Three SOL golfers – North Penn’s Ron Robinson, Upper Dublin’s David Kim and Wissahickon’s Cristea Park - advanced to the PIAA Golf Championships.
By Ben Reese
FLEETWOOD -- Ron Robinson has a busy few days coming up.
The North Penn senior has been selected as a member of the Golf Association of Philadelphia's team for the Mason-Dixon Matches Golf Tournament to be held on Oct. 22-23 at the Baltimore Country Club East in Timonium, MD.
Each team is comprised of two seniors, one junior (Robinson) and nine players at large. The two teams will play four-ball matches on Saturday and individual match play matches on Sunday.
Oh, by the way, Robinson's busy schedule will also include a trip to Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York to play in the PIAA Golf Championship on Monday, Oct. 24, and Tuesday, Oct. 25. On Wednesday, Robinson will probably need some rest.
He qualified for states by shooting a 73 on the par-72 Golden Oaks Golf Club course. Robinson will be joined in York by Upper Dublin senior David Kim (74) and Wissahickon sophomore Cristea Park (82).
The medalist for the boys was Ben Pochet of Spring-Ford with a 5-under 67. The top girl was Saamanthat Yao of Conestoga with a 71.
The day didn't start out well for Robinson. He double bogeyed his first hole, the sixth hole.
"On the double, I actually hit an OK drive and I had 160 (to the green) and I hit an 8-iron and I flew the green," Robinson said. "It wasn't that bad of a shot. I think I just caught a flyer.
"I wasn't too upset because I knew I had a lot of golf to play. I knew if I played solid I would still be OK."
Robinson didn't get out of the regionals last year but knew there was a difference between this year and last.
"The putting," he said. "I had one three-putt and that was from 60 feet. I felt like I could make everything inside of 10 feet."
OK, for a player with as much experience as you have, you weren't worried, were you?
"On the first tee, I was really nervous," Robinson admitted. "My hands were shaking.
"After that, I said 'OK, you've got to stop messing around and get to work.' "
That obviously got things going in the right direction. That direction now is toward York.
"My goal is to contend and possibly win (states)," said Robinson. "I've known that from the beginning, and like I said last week, this is another step in the process.
"I know my game's a lot better than it was last year. I'm a very confident person so I know what I'm capable of doing."
As demonstrated by his 73.
The most surprised qualifier has to be Park. In her first taste of districts and regionals, she has continued to play well.
Park had to survive a playoff to advance to states. Five girls shot an 82, but there were only three places remaining to be filled (the boys advanced 24 golfers and the girls 12).
She parred the first hole - the 18th, and one girl was eliminated on that hole. And then she parred the 10th hole while the other three bogeyed it.
"I feel happy," Park said. "I feel nervous right now."
Were you more nervous before your first tee shot of the day or before the tee shot on the first playoff hole?
"The playoff, definitely," she said. "I was prepared for the first tee shot but I knew I could make that up. This is like either you do it or you don't."
Park is certain of one thing - she's glad she has made it to states.
"I kind of don't believe it," she said. "I wish I had played better today so I didn't have to go through that (the playoff).
"Eighty-two isn't too bad. I hope I can go under that next time."
Then she was reminded that by going to states she will get two more days off from school.
"But that's a lot more tests to make up," she said.
This is becoming old hat for Kim. He has torn up Golden Oaks and moved on to states twice now.
In 2015, he fired a 1-under 71 in the regionals but stumbled at states. This year, he turned in a 73 and isn't looking to stumble again.
"I'm excited to go back again and give it another shot because last year I didn't play so well," Kim said. "I'm just glad I'm going back again."
He really likes the Golden Oaks course. After all, he has been 1-over and 1-under in his two appearances there.
"It just fits my eye," Kim said of Golden Oaks. "I kind like the firmness because then it's just driver, wedge.
"You need to hit a lot of draws on this course and that's kind of my shot. I like how fast the greens are."
How about Heritage Hills?
"It's a tough course," he acknowledged. "It's obviously not my favorite course but it's an interesting one."
Despite his score, Kim wasn't totally enamored with his play.
"I think I only hit half the amount of fairways I hit last year," he said. "I scrambled a lot and made a lot of par putts."
Unfortunately, Robinson, Park and Kim are the only three Suburban One League golfers to advance. The other five who reached regionals didn't fare as well.
North Penn's Andrew Lombardo shot a 78 and missed the cut by two strokes. Shane Nocito of Truman and Council Rock North's Conner Welles both shot 84.
For the girls, Cassidy Gavaghan of Hatboro-Horsham shot an 84, two strokes off the cut of 82, and Central Bucks East's Sophia Mancuso shot a 94.
The PIAA Golf Championship will take place Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 24 and 25, at Heritage Hills Golf Resort. Tee off times for both days will be at 8:30 a.m. The team championship will be played Wednesday, Oct. 26.
PIAA Eastern Regional Boys’ Golf Tournament
Golden Oaks GC, Par 72
PIAA Qualifiers
1. Ben Pochet (Spring-Ford) 72
2. JT Spina (Pope John Paul II) 70
2. Sam Beauregard (Manheim Twp) 70
4. Wills Montgomery (Downingtown East) 71
4. Victor Tavares (Nazareth) 71
6. Joe Parrini (Central York) 72
6. Caleb Ryan (Norristown) 72
6. Alex Pillar (Wallenpaupack) 72
6. Alex Seelig (Exeter) 72
6. Campbell Wolf (Cumberland Valley) 72
11. Luke Shevlin (Rustin) 73
11. Kyle Vance (Methacton) 73
11. Luke Hoffnagle (Spring Grove) 73
11. David Kim (Upper Dublin) 73
11. Ron Robinson (North Penn) 73
16. Nick Gianelos (Unionville) 74
16. Timmy Cooper (Central Dauphin) 74
16. Kevin Scherr (Nazareth) 74
19. Carson Bacha (Central York) 75
19. Thomas Lakata (Allentown Central Catholic) 75
21. Ryan Conners (Bishop Shanahan) 76*
21. Eric Cichocki (Emmaus) 76*
21. Evan Greenplate (Dallastown) 76*
21. Blake Sebring (Dallastown) 76*
*Advanced to PIAA Tournament after playoff
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