Vance Captures Second District Championship

LIMERICK >> His demeanor never shifted.

Whether he was recollecting himself after a rare bogey or running an eagle putt just off the edge of the cup, Kyle Vance constantly had a smile on his face.

“It’s just the way I’ve always played,” said Vance, a junior at Methacton. “So many things happen out on the golf course. Sometimes they’re good, sometimes they’re bad. For me, it’s about having a short memory and shifting my focus to the next shot.”

On Tuesday afternoon, Vance gave himself plenty to smile about, capturing his second District 1 Championship at Turtle Creek Golf Course with a 10-under 134 after the two-day tournament.

After posting an 8-under 64 on the first day of the tournament Monday, Vance backed it with a 2-under 70 Tuesday, bettering the field by 10 strokes.

“I knew I had a big lead coming into it, but I tried not to think about that too much,” said Vance. “My goal was to play consistent and make the same shots I would make any other day. I didn’t want to pull back my aggression or shy away from my game.”

It’s the aggression Methacton head coach Kevin Flanagan has seen since Vance’s first year with the program two years ago. As a freshman, Vance won the district title that season.

“He put on a show the past two days,” said Flanagan of Vance. “I knew he was excited to get back to regionals, so I know how much it means to him to advance. He played two really strong rounds and never lost his focus.”

On the day, Vance finished with four birdies to go along with two bogeys. He hit 13 greens in regulation and used his putter only 31 times.

In typical fashion, Vance opted not to lay it up short of the pond on No. 18, which has become his signature move to cap off a round.

Instead, he decided to go for the green in two with the gallery watching and plenty of strokes to give.

“That didn’t exactly go as planned,” laughed Vance of his second shot landing in the water. “But I was still able to save par and come away with it. That’s the way I like to play. I always want to stay aggressive and try and go out with a bang.”

Also advancing to the Regional Tournament are Spring-Ford’s Ben Pochet and Methacton’s Dan Rieger, who each finished the tournament tied for fifth at 146 (2-over).

It will be Pochet’s first trip to regionals, another step toward his goal of making it to the State Tournament.

“My goal has been to post better scores and keep advancing to each round leading up to states,” the sophomore said. “I’m excited to see what I can do at regionals. I’m looking at it as another chance to play and keep moving on.”

“I’m definitely happy with the way I played these past couple of days,” added Pochet. “Obviously no one could catch Kyle. So the only thing I was really focused on was qualifying.”

Rieger competed at regionals during his freshman year when his entire team advanced, but never had a chance to represent himself individually.

After missing the cut to advance to regionals the past two seasons, he plans to make the most of his first trip.

“I’m definitely happy about the way I’ve been playing,” said Rieger, who hit 33 of 36 greens in regulation over the course of the district tournament. “I’m hoping I can keep it going into regionals on Monday.

“Ever since I first started playing high school (golf), my goal has been to get to states. Now I’m just one round away, so I can’t wait to see what happens.”

As a team, Methacton came in second place overall, six strokes behind Radnor for a berth at regionals.

With plenty of his teammates following him and cheering him on throughout his round, Vance admits he’ll miss having that comradery at regionals.

“As happy as I am about winning it and advancing to regionals, I wish our team could have gotten there too,” admitted Vance. “As the captain, I really wanted the team to do well. These guys have been with me all season, so I was really hoping that we could compete together at states.”

Although he won’t have his full team with him, he’ll have his usual partner in Rieger along with him for the ride at the Regional Tournament at Golden Oaks Golf Club next Monday.

NOTES >> Vance’s 66 on the first day of the district tournament was just one stroke away from Turtle Creek’s course record. … Methacton freshman Caleb Ryan missed the cut in what was his first-ever try at districts.