To view district golf photos, visit the photo gallery at the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/
By Rick Woelfel
LIMERICK—Council Rock North’s special golf season will last at least one more week. The Indians were big winners on Wednesday at the PIAA District One golf championship at Turtle Creek Golf Club.
Brandon Dalinka shot a final-round 73 to win the District One individual title by one shot over Jin Hwang of Radnor. He joined forces with his teammates to claim the team championship as well.
The Indians, who lost just one dual match all season, will represent District One in the PIAA Eastern Regional next Tuesday at Golden Oaks in Fleetwood.
Dalinka, the defending regional champion, will head a group of 14 players who qualified for the Eastern Regional as individuals. That contingent will include seven other Suburban One competitors, including two of Dalinka’s Council Rock North teammates, senior Blayze DiPasquale and freshman Zack Herr.
Dalinka finished the two-day, 36-hole test at 3-over par 147. The junior started the final round with a one-shot lead over Hwang after opening with a 74 in the wind on Tuesday over a course that played to 6,375 yards. He started out in Wednesday’s chilly, but calm conditions with a 1-under par 35 on the front side that featured two birdies, one of them coming at the long par-3 third, which played to 136 yards with a two-tiered green.
“(My shot) landed right next to the pin,” Dalinka said. “It spun back but just stayed on the top tier. I made the putt for birdie to get me back to even (for the round). That got my day going.”
Dalinka birdied the eighth hole to make the turn at one over par for the tournament. He was three under par for the round and one under for the tournament by the time he reached the 15th tee but his game betrayed him down the stretch. He bogeyed the last four holes, including a three-putt at the final green that would have forced a playoff for the district title, save for the fact that Hwang three-putted at the last himself.
“I was in the rough every time,” Dalinka said. “I just couldn’t get it on the green. I did get it on the green at the 18th and I three putted.”
Hwang also finished with a 73 to finish at 148.Russ Hartung of Central Bucks East closed with a 74 to finish at 150 and share third place with Chris Crawford and Joe Gunerman from Holy Ghost Prep. He started the final day two shots off the lead.
“There was a lot less wind (on Wednesday),” he said. That made it a lot easier. The course played pretty much the same, there was just less wind.”
Other Suburban One players who qualified for regionals included Peter Eiler of Council Rock South, who shot a 71 on Wednesday to finish sixth at 153, Colby Lederer from Neshaminy, who tied for seventh at 154, DiPasquale and Herr, who tied for ninth at 155, Ben Cooley of Abington, the Suburban One individual champion, who tied for 11th at 156 and finally Mike Johnson of Hatboro-Horsham, who parred the first hole of a three-way sudden-death playoff to claim the 14th and final regional spot at 157.
Six other Suburban One players survived the 18 hole cut to play on the last day, including Drew Keeling from Neshaminy, Rich Thorpe from Abington, Kevin Webb and Anthony Jagelka from Central Bucks East, Austin Birkey from Council Rock North and Brendan Stewart from Council Rock South.
The team competition, which was held in conjunction with the final round of the individual tournament on Wednesday, was open to one five-player team from each league champion in District One. The four lowest scores counted for each school.
Council Rock North headed the eight-team field with a team total of 20-over par 308. Dalinka’s 73 was supplemented by a 74 from DiPasquale, a 76 from Herr and an 85 from Austin Birkey. Radnor and Holy Ghost shared second place at 311. Kennnett was fourth at 322 and defending champion Hatboro-Horsham was fifth at 326.“We knew we had a good team coming into the season,” Birkey said. “Our goal has been to make it to states and hopefully win.”
The Indians’ depth, which was an asset during the dual-match season, gave them an edge in the district competition.
“Our top three guys (Dalinka, Herr and DiPasquale) are great,” Birkey said. “I just try to hang in there. I know they’re going to post a good score; I just try to go as low as I can.”
“They started the season with the ability,” said Council Rock North coach Rich White, “but you still have to put up a number, and they’ve proven that they can play.
“They’re mature enough to play, and they’ve been to tournaments enough, everybody worked together and it worked out great.”
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Aurora Kan of Chichester successfully defended her district girls’ championship by shooting an even-par 72 on Wednesday to finish the two days at 1-under par 142. Kan, a junior, shot a 1-under par 70 at Gilbertsville in Tuesday’s opening round and was just as sharp on Wednesday. She rolled to a nine-shot win over Jackie Calamaro of Radnor who finished alone in second place at 151. Alex Liu of Lower Merion was third at 153. A total of 12 players survived the 18-hole cut. Seven of them will advance to the Eastern Regional, which will be held simultaneously with the boys’ regional at Golden Oaks.
Only one Suburban One player made the cut. Francesca Ruscio, a junior at Central Bucks East, finished 12th with a two-day total of 185.This marked the first season the Patriots had a girls’ team. They finished third in the team competition Tuesday at Gilbertsville, an event that was won by Mount St. Joseph with a four-player total of 337. Radnor was next with 340 and East was third with a 341. Gwynedd Mercy was fourth with a 369.
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