CR North’s Erica Herr captured gold at the PIAA Eastern Regioinal Golf Tournament on Tuesday. Wissahickon’s Jalen Griffin finished third on the boys side. Seven SOL golfers advanced to the state tournament.
By Ben Reese
FLEETWOOD – Steady was the word of the day at the PIAA Eastern Regional golf tournament at Golden Oaks.
Erica Herr of Council Rock North played a steady game to finish at 1-under 71 and walk away with the girls’ medalist honors.
Wissahickon's Jalen Griffin played his usual game, rock steady. He finished tied for third with a 1-under 71.
Vinay Ramesh of Pennsbury played a steady round to get him into a tie for sixth at 72. And Jackie Rogowicz, also from Pennsbury, had a steady if unspectacular round, firing a 73, good enough for second behind Erica Herr.
Finally, Council Rock North's Madelein Herr hit some bumps in the road but still managed to qualify for states. She finished seventh with a 6-over 78.
However, two other Suburban One League golfers were very unsteady. Central Bucks West's Tyler Sokolis couldn't get things going, shooting an 81 and missing the cut by six strokes, and Jake Fitts of CB South struggled through a round of 89.
“It was a pretty steady round,” Erica Herr said. “It was just fairways and greens.
“My approach shots weren't as close as I was hoping and I wasn't giving myself many birdie opportunities. The ones I had, I did make.
“I birdied my last two holes. That helped right there.”
Starting on the 17th hole, Erica parred her first three holes, birdied the fourth, bogied the fifth, and parred the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth. She finished the front nine in even-par 36.
In her final eight holes, despite a bogey on No. 11, she finished in grand style, turning in birdies on 15 and 16. That gave her a 1-under 35 on the back nine.
“My tee shots were really good,” she said. “My irons were on but they weren't like darts.
“I was hitting greens but I wasn't getting close. I was giving myself some good birdie putts but they weren't anything close.”
Griffin is becoming Mr. Dependable. He seems to play good golf all the time.
“It was solid again,” Griffin said of his 71. “All this postseason through the matches, I've been very consistent.
“I'm just hitting fairways and greens. And putts go in here and there.
“It's been really consistent lately. I've got to go under par (in states). I've been really close with a lot of putts.
“Districts and here (regionals), I've been putting short, conservative. At states, I've got nothing to lose so I might as well go for it.”
Ramesh turned in another strong round, putting himself into contention going into the PIAA tournament.
He went out in 34, birdieing holes 2 and 9. But he stumbled a bit on the back, turning in a 38 with bogeys on 15 and 16.
“It was just like districts,” Ramesh said. “I hit a lot of greens but didn't make many putts.
“It was a steady round. I hit 16 greens (in regulation).
“I'm hitting the ball great. I'm just not putting.”
Rogowicz seemed to have the same problem as her teammate Ramesh. She had difficulties with her putter.
“I played pretty well but I just couldn't make a putt,” she said. “It was a steady round.
“I hit my irons really well. I hit it pretty close so I had some chances at birdie but I just didn't make anything. I had a lot of two-putt pars.”
Madelein Herr, meanwhile, finished six shots above the cut line with her 78. She shot a pair of 39s.
She ran into trouble on the sixth, seventh and eighth holes. She bogied both the sixth and seventh and double bogied No. 8. She had three bogies on the back side and no birdies in the round.
“It was OK,” she said of her round. “I wish I did better but I always wish I had done better.
“I was putting great. I wasn't striking my irons well and I was having trouble with my driver.”
Sokolis and Fitts were both rather subdued after their rounds. Both golfers had hoped for better.
“My coach counted that I flew 12 greens,” Sokolis said. “I didn't miss a 5-footer in the first seven or eight holes and then I couldn't make a 3-footer. It just switched up and I couldn't get back.”
A prime example came on No. 18, Sokolis' 13th hole of the round. He took a bogey six on the hole after reaching the green in two.
“I hit driver, 4-iron to about 40 feet. Then missed a little 3-footer for birdie,” Sokolis said, “then missed another 3-footer for par.
“On 12, I hit a bomb. I had 80 yards in and I 3-putted.
“After that, I unraveled. I had doubles on the next two par-3s and just couldn't make any birdies today.”
Fitts was the surprise of the District One tournament. He was riding a wave much like Sean Ebert of CB West rode last year.
But it all came crashing down at regionals.
“It was a tough day,” he said. “I wasn't hitting anything as good as I was at districts.
“It ended up being a 20-stroke difference (from districts to regionals). I just wasn't hitting the ball well today.”
By reaching regionals, Fitts put a topper on his season.
“I expected to get past the first round,” he said. “After districts, it was just kind of putting it all out there, trying to get as far as I could.
“It's disappointing that it has to come to an end but (it was) a good season overall. I'm very lucky to have come all the way here and I think I've earned it.”
Now it is on to the PIAA tournament at Heritage Hills in York. That tournament will be played Monday, Oct. 21, and Tuesday, Oct. 22.
“We're going to try,” Erica Herr said of going for her third straight state title. “The best I can do is try.”
Her sister was a bit more vocal about states.
“I think it's a little more important this year than it was last year because I'm older and a little bit better,” Madelein said. “I kind of want it a little more, too.
“I think I can appreciate it more because I can see a couple of girls walking around upset because they didn't make it. It makes me feel a little bit better that I did make it and that I have a chance to win states.
“I'm definitely in the loop to win. It's all in the competition. Erica's rooting for me and I'm rooting for her.”
Ramesh was the happiest of the SOL qualifiers.
“It's awesome,” he said about advancing to states. “I think it shows that my ball-striking is in a good place right now. If I putt well, I think I'll do pretty well at states.”
Griffin helped put everything in perspective when he was told that the SOL put five of seven players into states.
“That's great,” he said. “Suburban One's been getting really strong as the year's gone on.
“I thought last year (2012) the class was really strong so I was suspecting that the scores wouldn't be as good but they've been really solid lately.”
Twenty-four boys advanced to the AAA portion of the PIAA tournament and 12 girls. They will meet the representatives from the western half of the state for the PIAA titles.
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