Thirty-nine SOL golfers qualified for the District One Tournament. Ben Reese features the top finishers. Photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery of photos.
By Ben Reese
It could have been an upsetting situation for the golfers, who were all trying to play well enough to qualify for the District One tournament next week at Turtle Creek.
Two golfers weren’t bothered in the least by Tuesday’s morning’s downpour. They both managed to finish the day under par, the only players below 71.
Christian Matt of Wissahickon and Kevin Lydon of Central Bucks West kept their wits about them, and when the rain stopped, they finished off their rounds with a 68 and a 70 respectively.
Matt, a senior, was enthusiastic about his victory.
“It feels great,” he said. “I’ve played all four years and I’ve always wanted to win this one.
“I knew I could do it. I made a couple of birdies early and I was confident all day, so it feels good.”
Lydon accepted his runner-up spot graciously.
“I’m pretty happy with it (second place),” he said. “It’s going to give me momentum going into next week.”
OK, guys, how about the rain? Did it bother you at all?
“Not at all,” said Matt. “Me and my friends on my team, we were all playing foosball, having a good time in the rain.”
How about you, Kevin?
“No. I put in my headphones and stayed focused.”
Truth be told, it didn’t seem to bother anyone. In fact, the rain probably helped some players shoot better scores.
While it did make it more difficult to get much roll on drives, the rain did soften up the greens, giving the golfers a chance to shoot right for the pin.
Both Matt and Lydon were pleased with their rounds and the way they navigated the course.
“I was hitting my irons really close,” Matt said. “I was playing smart golf, not going for too much. I made a couple of putts that were really big.”
For Lydon, it was his ability to hit the ball well that was key.
“My ball-striking was really good,” he said, “and making some putts. The one that wasn’t working was off the tee.”
He also had trouble on the next to last hole of the day, No. 17. He took a double-bogey five on the par 3.
“I made one bad mistake on 17 which cost me two strokes,” he said. “I put it in the water.
“The wind started blowing and I made a five. It’s definitely not the easiest hole on the golf course.”
The two will lead the attack for the Suburban One League at the districts. They both are confident that they will do well there.
“I proved to myself that I could take it low, shoot a couple under,” said Matt. “I know at districts if you want to win you’ve got to do that.
“Going into districts, I’m pretty confident that I can shoot a low number and compete and maybe get a win.”
This is the third trip to districts for Lydon. He made it through in his sophomore year, reaching regionals.
“I made four birdies, played great and I’m just going to be mentally prepared for next week,” he said. “I think this is going to help me mentally.”
Quakertown sophomore Nick Joyce shot a 73 to finish third and also ensured his spot in the record books with the highest individual finish in program history.
“Nick has been a valuable member of the team since the day he joined,” Quakertown coach Steve Oltman said. “He has shown great maturity this year and has truly been a leader for us. He is very steady with his overall game and never lets a down hole affect him.
“He has led by example this entire season and has really helped fuel the resurgent golf program at Quakertown. This top three finish at the conference championship truly underscores his value to our program.”
In addition to Matt and Lydon, 37 other SOL golfers have advanced. The last ones to make the cut were six of the eight golfers who tied at 81.
In the playoff for the final six spots, Reese Dalzell of CB West, Quinn Marett of North Penn, Upper Dublin’s Zach Holmlund, Joey Carlin of CB South, Aiden Scott of Souderton and Council Rock North’s John Peace all moved on
District Qualifiers
Christian Matt, Wissahickon 68
Kevin Lydon, CB West 70
Nick Joyce, Quakertown 73
John Lee, CB West 74
Alex Feraco CB West 74
Nick Riscica, CR North 74
Ryan Quinn, CB West 74
Tyler Thrutchley, CR North 74
Noah Moelter, CB South 75
Chase Feraco, CB West 76
Andrew Beiter, Wissahickon 76
Kevin Roberts, CR North 76
Chandler Wood, CB East 76
Justin Pileggi, North Penn 77
Alex McCauley, Upper Dublin 77
Justin CHong, Hatboro-Horsham 77
Jack Graboski, Souderton 77
Jacob Dommel, Souderton 77
Evan Rosenstein, PW 78
Connor Toussaint, North Penn 78
Sebastian Botero, Abington 78
Justin Kim, Upper Dublin 78
Bo Meakim, Upper Moreland 79
Jeff Seiler, Pennridge 79
Jackson Freeman, Pennsbury 79
Josh Kim, North Penn 79
Nate Wiseman, New Hope 79
A.J. Molnar,CB East 79
Charlie Kerprich, Upper Dublin 80
Cole Coffee, Upper Dublin 80
Ruiraih Sutherland, Upper Dublin 80
Brendan Reilly, CB South 80
Adam Fluehr, Springfield 80
John Hoderny, CB East 80
Reese Dalzell, CB West 81
Quinn Marett, North Penn 81
Zach Holmlund, Upper Dublin 81
Joey Carlin, CB South 81
Aidan Scott, Souderton 81
John Peace, CR North 81
- Log in to post comments
