PGA Junior League action at Cape Region clubs

This year marked the first season for the PGA Junior League in the Cape Region, and several clubs were pleased at their juniors’ participation.

The league is designed to take elements of baseball’s Little League and combine them with learning how to play and compete in golf. It is open to boys and girls ages 13 and under. 

As with other league sports, the golfers wear numbered jerseys and play in team competitions against other teams in the area. Four matches are set up for each event, with each match using two or three juniors playing in a scramble format for their team scores. The scramble format is not only fun, but it also encourages beginners to contribute to the effort, while also acclimating them to tournament golf.

The Rehoboth Beach Country Club Blue Eagles won their first competitive match against The Peninsula, scoring 8.5 out of 12 potential points. 

They traveled to Hooper’s Landing in Seaford for their second match, winning 9.5 to 2.5. The Blue Eagles’ only loss came in the final match of the season against Wild Quail Golf & Country Club.

The Blue Eagles also won local bragging rights against the spirited team from Kings Creek Country Club, 7 to 5.

The 2016 RBCC Blue Eagles roster included the following: Hunter Jones, Jordan Paris, Julian Paris, Burke Healy, Tyler Healy, Jack Shell, Mason Moore, Griffin Barrows, Nolan Moore, Brady Schell, Grant Barrows, Chip Norlinger, Sarah Nordlinger and Harrison Humes.

The Kings Creek PGA League team consisted of 14 juniors ranging in age from 8 to 13. They finished the season with a 3-1 record, including victories over Hooper’s Landing, The Peninsula and Wild Quail. 

Team highlights for the season included an eagle by Sophie Aird from 80 yards on the sixth hole at Kings Creek, a scramble score of two-under set by Sawyer Brockstedt and Griffin Gaughan in a nine-hole match against RBCC, and Kingston Davis showing his stuff by hitting balls and playing with a cast on one arm. 

The Kings Creek CC League roster included the following: Aird, Brockstedt (all-star selection), Gaughan, Davis, Ayush Batra, Savannah Montgomery, Keenan Williams, Trey Mitchell (all-star selection), Logan Gamuciello, Anna Wiest, Tyler Bourdreau, Bella Metz, Chase Mears and McKenna Danahy.

Lett’s Play Golf tourney another success

This year’s edition of the Lett’s Play Golf Tournament, held July 29, included 109 players at the daylong fundraiser event at Kings Creek Country Club.

The tournament is the primary money-raising vehicle for the Stephen R. Lett Scholarship Fund Inc., which awards college scholarships. This was the eighth year of the tournament, and marked the first time that the fund made two $10,000, four-year total awards.

The tournament format used one best score of the foursome on the par 4s and 5s and two best balls of the foursome on the par 3s.

First-place gross went to Steve Lett, John Lett, Kevin Wiest and John Rowinski, with an eight-under 78. Chase Brockstedt, Matt Kasper, Kevin Baird and Sean Mercer finished in second-place gross, two strokes back. 

First-place net honors went to Tommy Clayton, John Eisenbrey III, Nick Nardo Jr. and Jay Bozzi, with a team total of 62. Betsi Fakler, Jimmy Fakler, Drew Romans and Keith Engle took second with a 63. John Purple Sr., James Roman, Mike Collins and Cape Henlopen High golf team assistant coach Samantha Purple finished in third place with a 65. Fourth net went to Jeremy Diehl, David Keck, CW Mitchell and Derek Hopler.  

Closest-to-the-hole honors were earned by Drew Romans on the fifth hole (17 inches), and Samantha Purple on the eighth hole (11-feet-4-inches). Stan Zabytko also won a closest to the pin contest on the 11th hole at 5-feet-5-inches, while Dorrie Spilman won the putting contest. 

As noted in a prior column, Sarah Koon and Nathaniel Vincent are this year’s scholarship fund recipients, with each receiving $2,500 per year for four years. Koon will attend the University of Delaware and Vincent will attend Harvard.

For more information about the fund, go to lettscholarshipfund.com.

Local club competition results

The Kings Creek Ladies 9 Hole golf association played a Team Cha Cha game Aug. 6. 

In this format, each golfer plays her ball. On the odd holes (Cha), one low net score counts as the team score.  On the even holes (Cha Cha), the two low net scores count as the team score. 

Sandy Neverett, Hope Lavachia and Valerie Evans won first place, with second place going to the team of Mary Mezger, Jane Perkins and Carole Ellison. Ellison also won closest to the pin honors on the 16th hole. 

The Kings Creek Ladies 18 Hole group played a 3, 2, 1 team game Aug. 9. In this format, the teams use their 3 best scores on the par 3s, 2 best scores on the par 4s, and best score on the par 5s.

Cory Worther, Dorrie Spilman, Carol Simon, and Arlyce Dubbin won first place, followed by Tricia Ritthaler, Kathy Casey, Denise Stewart and Trish Galioto. Debbie Grant’s winning closest to the pin shot finished 1/2 inch from the hole.

Coming attractions

Last week I traveled to the Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pa., to cover the 116th U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. This is the third-oldest competition held by the United States Golf Association, and this year’s event made history.

In upcoming columns, I will discuss some of what I observed and learned while there. There’s so much more to these major tournaments than the simple story of who won. That’s especially so when you consider that 10 rounds of golf are required to complete the championship.

Stay tuned.