Northern Ohio Juniors split Fourball Matches; Junior Ohio Cup tied heading into Sunday Singles
A late entry and a late victory were the big stories on the first day of the second Junior Ohio Cup at the stoic Columbus Country Club on Saturday.
The eight Fourball matches ended with two victories apiece and a 4-4 tie heading into Sunday’s 16 singles matches between junior players from the Northern Ohio PGA and their counterparts from the Southern Ohio Section.
Quite the contrast from last year’s initial contest at Westfield Country Club when the NOPGA opened a monstrous lead on the first day and cruised to a 16-8 victory.
The even score wasn’t the only contrast. Last year’s tournament was played under deplorable weather conditions. Saturday’s weather was perfect, with little or no wind, temperatures in the mid-70s and dry.
Last year, it was rain gear, stocking caps, and hand warmers. Saturday, there were short sleeves and shorts for many players. The ideal conditions led to some stellar play.
“I thought the quality of golf out there was exceptional,” said NOPGA Captain Drew Pierson. “In most of the matches, birdies were winning holes, and it was fun to see things were so competitive. I think the SOPGA has a stronger team this year so it will be important for us to get off to a fast start in the singles.”
And unlike last year when the NOPGA girls carried the load by staking their team to a first day lead of 6.5 to 1.5 and eventually accounting for 11.5 of the team’s 16 points – they won two of their four matches in the opener.
It is going to take a full team effort to win again.
The teams of Craig Carneval + Jackson Sommers and Aryan Ahlawat + Silas Kirkpatrick won for the NOPGA boys. Kayla Knaze + Annelise Stencel and Gianna Reginelli + Emerson Glending won for the girls.
Carneval, son of former LPGA Tour Pro Janice Moodie, and Sommers are accustomed to playing together as they were teammates on the St. Ignatius team. They defeated Aidan Fischer + Jack Hutcheson, a four-time winner on the SOPGA circuit this summer, 3-and-2.
Ahlawat (Broadview Heights) and Kirkpatrick (Clinton) came from behind on the back nine to defeat Casey Colton + Jakob Allen, also at 3-and-2.
Kirkpatrick, a junior at Green High, could be the story of the tournament. He was not on the original team list but answered an SOS from NOPGA Junior Golf Coordinator Haleigh Gray on Thursday when Julian Dugan dropped out.
“I was on my way to practice with my dad when my mom called and said I had a phone call from Haleigh and she told me I had to come down here and play,” said Kirkpatrick, who had three top-10 finishes this summer, including a tie for first in the Junior Tour Championship at Club Walden. “I was ready. It felt amazing and I was excited to get the call. I was caught a little off guard but mostly excited to come here and play. So, I checked to see how much homework I had and threw it all in my backpack and stuck it in the truck and came down here.”
In true storybook fashion, Kirkpatrick’s par on the 16th hole closed out the match.
“It was a tough match but we played well on the back nine and were able to close it out,” he said. “I’ve never played this format before, but I really enjoyed it quite a bit. Looking forward to playing tomorrow.”
Reginelli, a fourth-place finisher in last week’s state tournament, teamed with her St. Joseph Academy teammate Glending to win the last match on the course and earn the tie-clinching point.
They were even with Katelyn Miley + Ava Bressler for most of the day but a Reginelli par on the 438-yard 15th put them 1-up. Both girls had birdie putts but Reginelli lagged her downhill putt from about 18 feet to four inches. Miley and Bressler made bogey.
They halved the 16th with pars and then Reginelli closed it out a par on the 113-yard 17th when she chipped to about two feet and the SOPGA team had bunker trouble.
“Man, that was nerve-wracking,” said assistant captain Jimmy Beers. “I was worried about that down-hiller on 15.”
The team of Knaze and Stencel caught the NOPGA on the board first with a 7-and-6 win over Grace Boone + Cadence Monroe-McCoy. Knaze and Stencel won the first five holes and eight of the first 10.
“That was important to get us on the board,” said Pierson.
So, Sunday’s singles matches will tell the story. Unlike last year. It might be a team event but the individual play will write the finish.
PHOTO GALLERY: 2024 Junior Ohio Cup RD1 >
DAY 1 RESULTS: Northern Ohio PGA
2024 Junior Ohio Cup
Columbus Country Club, Columbus, Ohio
Saturday, October 19, 2024
FOURBALL RESULTS
BOYS:
Peyton Lawley-Israel Coblenz (SOPGA) def. Daniel Garbone-Jacob Rainieri, 2-and-1;
Braylen Haney-Lucas Massa (SOPGA)M def. Dexter James-Fitch Farina, 1-up;
Craig Carneval-Jackson Sommer (NOPGA) def. Jack Hutcheson-Aidan Fischer, 3-and-2;
Aryan Ahlawat-Silas Kirkpatrick (NOPGA) def. Casey Colton-Jakob Allen, 3-and-2.
GIRLS:
Meadow Tian-Aubrey Arnold (SOPGA) def. Serena Wu-Julia Van Bokkelen, 4-and-3;
Caroline Ziegler-Taylor Stringfield (SOPGA) def. Ellie Gonzalez-Ribble-Yumi Kohara, 3-and-2;
Kayla Knaze-Annelise Stencel (NOPGA) def. Grace Boone-Cadence Monroe-McCoy, 7-and-6;
Gianna Reginelli-Emerson Glending (NOPGA) def. Kayelyn Miley-Ava Bressler, 2-and-1.
SUNDAY SINGLES PAIRINGS
(NOPGA Junior listed first)
9:00 am: Van Bokkelen vs. Bressler
9:08: Ahlawat vs. Allen
9:16: Kohara vs. Stringfield
9:24: Sommer vs. Colton
9:32: Glending vs. Monroe-McCoy
9:40: James vs. Coblentz
9:48: Gonzalez-Ribble vs. Arnold
9:56: Farina vs. Fischer
10:04: Stencel vs. Boone
10:12: Rainieri vs. Massa
10:20: Reginelli vs. Miley
10:28: Carneval vs. Haney
10:36: Wu vs.Ziegler
10:42: Kirkpatrick vs. Hutcheson
10:50: Knaze vs. Tian
10:58: Gambone vs. Lawley
