OLEAN — After five straight weeks of events, the Penn-York Junior Golf League reached its conclusion with Griffin Nelson and Makenna Heckman taking home top honors.
As a result of their consistent performances throughout the month of July, Nelson (Cardinal Hills) and Heckman (Pennhills) were named Div. I overall points winners. At Bartlett Country Club in Olean, the league’s final stop of the season, Nelson ended with a score of 80 and a fourth place finish, but still secured enough points to grab the title.
Ever since the first week of the event, Nelson has sought out consistency, and being named the overall points winner has spoken to that dedication, according to him. He is also grateful for what he has experienced with the league this summer and how it has helped prepare him for the future.
“It’s really good just to get that tough competition and get used to that experience,” Nelson said. “I’ve been lucky enough to play three playoffs. That’s pretty good for the future, going into big tournaments.”
An award that did slip out of Nelson’s hands on the final day was the Most Outstanding Golfer Award, given to the Boys Div.I golfer that finished the summer with the lowest average score. After five weeks’ worth of events, Nelson and Bartlett’s own Michael Peterson were tied with an average score of 77.5, which forced a playoff.
After two holes, Peterson edged out the award which, according to him, is a testament to his prolonged efforts to improve.
“It’s the hard work I put into it,” Peterson said. “It just kind of shows having the best average. It’s pretty sweet. Finishing off in the playoffs to get it done, it was pretty awesome.”
Peterson finished the day at Bartlett with a score of 77 and a second-place finish.
Despite collecting two of the summer’s top awards, neither Nelson nor Peterson ended up with the week’s overall win for the Boys Div. I. Instead, that belonged to another Bartlett golfer in Ryan Lechner who shot a 76 on the day.
Lecnher credited a lot of the consistency he has had over the last number of weeks to the new driver head he has been utilizing. He also stressed the importance of never taking himself out of a hole and doing whatever necessary to stay in the fight.
“I struck driver the best I have in the last few weeks, just crazy good,” Lechner said. “Putting was super good too. I always had a good comeback putt if I had a bad first one, and just never really got myself out of a hole.”
As for the Girls Div. I awards, Heckman collected both the week’s win along with the league’s overall points title. The Pennhills golfer finished with a score of 39 after nine holes, five strokes ahead of second-place finisher Rylee Thompson (44).
Much like Nelson, consistency was a big factor in Heckman’s ambitions for the summer league.
“That is the most important part of my game,” Heckman said. “I practice so much just to build that consistency of every shot, just being right where I want it to be.”
In the Boys Div. II, Matthew Beaver (Cardinal Hills) walked away with a summer sweep as he finished atop the division standings for the fifth straight week, this time with a score of 77. This, of course, led him to win the Boys Div. II overall points title. Cameron Bartman (Bartlett) finished in second with a score of 87.
As for the Boys Div.III, Donovan Palumbo (Emporium) secured the division’s overall points title. He also won the week after defeating second-place finisher Kael Riekofsky of Smethport in a playoff after both finished nine holes with a score of 48.
In the Girls Div. III, Molly Leslie (Bartlett) won the day’s event with a score of 66 on nine holes. She was also the overall points winner for the division. Finishing behind her was Kennedy Honeck (Allegany) with a score of 72.
Keegan Smith’s (Bavarian Hills) score of 41 on nine holes was good for the win on the week in the Boys Div.IV. He also finished as the overall points winner for the division. In second place was Kaysen Beaver (Cardinal Hills) with a score of 44.
The Girls Div. IV was won by Jossalyn Pentz (Eagle Ridge) who shot a 70 on the day.
After the final day of the league, the 16 boys golfers that finished with the best averages on the summer automatically qualified to take part in the Men’s Amateur Qualifiers at Bartlett Country Club on Wednesday. Of them were Peterson, Owen Wright (Cardinal Hills), Nelson, Lechner, Tyler Salvaggio (Cardinal Hills), Levi Howard (Smethport), Jared Obenrader (Bona’s), Phinn Chamberlain (Kane), Louie Nedzinski (Bavarian Hills), Matthew Beaver, Bartman, Liam McArdle (Caledonia), Jared Day (Spruce Ridge), Anderson Wiltsey (Allegany Hills), Karsen Padlo (Bartlett) and Riekofsky.
BOYS
DIVISION I (16-18)
1. R. Lechner (Bartlett) 76
2. M. Peterson (Bartlett) 77
3. T. Salvaggio (Cardinal Hills) 79
4. G. Nelson (Cardinal Hills) 80
5. O. Wright (Cardinal Hills) 81
T-6. L. Nedzinski (Bavarian Hills) 84
T-6. P. Chamberlain (Kane) 84
8. L. Howard (Smethport) 87
9. K. Padlo (Bartlett) 88
T-10. J. Obenrader (Bona’s) 89
T-10. E. Bailey (Wellsville) 89
DIVISION II (14-15)
1. M. Beaver (Cardinal Hills) 77
2. C. Bartman (Bartlett) 87
3. L. McArdle (Caledonia) 87
4. C. Backus (Caledonia) 94
5. K. Caskey (Bavarian Hills) 95
T-6. J. Bell (Pine Acres) 105
T-6. J. LaCroix (Elkdale) 105
8. C. Kahm (Moonbrook) 106
T-9. N Perkins (Bolivar) 112
T-9. E. Sarvaiya (South Hills) 112
DIVISION III (12-13)
(9 holes)
1. D. Palumbo (Emporium) 48
2. K. Riekofsky (Smethport) 48
3. C. Lineman (Pennhills) 49
4. E. Myers (Pennhills) 50
5. K. Caskey (Bavarian Hills) 51
6. D. Martin (Smethport) 55
7. A. Leet (Pine Acres) 57
8. C. Lundgren (Pennhills) 58
9. A. Rupp (Rolling Acres) 62
10. L. Vecchio (Bartlett) 64
DIVISION IV (11-under)
(9 holes, modified)
1. K. Smith (Bavarian Hills) 41
2. K. Beaver (Cardinal Hills) 44
3. G. Blocher (Bartlett) 47
4. K. Caskey (Bavarian Hills) 48
5. A. Wade (Elkdale) 50
T-6. H. Honeck (Bartlett) 54
T-6. G. Beaver (Cardinal Hills) 54
8. T. Johnson (Elkdale) 55
9. K. McArdle (Caledonia) 56
10. C. Beaver (Cardinal Hills) 61
GIRLS
DIVISION I (14-18)
(9 holes)
1. M. Heckman (Pennhills) 39
2. R. Thompson (Bolivar) 44
3. R. Lineman (Pennhills) 45
4. S. Krise (Bavarian Hills) 55
DIVISION III (12-13)
(9 holes)
1. M. Leslie (Bartlett) 66
2. J. Pentz (Eagle Ridge) 70
3. K. Honeck (Bartlett) 72
T-4. C. Obergfell (Olean) 80
T-4. S. Vecchio (Bartlett) 80
6. C. Wilson (Bartlett) 81
7. A. SIkora (Orchard Park) 82
8. B. Johnson (Bartlett) 87
9. A Henzel (Bartlett) 90
