SOL Golf Championships (9-29-14)

Ben Reese highlights a Pennridge team that captured the wild card spot as well as the three SOL conference winners. To view photos of Monday’s championships, please visit the Photo Gallery…click here.

By Ben Reese

TELFORD — It would be unfair to the other golfers in the Suburban One League to say that the boys’ golf championship belonged to Pennsbury's Vinay Ramesh before a ball was even teed up.

But the Falcon senior was the top of the heap for the entire season. And he didn't disappoint, shooting a 1-under 71 at Indian Valley Country Club to take the medalist crown and also win the National Conference title.

But he wasn't alone. Pennridge's Matt Swartz and Upper Dublin's Michael Reed-Price both shot 1-over 73s to take the Continental and American championships.

Swartz did double duty, playing for himself but also for his Pennridge team. He led the way as the Rams ran away with the wild card team spot for the upcoming district tournament.

Pennridge shot a 301with Swartz's 73 adding to a 74 from Andrew Simpson, Colton Pifer's 75 and Drew Bachtle's 79. The Rams beat second-place Wissahickon in the wild card battle by 19 strokes.

"They played outstanding," said Pennridge coach Tim Rimmer. "It's our home course, and it's they type of stuff we should be doing, but for them to put it all together like that, all in one day, the most important day of the year right now, is fabulous.

"From a confidence level, it will really help them"

Swartz, who is a junior member at Indian Valley, was dead on with his irons.

"I didn't really putt well, but my irons – I hit 17 greens today," he said. "I've played this course over a hundred times so I kind of know everything.

"Senior year, I just wanted to qualify (for districts), but I'll take the 73. I'm finding the rhythm and it just all clicked today."

The 73 is all the more impressive when it is noted that Swartz didn't even play golf three years ago.

"I've only been playing golf for two years on the Pennridge team," he said. "This is my first year for districts. I've only played golf for two and a half years."

Playing in a foursome with his high school teammate Pifer also helped Swartz.

"When me and Colton play together, we get competitive," he said. "I play with other kids on the team and I goof around with them."

Pifer is glad that the Rams will advance to districts as a team.

"I think it's pretty important," he said, "because we kind of had a rough start to our season and we didn't exactly finish in the best way. We had a couple of close matches that we didn't exactly perform our best so that's pretty important to, as a team, finish strong.

"We did pretty well. I didn't really expect us to do this well, but we're happy with the end product."

Neither Swartz nor Reed-Price could keep up with Ramesh. He blazed around the course with only a few hiccups.

"I putted well today," the Pennsbury senior said. "On the sixth hole, I three-putted from three feet and I three-putted on the 13th hole, but besides that I putted very well."

He had some prior knowledge of the Indian Valley course, however. Pennsbury played a non-league match against Pennridge on the track earlier in the year.

"That helped a lot," Ramesh said. "I didn't play the back nine in the match but that helped a lot."

And, unlike some other golfers, he didn't take the victory for granted.

"I wanted to win this," he said. "It's all a process because you've got to do this and then move on to districts and then everybody's got a clean slate.

"This was definitely a goal of mine. I wanted to win, that's for sure."

Can he win out?

"It would be nice but I think you want to take it one tournament at a time, one round at a time," Ramesh said. "States is really the one you want to win. Districts and regionals, the main goal is to advance."

Obviously, the pressure of leading and eventually winning the SOL tournament didn't get to Ramesh.

"I played in the Junior PGA Championship this year and that's the elite of the elite," he explained. "After I played that, I think, I don't need to feel much pressure.

"I felt a lot of pressure when I played there. That was the best field I ever played in."

Pennsbury coach Glenn Goldsborough knows what kind of player he has.

"He's a confident player now," the coach said. "He's been out playing in the AJGA at tournaments, and he knows how to get himself out of trouble.

"He's comfortable playing in these types of situations. He's much more relaxed when he plays."

Reed-Price got a two-stroke victory in the American Conference race, edging teammate Cole Swiger.

"I guess I just wanted to have a good round," he said. "I think coming into the district tournament next week, I guess I wanted to show myself that I could shoot a good round that would maybe get me to districts.

"Districts are a lot more competitive. It's tougher to get through.

"I wanted to play well, which I did. I knew if I played well, I could maybe give it a run (for the medalist).

"I knew it would be cool to win, but since I made it to districts, that's fine, for now. No complaints."

He also liked playing at Indian Valley, for a very special reason.

"It's not a really difficult course," he said. "It's the same designer as my home course, Sunnybrook.

"It's very 'my style.' I can hit my driver all over the place and then hit a recovery shot onto the green and make some putts.

"It's nice to not have to worry about too much out-of-bounds. I like courses like this."

Reed-Price won the Montgomery County Junior Amateur this past summer and he thinks it helped him.

"The other tournaments I've won have not been as high a level of competition," he said. "It was fun to win something that meant something.

"It's nice to play well all the time, but it's nice to play well in tournaments that are more competitive and mean more.

"In the past year, I've put myself in a lot more pressure situations. As time goes on, I've gotten better at handling it, kind of staying in my own head and not stressing out on the course."

The stress will get a little bit higher next week. The District One tournament for the boys will be played at Turtle Creek on Monday, Oct. 6 and Tuesday, Oct. 7.

That will lead up to the Eastern Regionals at Golden Oaks in Fleetwood on Tuesday, Oct. 14, and the PIAA Championships at Heritage Hills in York on Monday, Oct. 20 and Tuesday, Oct 21.

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