PIAA Regional Golf Notebook

CB West’s Sean Ebert has had a big postseason. Ben Reese recaps some of the regional highlights.

By Ben Reese

Sean Ebert might be the most unlikely participant in the PIAA Golf Championships next week.

That is not to cast aspersions on his golfing talent but …

After all, the Central Bucks West senior had never gotten past the Suburban One League championships before this season when he tied for 12th in the SOL, tied for 11th in the District One tourney and tied for ninth in the Eastern Regional.

“This postseason has been just unreal,” Ebert said after the numbers had been posted at the end of the regional tournament. “Between districts and this it's been so much fun.”

Fun is what golf should be at this level. And Ebert is enjoying every minute of it.

He finished off his round at districts with a 4-putt and a chip-in for a birdie. He finished his round at regionals with a 5-putt and a chip-in.

“That's consistency,” Evert said with a laugh. “It's been unreal the way I've been playing right now. It's been really fun.”

But it hasn't come without some sacrifices on his part.

“I worked really hard over the summertime,” Ebert said. “I've been working hard, but it's just been a blast.

“It's just being really consistent, the way I've been playing and just minimizing the big scores on the course.”

Even with the state playoffs coming in less than a week, Ebert has other things on his mind beside golf. He's trying to figure out where he will be attending college next year.

“I'm still applying to some schools,” he said. “I've got to get in contact with some coaches.

“I really like Penn State but I'm not sure I can play for them but I just like the school. Maybe Coastal Carolina or West Chester or Millersville or somewhere.”

With the kind of postseason that Ebert is having, some college will be getting a gem.

Throw the flag:Council Rock North's Zach Herr shot a 75 at the Eastern Regional tournament at Golden Oaks on Tuesday. But his scorecard showed a 77.

It seems that he was penalized two strokes on the 16th hole for throwing his club. It was a decision that Herr didn't agree with.

“I didn't think it was that bad,” he said Tuesday evening. “It wasn't out of anger. I wasn't frustrated.

“It wasn't really a bad shot that I hit. I got my divot, replaced my divot.”

But he also tossed his club in the direction of his golf bag. And the monitor (the person who was keeping the score for the foursome) felt it was done in anger and penalized him.

Council Rock North coach Rich White explained what happened.

“According to the rules of golf, the player cannot in anger throw a club,” White said after the completion of the regional tourney. “Regardless of which direction it goes or what its target is, you can't throw a club in anger.

“It was the monitor's interpretation that Zach's putting the club toward his bag was done in anger. If it is just tossed over there and not in anger, you're not assessed a penalty.

“That's a judgment call that the monitor made that the staff here (the PIAA officials running the tournament) had no choice but to honor.”

“I got a two-shot penalty and I added that to my score and I'm still in (the state playoffs),” Herr said.

Good shots:Pennsbury's Jackie Rogowicz almost had the shot of the day on Tuesday. On the ninth hole, a par-3 over water, her shot went right over the flag stick and stopped about three inches behind the cup.

However, the shot of the tournament belonged to Selena Cerra of Holy Cross. Cerra fired a hole-in-one on the 13th hole, a 128-yard par-3. Cerra rode that shot – and a lot of other good ones – to the Class AA regional title.

Zach Herr had been having trouble with his putting until he hit the ninth hole. He rolled in a 20-footer for a birdie, which helped his round get going.

“Until that point, I hadn't really had a good birdie opportunity,” Herr said. “I parred both the par-5s so I was kind of chugging along hoping something would drop.

“I hit that thing so hard and it caught the center (of the cup) and fell in. That got me going.”

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