Haverford’s James Kania, Jr. heads to U.S. Junior Amateur

  OAKS, Pa.– James Kania, Jr. of Overbrook GC, the reigning Golf Association of Philadelphia Junior Player of the Year, posted a 2-over par (146 total) at a difficult RiverCrest Golf Club and Preserve (par 72, 6,725 yards) on Thursday to earn medallist honors and a trip to the 58^th U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. The Junior Amateur is set for July 18-25 at Longmeadow Country Club in Longmeadow, Mass. Bennett Boyer of Millersburg, Pa., and Phillip Anzaldo of Haddonfield, N.J., also earned berths into the championship field after finishing at 3-over par and 4-over par, respectively, in a qualifier administered by the Golf Association of Philadelphia.

  Kania, a junior at The Haverford School, carded a first-round score of 2-over-par 74 in the morning before recording an even-par 72 in the afternoon. Kania’s final round included a 1-over-par 37 on the back nine, his front side, before he finished his last nine holes 1-under-par. Kania actually stopped at the scoreboard on his way to the first tee, his 10^th hole, and figured a 35 on the front side would be close to getting him a trip north. He was correct.

  “I figured a 70 would definitely get me in,” said Kania, who placed fifth in the Inter-Ac League Championships, “but I knew that was going to be hard to post after my first nine. I figured a 35 on the front side would make it close.”

  Kania assured himself of his first Junior Amateur berth by going 2-under par in his final five holes. He birdied No. 5 (par 3, 160 yards) after knocking an 8-iron to a foot. “It went right by the hole,” said Kania. “We thought it was going in.” He then recorded a three on the par 4, 8^th (426 yards) when he drained a 10-foot birdie putt.

  Boyer, 17, a senior at Millersburg Area High School north of Harrisburg, Pa., will also be making his appearance in the Junior. Boyer was 2-under-par after 27 holes, but carded a back nine 41 to finish at 3-over-par for the tournament.

  Boyer was the Tri-Valley League Most Valuable Player.

  Anzaldo, too, heads to his first Junior Amateur.

  The 17-year-old Tavistock CC member is a senior at Haddonfield Memorial High School.

  “I hit a lot of irons off the tee just trying to keep it in play,” said Anzaldo. “I was 2-under par in the morning round when I went double bogey-double bogey. I

  figured if I could go 2 under there, if I could just continue playing well I would be ok.”

  The RiverCrest qualifier was one of 43, 36-hole qualifiers for the U.S. Junior Amateur to be held throughout the country. The U.S. Junior Championship proper consists of 36 holes of qualifying over two days followed by a 64-player match play draw.

  A field of 156 players will compete in the Junior Amateur.

  Players needed to have a USGA Handicap Index of 6.4 or lower.