Methacton’s Vance 1st, Souderton’s Guzman 2nd at District 1-AAA boys championships
LIMERICK >> Ron Robinson called his work on the 18th hole at Turtle Creek Golf Course “probably one of the best holes I’ve ever played.”
“I hit a perfect tee shot, then hit a great layup, and then smoked the third shot to 15 feet, poured it in,” said the North Penn junior.
The birdie — his third in the second round of the District 1-AAA boys championship Tuesday afternoon — came in handy. Robinson finished at 2-over 74, his two-day score of 148 tying him with Abington’s Matt Shur for 15th and the final two qualifying spots for the PIAA Eastern Regional.
“I knew that it was either I was going to be in a playoff or I was in outright,” Robinson said. “So, I was just waiting. So I was trying to get myself prepared to be in a playoffs, but I was also excited to be moving on to regionals.”
Methacton’s Kyle Vance, meanwhile, left little doubt where he would end up. After taking the lead with an 8-under 64 Monday, the junior Warriors shot a 2-under 70 to claim his second district title by 10 strokes. Souderton’s Quinn Guzman took second at even par 144, while his teammate Dawson Anders and Unionville’s Nick Gianelos tied for third at 1-over 145.
“This kind of solidifies that my game’s there,” said Vance, who won districts as a freshman in 2013. “I know that I can compete, I can do pretty well in these things. But like I said, I was really rooting for the team, trying to get a low as possible again today, knowing yesterday was more individually, but it feels pretty good.”
Dan Rieger also carded a 2-under for Methacton — finishing the tournament tied for fifth — to help lead to Warriors to 299 team score, which was good for second place. Radnor earned the lone state qualifying bid by taking first with a 293.
“We did pretty well,” said Vance of Methacton’s effort. “We could of done a little bit better, but I mean Radnor definitely played really well. Good for them, but I still think we had a chance, kind of stinks.”
North Penn finished in a tie for third with Holy Ghost Prep at 304 while Souderton took sixth at 310.
Christopher Dock’s Olyvia Longacre earned her second trip to the Eastern Regional — which is Monday at Golden Oaks Golf Club in Fleetwood — by taking second place in girls AA, ending with a 15-over 158, two shots back of champ Nina Kouchi of New Hope-Solebury.
“I was actually hoping of making it again because last year I think I only missed states by a couple of strokes and so I kind of wanted a rematch at it,” Longacre said.
Longacre was two back of Kouchi after the first round of girls at Gilbertsville Golf Course Monday. The two Bicentennial Athletic League rivals were even after playing the back nine first Tuesday, but the Dock junior shot a nine on the par-4 2nd. Longacre and Kouchi both ended the round at 11-over 83.
“My goal has been to beat her,” Longacre said. “We play her in the normal matches, too. Tying is fine by me. Tying is good.”
Gwynedd Mercy’s Ga Lim Kim took fourth in girls 3A after her 19-over 87 put her at 35-over 178 for districts.
Guzman was 1-under on the day through the front nine, but struggled on the back — five bogeys with just a birdie on 16 led to 3-over 75 in the second round.
“Back nine requires a few more drivers for the way I play and my driver was not with me,” Guzman said. “So it was really more of a scrambling day, because they let the rough grow out here, so it’s hard to go after pins, so I left myself on bad spots on greens.”
Guzman was looking to better his 3-under 69 he carded Monday, but his even-par total of 144 was only bested by just one golfer and also sent him to regionals for the first time.
“I’m excited,” Guzman said. “I hear Golden Oaks sets up well for my game. I don’t know what that means and I don’t know why does, but that’s what my coach tells me. So, I’m looking forward to the practice round and regionals.”
Anders made it two Souderton golfers at Golden Oaks, finishing a stroke back of Guzman with Gianelos at 1-over 144. Last year, Anders missed a playoff to reach regionals by a stoke, but had no trouble qualifying Tuesday by shooting a 2-under 70, tying Vance and Rieger for the best 3A boys round of the day.
“I’m really happy with it, considering I missed it last year by one,” Anders said. Get top three that’s great.”
Anders went without a bogey in the second round, picking up 16 pars and birdieing the par-4 4th and the par-5 8th.
“I just played aggressive while being smart,” he said. “I made some really nice scramble pars and just got up-and-down and I just made the putts when I had to.”
After compiling nine birdies to just one bogey the day earlier, Vance went out Tuesday and finished the front nine at 2-under 34 — birdies on two, four and eight with a bogey on six. His final nine had seven pars with a birdie on 13 and a bogey on 16 to claim the double-digit stroke win.
“The putts weren’t dropping as much, didn’t hit as many good shots, but I tried to keep being aggressive to keep trying to get as low as possible for the team,” Vance said. “I didn’t have everything today, but 2-under is not that bad today.”
Birdies at 16 and 18 helped Rieger also go 2-under as he ended districts at 2-over 146, putting him in a five-way tie for fifth.
Also qualifying for regionals in Class AAA boys were Upper Dublin’s Jack Melville and David Kim and Central Bucks West’s Luca Jezzeny, who all finished in a five-way tied for 10th at 3-over 147. Tuesday, Melville was 1-under 71 while Kim and Jezzeny both shot even-par 70.
Council Rock North’s Madeline Herr won the girls AAA title in a playoff with Maddie Sager of Owen J. Roberts. Both golfers ended the tournament at 3-under 140.
Clay Asplundh of New Hope-Solebury won boys AA with a 5-over 149 after shooting a 4-over 76 Tuesday. New Hope won the 2A team crown, the Lions’ 315 besting Devon Prep’s 351.
