Ben Reese recaps the performances of SOL golfers at the PIAA Golf Championship.
By Ben Reese
YORK -- The reign of the Suburban One League and District One in the PIAA Golf Championship has ended.
After three straight years with one state champion each year, there are none in 2015. Previously, Council Rock North's Erica Herr won two girls’ titles, and last year Vinay Ramesh from Pennsbury won the boys crown.
This year, the boys tournament was won by Steve Cerbera of Holy Ghost Prep with a 75-74--147. The girls crown went to Brynn Walker of Radner with a 76-74--150, her second straight championship.
However, the Suburban One League wasn't shut out of medals. Upper Dublin's Jack Melville finished in a tie for ninth at 154, and on the girls’ side, Maddy Herr of Council Rock North tied for fourth at 155.
Souderton's Quinn Guzman finished in a tie for 18th at 160; Jake Fitts of Central Bucks South was tied for 26th at 164; David Kim of Upper Dublin was tied for 32nd at 165; and Council Rock North's Lauren Muhlbauer finished 16th at 175.
Melville had the most positive experience with his tie for ninth. He returned to his usual form on the second day with a 74 to go with his opening day 80.
"I played really well," Melville said. "I stayed out of trouble.
"I was around the fairways a lot and around the greens. I was making a lot of pars."
Herr also had a good second day -- after making an adjustment after her first nine holes.
"I was 6 over after the front and I was having a tough time putting and trusting my short game," she said. "I was over-reading my putts a little bit, and then I got to the back and said 'It's a new nine,' and I 1-putted every hole but three on the back.
"I had one hole where I 4-putted and I lost a bit of confidence and was a little unsure on the greens. I got to the next nine and I said 'We're starting over,' and 'By now, you should know how they are rolling.' "
It must have worked. She shot a 6-over 42 on the front nine and followed that with a 1-under 35 on the back.
Several of the golfers' scores ballooned on the second day. Guzman followed his first-round 74 with an 86; Kim went from an 80 on the first day to an 85 on the second; and Muhlbauer added a 90 to her opening-day 85.
Fitts went the other way. He opened with an 85 on the first day and then shot 79 on the second.
"The course is a little weird," he said. "I got used to it the second day.
"The greens are tough and they really slope and if you're not below the hole it's not fun to play.
"My back nine I didn't play too well. I didn't putt well and just didn't hit the ball well.
"My second nine, I played better. I hit most of the greens and was below the hole and putted better."
Fitts wasn't alone in his assessment of the greens. Some of the other SOL golfers had thoughts about them.
"The greens were pretty quick," said Melville. "There were some tough pins.
"If you were on the wrong side of the green, you could be looking at a longer putt coming back. I was always on the right side."
"Some of the pins today were a little crazy," Fitts said. "There were a couple where I hit putts up the hill and they came back a couple feet."
"They were just as fast as Golden Oaks," said Kim, "except they sloped more. You had to be really on and I wasn't."
There was a dissenter, however.
"Excuses," said Guzman. "Yeah, I left myself in nasty spots, which left nasty putts, but you've got to know the greens and know where to leave yourself."
Kim might have had the roughest day for the boys.
"Real tough (day)," he said. "Glad it's over.
"The first round wasn't bad. I started with an eight but other than that it was fine. This round I couldn't get anything going."
On the girls side, Muhlbauer had a similar reaction.
"I obviously had nothing out there," she said. "I went out there with a lot of confidence and I think after I started off with a lot of bogies and I still stayed strong, but I couldn't make any putts and it just got worse the last five holes."
The one thing everyone could agree on was the experience of playing in the state tournament.
That experience for Herr was different than for just about everyone else. This was her fourth trip to states.
"I think it's pretty cool," she said, "because Zach (her older brother) was here four years and Erica was here four years and I've been here four years."
For Melville, it was a dream come true.
"It felt great," he said of the feeling of playing at the state level. "It's a select group here so I'm honored to be here.
"This was definitely a goal. When I was a freshman, I didn't even get by Suburbans so I was, like, if I could just make it to states one year, my senior year, that would be special. And it came true."
Kim, the only junior in the bunch, knew he had a chance to come back next year.
"I just wish I could have played better," he said, "but I'm just happy that I made it. Hopefully, I'll make it next year. I think I can take some positives out of this and, if I make it next year, I can use what I learned today."
For Guzman, it was just the enjoyment.
"I had so much fun," he said. "I'm going to leave smiling.
"The score is just a number. It doesn't reflect that much.
"It reflects how you played in those 4 1/2 to 5 hours. I prepared hard so I'm going to leave smiling because I had a great time."
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