SALAMANCA — The first installment of this year’s Penn-York Golf Junior Golf League is in the books, with a battle between two Randolph golfers highlighting the chase for the first Div.I boys title of the summer.
Griffin Nelson (Randolph/Cardinal Hills) recorded a 38 on his first nine holes, then shot a 39 on the back nine for a round score of 77 which tied him with fellow Randolph golfer Owen Wright (Cardinal Hills) and Louie Nedzinski (Bavarian Hills).
Wright reached the score of 77 after he scored a 34 on the front nine, but fell behind the pace on the back nine with a score of 43.
Nelson and Wright remained tied after an initial playoff hole, but after a second, the tie was broken and Nelson claimed the first league win of the summer for the boys’ Div.I.
“I played pretty good, I played pretty consistent, that was my goal coming in,” Nelson said of his performance. “I just wanted to play pretty consistent. (I had) a couple bogeys here and there, but I got the job done.”
Consistency is something Nelson noted he is aiming to focus on throughout the summer.
Makenna Heckman (Pennhills) claimed victory in the girls’ Div.I after she recorded a score of 34 after nine holes, 11 strokes ahead of second-place.
Much like Div.I, the boys’ Div.II first and second place trophies were both claimed by Randolph golfers. Matthew Beaver (Cardinal Hills) and Cody Slade (Randolph) took first and second-place respectively.
Matthew Beaver was consistent, shooting a 41 on the front nine and 42 on the back for a combined score of 83. Slade was in front of Matthew Beaver in the standings after the first nine holes, having recorded a score of 40, but fell behind on the back nine where he carded a 44, falling one stroke short of forcing a playoff.
The boys’ Div.III was won by Kael Riekofsky (Smethport) after he carded a 39 after nine holes. Placing second was Donovan Palumbo (Emporium), who scored a 47.
Allegany’s Kennedy Honeck (Bartlett) won the girls’ Div.III with a score of 58. Molly Leslie (Bartlett) took second after she carded 62 after nine holes.
The boys’ Div.IV came down to a playoff between Randolph’s Kaysen Beaver (Cardinal Hills) and Keegan Smith (Bavarian Hills) after both golfers shot a 37 after nine holes.
After a playoff hole, it was Kaysen Beaver that emerged victorious, winning the first match of the season. While he was happy getting a win in the first match of the season under his belt, Kaysen Beaver is still eyeing the score of 36 his shot in the competition last summer.
Jossalyn Pentz (Eagle Ridge) won the girls’ Div. IV with a score of 58.
A special addition to this year’s competition is that each golfer was gifted a sleeve of balls, courtesy of the Frank Williams Memorial Golf Tournament.