Fuhrer in Front at 81st Junior Boys' Championship
Fuhrer in front at 81st Junior Boys’ Championship
HERSHEY, Pa. – The first round of the Pennsylvania Golf Association’s (PAGA) 81st Junior Boys’ Championship and Junior Boys’ Team Championship wrapped up on Monday afternoon at Hershey Country Club.
Oakmont CC’s Dave Fuhrer sits atop the individual leaderboard with an even-par 71, just a single stroke ahead of five other competitors who finished the day with one-over-par 72’s. Fuhrer opened his round with a birdie on the par-five first hole and added another birdie on hole No. 4. A bogey on No. 8 was the only hiccup on the front nine, and he added birdies on 14 and 17 to recover from bogeys on 10, 13, and 16 as strong winds blew through Central Pennsylvania to create plenty of difficulties.
The group trailing the leader by a stroke includes Carson Kittsley (Oakmont CC), Nicholas Turowski (Hannastown GC), Braddock Damore (Cable Hollow GC), Luke McGraw (Toftrees Golf Resort), and Nicky Nemo (Merion GC). Each of those competitors notched at least two birdies on the day, with Kittsley, Damore, and Nemo each finishing the day with three. McGraw eagled hole No. 7 to balance out his front nine after a double bogey on hole No. 2.
Plenty of other golfers are still within reach with 36 holes left to play, including a pair at 73 (+2) in Severin Harmon (Sewickley Heights GC) and Chris Vahey (North Hills CC). Behind them lurks a group of eight tied for ninth place at 74 (+3), so all is left to play for on what should be an exciting Tuesday in Hershey.
One special moment of the first round came from The Springhaven Club’s Jake Lairdieson, who knocked in a hole-in-one on No. 13. Lairdieson is comfortably above the cut line with a four-over-par 75 and joins the 59 other competitors who advance to tomorrow’s final 36 holes of competition to determine the 2024 champions.
The Boys’ Team Championship leaderboard, which counts the lowest three scores of four golfers, finds Hannastown Golf Club five strokes clear at the top thanks to the team of Turowski, Jack Sacriponte, Braden Riley, and Luke Sikora compiling a score of 224 (+11). Oakmont CC is still within reach at 229 (+16) and features Fuhrer, Kittsley, and Barron Bitar. The North Hills CC trio of Vahey, Sebastian Botero, and Declan McLane are still in the mix as well at 230 (+17).
Nemacolin CC’s 232 (+19) from Colton Lusk, Nicholas Haught, Griffin Hansberry, and Andrew Davis is good for fourth place while Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Shaun Mazzalupi, David Nissen, and Paul Henkels round out the top five with a 233 (+20).
The Pennsylvania Golf Association would like to thank the staff and membership of Hershey Country Club for the hospitality shown during today’s round, with additional thanks going to DICK’S Sporting Goods for sponsorship of the event.