Central Bucks West captured the Pinecrest Invitational title on Thursday, edging North Penn by one stroke. To view photos of Thursday’s action, please visit the Photo Gallery by clicking on the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/g/golf
MONTGOMERYVILLE – Tyler Sokolis has had himself quite an August.
Just over a week ago, the Central Bucks West junior captured the title of the Junior Club Championship at Commonwealth National Golf Club.
For an encore, he not only helped lead his West squad to the title of Thursday’s Pinecrest Invitational, he also won the individual crown, shooting a par four to win a one-hole playoff after finishing in a five-way tie for first with a 78.
“It was tough,” Sokolis said. “There was a lot of pressure – heart beating, chest pumping a lot, but I came through it and came up with the win.
“This is the second tournament I’ve won, but for me, there’s still nervousness whenever I step on the first tee. It’s been a great couple of weeks. I love coming out here and playing.”
Sokolis was even more pleased to see his team earn the title.
“We’re a really young team,” he said. “We lost six seniors from last year’s team. We won our first match on Monday, and for us to come out and win this is just incredible.
“It’s a great confidence builder.”
No one’s confidence received a bigger boost than freshman Troy Thierolf, whose 36 on the back down proved to be the difference in the match. The Bucks finished with a total of 510 while North Penn was one stroke behind with a 511.
“He (Thierolf) has struggled in his last few matches, and for him to come out and shoot a 36 on the back and we won by one stroke – every stroke counts, and for him to come out and shoot a 36 as a freshman is incredible,” Sokolis said. “He’ll be on this team for four years. He’ll be a great part of it.”
Thierolf was in the final group of the day, and it looked as though North Penn had a lock on the title with a five-stroke lead over the Bucks heading into the back nine.
That’s when Thierolf found his stride, shooting a 36 after struggling to a 46 on the front nine to finish the day with an 82.
“I thought my 46 in the beginning was pretty bad, but I came back and finished strong with a 36,” Thierolf said. “I was hitting my drives better. I was hitting the fairway, hitting them a lot longer. I guess I had more confidence in myself.”
The first-year varsity player acknowledged that he knew he was onto something special.
“I can’t lie,” he said. “I obviously knew after I made my first birdie on my third or fourth hole of the back nine, but I just tried to play it safe and just make par.
“I just want to earn the respect of the other players – I don’t want to make varsity and then not show for it.”
Thierolf’s dazzling finish led to a heartbreaking ending for the Knights, who had three players shoot under 80. Alex Acciani and Kush Jituri both found themselves in the playoff after shooting a 78. Cole Adams was not far behind with a 79.
“They played well, but two of them triple bogeyed the last hole, and the other low guy triple bogeyed the last three holes,” North Penn coach Dave DiValentino said. “It’s a long day out there. It takes a lot of focus and concentration, and you have to be able to hold it to the wire.
“It just goes to show you that this is a team sport even though it’s so individualistic, and when it comes down to it, it’s a team sport. Unfortunately, they can’t all be on the same hole at the same time, so they have to be able to focus and get the job done.”
Souderton had a pair of players – Alejandro Velez and Bryce McMichael - shoot a 78 and advance to the one-hole playoff. The Indians were minus three of their top eight players on Thursday, two because of a school function and one because of illness. The Indians finished third with a score of 523. Lansdale Catholic finished fourth with a total of 544.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 510
Tyler Sokolis (40-38) 78
Troy Thierolf (46-36) 82
Sean Ebert (41-41) 82
Andrew Coleman (44-45) 89
Brian White (44-45) 89
Steve Natto (47-43) 90
NORTH PENN 511
Alex Acciani (40-38) 78
Kush Jituri (39-39) 78
Cole Adams (37-42) 79
Mason Pippert (46-43) 89
Alex Houpt (46-47) 93
Pat Geiger (45-49) 94
SOUDERTON 523
Alejandro Velez (41-37) 78
Bryce McMichael (39-39) 78
Clay Anders (43-43) 88
Quinn Guzman (45-47) 93
Dan Heilemann (46-47) 93
Lenny Welch (41-53) 94
LANSDALE CATHOLIC
Jeff Wysocki (42-41) 83
Chris Heuer (44-42) 86
Craig Hill (50-42) 92
Brian Gilmartin (47-46) 93
Dan Green (47-48) 95
Joe Marinari (48-47) 95
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