OLEAN — Owen Wright entered the first Monday of this month with two objectives:
One, to wrap up both of the top awards during the Penn-York Junior Golf League’s last stop; and two, by extension, to make the Championship Flight at the 89th annual SWNY-NWPA Men’s Amateur.
Check and check.
Wright didn’t win the fifth and final leg at Penn-York, held August 4 at Bartlett Country Club, the way he claimed three other stops. That honor went to Marcus Muccio, who capped his own impressive five-week showing by carding a 4-over-par 74 to win the boys Division I (16-18) title at Bartlett Country Club under what tournament director Kyle Henzel described as “ideal conditions.” The rising Cattaraugus-Little Valley senior, however, who entered Week 5 in the driver’s seat for the youth circuit’s major hardware, did more than enough to keep himself at the top of the standings.
Wright, a Cardinal Hills member, posted an 8-over 78 to finish third at Bartlett, one stroke behind second-place finisher Liam Kiel. In doing so, he secured both the John Forrest Memorial Trophy for Most Outstanding Golfer with a low average of 75.6 and the Division I points championship (44 points).
FOR THE year, Wright finished with three firsts, a third and a fifth, making for about as strong a Penn-York run as anyone in recent memory. Ultimately, he edged Louie Nedzinski (77.2), Phinn Chamberlain (78.0) and Muccio (78.0) for the points title.
But his standout summer didn’t end there.
Two days after earning his Penn-York hardware, Wright registered a 4-over-par 74 at the same course to finish tied-for-18th of 137 entrants during the Men’s Am qualifying round and punch his ticket to the Championship Flight (the top 32 advance). There, he manufactured a solid week, especially for being just 17 years old, falling in the first round to former champion Mitchell Faulkner, but winning his Consolation Flight opener over Trent Unverdorben before bowing to Michael Peterson in Friday’s quarterfinals.
Wright, though, was one of just several golfers to put the finishing touches on a fine overall Penn-York tour earlier this month.
MUCCIO, AFTER going fifth, third, third and sixth, completed that consistent showing by winning the Bartlett leg and placing tied-for-third in points (in Division I). Nedzinski followed a quartet of second-place finishes (73, 79, 76, 78) by taking fourth at Bartlett with an 80. And, on the heels of three rounds in the 70s (he missed the Wellsville stop), including a Division I victory at Pennhills in Week 2, Chamberlain notched an 82 to take sixth in Olean.
This year, too, saw a Division II (14-15) golfer essentially match the best competitors in the age group above him.
Liam McArdle registered a 6-over-par 76 at Bartlett to win his age group AND finish second overall for the round. The Caledonia Country Club member finished the circuit with three-straight first-place finishes (following a pair of seconds) — which included tying Wright for the medal at Pine Acres in Week 4 — to capture the Division II points crown and tie Chamberlain and Muccio for third in low average (78.0).
Elsewhere during the final leg of the 56th season of the Penn-York Junior Golf League:
Kai Caskey (Bavarian Hills) tied McArdle for the top spot in Division II with a 6-over-par 76. This followed his overall triumph (among all Division I and II competitors) in Week 2 at Pine Acres when he fired a 3-over 74.
IN DIVISION III (12-13), Kayd Caskey (Bavarian Hills) claimed both the round and points championship with a 43 over nine holes. It was his fourth title in five stops. In Division IV (11-and-under), Kaysen Beaver (Cardinal Hills) carded an impressive 38 (over nine holes, from the modified tees) to top Gavin Blocher by two strokes for the top spot. Beaver also collected the divisional points title for his efforts.
On the girls’ side, Eva Militello (Orchard Park) won the Division I (14-18) title by shooting a 50 over nine holes. The Division III (12-13) winner was Molly Leslie (Bartlett), who shot a 50, and the Division IV champion was Blaire Nedzinski (Treasure Lake).
Again this year, the top 16 Penn-York golfers (based on scoring average) were granted free entry into the SWNY-NWPA Men’s Amateur. Those golfers were: Wright, McArdle, Kiel, Levi Howard, Zachary Deck, Jaxon Morrison, Tyler Salvaggio, Jared Obenrader, Kai Caskey, Colin Riekofsky, Coleman Carls, Anderson Wiltsey, Ean Wright, Kael Riekofsky, Colin Okerlund and David Preston.
Penn-York will return to the area for its 57th season next summer, Henzel confirmed. Following are the top 10 finishers in each age group from the Bartlett Country Club stop:
(Story courtesy of J.P. Butler, as a special to the Olean Star)
BOYS
DIVISION I (16-18)
1. M. Muccio (Bav. Hills) 74 10
2. L. Kiel (Kane) 77 9
3. O. Wright (C. Hills) 78 8
4. L. Nedzinski (Bav. Hills) 80 7
5. J. Obenrader (H. Station) 81 6
6. P. Chamberlain (Kane) 82 4.5
7. L. Rekowski (Smethport) 82 4.5
8. J. Morrison (Cardinal Hills) 83 3
9. Z. Deck (A. Hills) 84 2
10. L. Howard (Penn Hills) 85 1
DIVISION II (14-15)
1. L. McArdle (Caledonia) 76 10
1. K. Caskey (Bav. Hills) 76 10
3. K. Kaye (Wellsville) 87 8
4. D. Martin (Smethport) 88 7
5. K. Riekofsky (Smethport) 89 6
6. C. Kahm (Moonbrook) 92 5
7. S. Lundeen (Bartlett) 94 4
8. J. Bell (Pine Acres) 95 3
9. E. Sarvalya (South Hills) 98 2
10. N. Perkins (Bolivar) 10 1
DIVISION III (12-13)
(9 holes)
1. Kayd Caskey (B. Hills) 43 10
2. C. Crabtree (Chautauqua) 45 9
3. A. Wade (Elkdale) 46 8
4. L. Vecchio (Bartlett) 47 7
5. Kalon Caskey (B. Hills) 49 6
6. K. McArdle (Caledonia) 50 5
7. C. Lundgren (Penn Hills) 55 4
8. A. Rupp (Rolling Hills) 66 3
DIVISION IV (11-UNDER)
(9 holes-modified)
1. K. Beaver (C. Hills) 38 10
2. G. Blocker (Bartlett) 40 9
3. H. Honeck (St. Bona) 44 8
4. G. Beaver (C. Hills) 45 7
5. R. Maipied (Birch Run) 49 6
6. C. Beaver (C.Hills) 51 5
7. L. Pellegrino (C. Valley) 52 4
8. A. Wade (Elkdale) 54 3
9. S. Smith (Bartlett) 56 2
10. L. DiCerbo (Bartlett) 58 1
GIRLS
DIVISION I (14-18)
(9 holes)
1. E. Militello (Orchard Park) 50 1
2. C. Obergfell (Olean) 75 2
3. B. Johnson (Bartlett) 79 3
DIVISION III (12-13)
(9 holes)
1. M. Leslie (Bartlett) 50 1
2. A. Sikora (Orchard Park) 60 2
DIVISION IV (11-UNDER)
(9 holes)
1. B. Nedzinki (Treasure Lake) 63 1
