PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Last year’s Junior Boys’ champion and the Junior-Junior champion from 2002 led four players Tuesday at Torresdale-Frankford CC (par 70, 6,160 yards) into Wednesday’s semifinal round of the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s 91st Junior Boys Championship.
Robert Galbreath, Jr., 14, of Huntingdon Valley CC, who won last year, made the round of four with steady, even-par play that dispatched Grant Gaugler, III, of Makefield Highlands GC, 4&3, in the morning round, and Mike Dunphy, Jr., of the host club, 3&2, in the afternoon.
Amory Davis of DuPont CC, who took home the Junior-Junior crown in 2002, smoked qualifying co-medallist Stephen Hudacek, III, of Glenmaura National GC, 7&6, in the afternoon after defeating Jason Ochroch of Meadowlands CC, 3&2, in the morning.
Against the 6-foot-3 Hudacek, the diminutive, 5-foot-6 Davis, 16, a student at the Tatnall School in Delaware, was on fire. Long and straight off the tee with six birds and 17 putts in 12 holes, he was 2-under par when he closed out the match.
“I ran into a buzz saw,” said Hudacek, 17, a senior at Scranton Prep headed to St. Joseph’s in Philadelphia on a golf scholarship. “That’s exactly what it was, a buzz saw. He played terrific.”
“I hit almost every fairway,” Davis said, “and I made a lot of putts… a lot of putts.”
Galbreath and Davis will be joined in the semis by Phillip Anzaldo of Tavistock CC and Samuel Ryder of Aronimink GC.
It was a tough day for the championship’s co-medallists. Anzaldo defeated Jason Bernstein of White Manor CC, 3&2, in the morning round before Davis routed Hudacek in the afternoon. Hudacek had breezed in the morning, beating Duncan Zeiders of Old York Road CC, 8&7.
Anzaldo eased into the final four by beating Tony Perla of Olde York CC, 1-up, in the afternoon, in the day’s closest match. Perla had bested Brian Creghan of Plymouth CC, 2-up, in the morning.
With the match all square heading into No. 18 (par 4, 364 yards), Anzaldo striped a drive down the middle, hit his approach to 35 feet, and missed the birdie putt by inches for a par. Perla hit his drive into the left rough, pitched out short of the green, chipped to eight feet but missed the par putt.
It will be the first trip to a championship semifinal for Anzaldo, 17, a senior at Haddonfield High School. “I’ve never done this before,” he said. “It will be a new experience for me.”
Ryder, a steady, long-hitting left-hander, beat Andrew Hardin of Northhampton CC, 3&2, in the morning, and Stephen Dressel of Spring Ford CC, 5&3, in the afternoon.
On Wednesday, Ryder will face Galbreath at 7:30 a.m., and Anzaldo will play Davis at 7:37 a.m. The championship match is set for noon.
In First Flight semifinal competition, Richard Marabella of Whitemarsh Valey CC will meet C.J. Socie of Lancaster CC, and Reed Valutas of Overbrook GC will face Philip Bartholomew of Yardley CC.
