Pennsbury’s Jackie Rogowicz captured second place in the PIAA golf championships.
By Ben Reese
YORK – Never let anyone tell you that Jackie Rogowicz is satisfied with second place.
The Pennsbury junior would love to finish first. But so far she has just missed out on the top spot in several major amateur and high school tournaments.
That's what happened Tuesday at Heritage Hills Golf Resort. Rogowicz finished second in the PIAA golf championships for the third straight year.
“I finished second at the Pennsylvania Women's Am,” she said, “second in two AJGAs (American Junior Golf Association tournaments). I have a lot of seconds.”
This year she finished second to Isabella DiLisio of Mount Saint Joseph. Rogowicz shot a second-round 74 to go with her 76 from Monday for a two-day total of 150 while DiLisio paired a 73 on the first day with a 75 on the second for a 148.
And DiLisio won the title on the final hole of the day. She made a long putt from off the back of the 18th green for an eagle 3, beating Rogowicz and two-time defending state champion Erica Herr of Council Rock North.
Herr, playing in a foursome with Rogowicz, DiLisio and Canon McMillan's Lauren Waller, was leading the tournament going into the final hole. She was one stroke ahead of DiLisio and two in front of Rogowicz.
But DiLisio put her second shot in the back fringe of the final hole while Herr was below the hole with a long eagle putt. DiLisio rolled her putt into the hole for the eagle and the win; Herr 4-putted, missing three short putts.
“We were all pretty close in numbers coming in,” Herr said. “The last hole, she (DiLisio) drained a putt (for the eagle) and I 4-putted. The 4-putt doesn't really matter.”
What Herr meant was that DiLisio clinched the win with her eagle putt so it didn't make any difference if Herr did or didn't 4-putt the green.
Rogowicz also could have had a shot at her first state title. However, she shot a 40 on the back nine, which hurt.
“I played pretty well on the front,” she said. “On the back, I played not as well as I would have likeD to but that happens, I guess.”
On the boys side of the ledger, neither Pennsbury's Vinay Ramesh nor Jalen Griffin of Wissahickon had the kind of tournament they wanted. Ramesh finished in 17th place with a two-day total of 156 and Griffin tied for 22nd at 160.
“I think every aspect of my game was an F,” Ramesh said. “I struggled both days.
“I'm just happy that I was here. I would have liked to play well but I didn't
“I had a 4-putt and four other 3-putts today. That's not good.
“I would have liked to have played better but the fact that I'm here, that was the goal of the season. I'm happy about that.”
Griffin was downcast.
“It was really rough,” he said. “I haven't shot in the 80s all year (he shot 80 both days).
“I don't know what happened here. From the get-go in the first round, it was just poor, poor ball-striking, which is usually my strength.
“I was chunking everything. On No. 4, I didn't even reach the fairway because I chunked it so bad, with a 4-iron.
“My ball-striking just disappeared somehow. All my strengths turned into my biggest weaknesses this week.”
The final member of the Suburban One League's state contingent, Madelein Herr, tied for ninth place with at final-round 83 to finish at 166.
“I didn't really compete as well as I wanted to,” she said. “The rough here is really thick and I got myself in trouble a lot.
“All aspects of my game weren't 100 percent. I didn't perform as well but I learned a lot – and I enjoyed it.
“It's not the end of the world if I don't win. It's fine.”
The boys AAA winner was Grant Engel of Upper St. Clair, who shot a second-day 74 to go with his opening round of 73 for a 147 total.
Erica Herr was going for her third straight PIAA title, which would have been a historic victory. No one in the modern era has ever won three straight titles.
But it was not to be.
“You can't win them all,” she said. “Three would have been nice but they're all great players so one of us deserved to win.
“It's nice to have these states championships. It's always nice but I am so ready for the next step.It's so weird that this is over already. It went really fast.”
Herr has been offered a golf scholarship to Wake Forest.
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