yards) and No. 7 (349 yards).
Freed finished with one birdie, five pars, two bogeys and one double bogey. The birdie came on hole No. 9, a 191-yarder, to close out the round.

“I had the four birdies, but it was kind of a weird day,” said Pochet. “It was up and down. I started out with the two birdies and almost had an eagle on two. Overall, I had a pretty good day. On hole No. 3, my shot went too long and in the water. So it was an up and down day. I did make a lot of putts today. I had a lot of birdies so that made up for the couple bogeys that I had.”
“That was Ben’s third round under par,” said Spring-Ford coach Jeff Mast. “It was Tom Freed’s first match, and he came in with a 39, so it’s good. The home course advantage is good.”
Pochet has been a longtime golfer, starting out when he was just 5 years old.
He has been a member at Spring-Ford Country Club for the past couple years. Mast said there are nine Rams on the varsity roster, and all but one of them are members at Spring-Ford Country Club.
Spring-Ford also got a 41 from junior Chase Armour, a 42 from junior Connor Boham and a 42 from junior Alec Ridings.
“The 199 is our highest score of the year here,” said Mast. “Our goal is to break 200 so we reached that goal. The teams are a lot closer than the score. It’s early, and there are a lot of good teams out there.”
Phoenixville got a 43 from junior Max Farbstein, a 45 from sophomore John Kettelle and 47s from sophomores James Peterson and Dan Jackson.
“Each of our kids had two holes that kind of made the difference from having a good score,” said Phoenixville coach Steve Winnick. “This course is straight-on. We are looking to improve and understand the course management. We are young and inexperienced.”

NOTES >> Spring-Ford’s group of top players also includes senior Justin Chuler, junior Jack Wilson, impressive freshman Jon Lumley and sophomore Jack Straub. … Phoenixville’s other best players include junior Kyle Syrek, junior Tyler Skomsky and junior Shawn Fowler.