HADDONFIELD, N.J. — A resolute David Colleran, Jr., on the wings of an early advantage, soared to a 5&4 victory over Marty McGuckin in the 102nd Junior Boys’ Championship Friday at Tavistock Country Club. | History |
Championship Flight match play bracket |
First Flight match play bracket |
Day One recap |
| Day Two recap |
Final video |
Photo gallery |
In doing so, he became the fifth Overbrook Golf Club member and first since Brad McFadden in 1991 to hoist the Peg Burnett Trophy. McGuckin made his own mark by emerging as the first RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve youngster to reach the Final.
“This is pretty special. I know it’s a pretty big tournament,” Colleran, 15, of Radnor, Pa., said. “It feels good to put my name on the trophy along with all of the others. [Coming into this week], I thought was going to make it to the Championship Flight. I’ve been playing well for a few weeks. I thought I had a chance.”
“I was really happy with how I played this week. I played against some great kids and am really happy with how I performed,” McGuckin, 18, of Valley Forge, Pa., said. “The whole week, my putting was great except for today’s final match unfortunately. Earlier the greens were a little slower, and my speed was much better. I was leaving myself two-foot par putts instead of five-foot par putts.”
At face value, the Final presented a David vs. Goliath theme. McGuckin is a stocky, distance-savvy swinger. Colleran’s frame is smaller, his length off the tee 50 yards shorter.
As the match materialized, McGuckin miscues plus Colleran consistency equaled a 3-up lead for the latter thru three. On No. 1 (par 4, 352 yards), McGuckin walloped a drive onto the cart path, exercised relief accordingly and, with minimal wiggle room, lifted a 58-degree wedge 62 yards into a guarding greenside bunker. He failed to get up-and-down. A McGuckin three-putt on No. 2 (par 5, 546 yards) preceded the match’s turning point. Facing a “funky lie” on the next hole (par 4, 404 yards), McGuckin, a recent Malvern Prep graduate, flamed a 9-iron 165 yards into bedside rough and flung a chip to four feet. His putter, a reliable tool all week, petered out. He rimmed a par attempt while Colleran, with speed management in check, sunk a slippery six-footer to win the hole.
“I wasn’t expecting to be 3-up thru three holes. I knew that I couldn’t give up or take it lightly,” Colleran, a rising sophomore at Radnor High School, said. “Marty’s a good player. He could come back at any time. He just didn’t have it today.”
“At that point, I knew I didn’t have my putter going for me. I knew I had to hit the ball better, but after that, I just couldn’t find it unfortunately,” McGuckin, who will attend Temple University in the fall, said.
McGuckin’s search for stability continued; as did Colleran’s knack for capitalizing. On No. 9 (par 4, 350 yards), with his golf ball “an inch down in the rough” McGuckin swiped a gap wedge from 118 yards onto the false front and failed to get up-and-down. Colleran moved to 6-up on the next hole (par 4, 300 yards), where he knocked a 50-degree wedge 120 yards to 10 feet. His birdie putt tumbled in on the last revolution.
“At that point in the match, it’s tough for him to come back and win. I knew that pars were good enough to get the W,” Colleran said.
“He’s a great player. I’m happy for him and how he did,” McGuckin added. “I think [this experience] will help me going into college, understanding the pressure coming down the stretch.”
The aforementioned upswing in Colleran’s game of late is school-related. The study books closed, the practice and playing time opened up. Colleran is on the course six days a week, 5-7 hours a day.
“It was hard when the weather was getting nicer [and I was inside studying],” he said. “You want to play golf, but school is more important.”
Colleran showed Friday that he is head of the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Junior class.
Semifinals
McGuckin claimed five of the first eight holes against Dawson Anders of Indian Valley Country Club en route to a 7&6 win. An Anders lost ball on No. 11 (par 4, 420 yards) sealed the Souderton Area High School senior’s fate.
“Once he got to 6-up, I felt like it was out of my control,” Anders, 17, of Telford, Pa, said. “He played great. He was making a lot of putts. He just took it and ran. I wasn’t playing like I was yesterday, not even close. My tee shots were all over the place. From 90 yards in, I couldn’t seem to get it within 15 feet. And I had a lot of three-putts.”
Colleran and Conners went to overtime. On the 19th hole (No. 1, par 4, 352 yards), Conners, a rising junior at Bishop Shanahan High School, overpowered a drive left, which forced a sideways punch-out from behind a tree. He then launched a 60-degree wedge from 102 yards into bushes behind the green.
“I gave myself the yardage I wanted into the green. I was just too quick and I thinned that ball,” Conners, 16, of Downingtown, Pa., said. “This week was great. When I come back next year, this will give me confidence. I think I’ll be able to do better.”
First Flight
After Hayden Rousselle defeated recent Pennsylvania Golf Association Junior Boys’ Champion John Updike in the Round of 16, he charged onto the terrace at Tavistock and told his friends. The Lookaway Golf Club member felt thrilled with his achievement.
Rousselle, 16, of Doylestown, Pa., added to the jubilation Friday. He defeated Akhil Giri of Laurel Creek Country Club, 3&2, to take the First Flight title.
“I trained to do this. It’s a pretty big tournament for me,” Rousselle, who is homeschooled, said. “There are a lot of really good players [in the field], and I’d like to be at their level. If they’re at this tournament, then I’m at this tournament.”
“I was interested in the competition. I felt my game was in a place where I could compete, and it turned out to be a great week,” Giri, 15, of Moorestown, N.J., said. “I had a lot of fun playing. I give a lot of credit to Hayden. He’s a great ball-striker and rarely had any misses. Three birdies in six holes on the back is always the way to get it done.” Giri is a rising sophomore at Moorestown High School.
Rousselle all but sealed victory on the par 5, 530-yard 15th hole. He knocked a wedge 110 yards to 10 feet for birdie.
The Junior Boys’ Championship is the premier Major in the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s Junior Division. It is open to GAP Member Club golfers aged 14-18 who have not started their college education and who hold a handicap index of 14.4 or lower. Sixteen players qualify for match play; an additional 16 advancing into the event’s First Flight.
The Junior Boys’ Champion is awarded the Peg Burnett Trophy, named in honor of the Association’s Executive Secretary from 1951-76. Ms. Burnett was an ardent Junior golf supporter who emphasized sportsmanship and respect for the game. “I was very strict about checking the rule book. I didn’t make the rules, but since they are there, you have to abide by them.”
Golf Association of Philadelphia
Founded in 1897, the Golf Association of Philadelphia (GAP) is the oldest regional golf association in the United States and serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. Its 151 Member Clubs and 57,000 individual members are spread across parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. As Philadelphia’s Most Trusted Source of Golf Information, the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.
Championship Flight
Final
15. David Colleran, Jr., Overbrook GC d. 9. Marty McGuckin, RiverCrest GC & Preserve, 5&4
Semifinals
9. Marty McGuckin, RiverCrest GC & Preserve d. 5. Dawson Anders, Indian Valley CC, 7&6
15. David Colleran, Jr., Overbrook GC d. 11. Ryan Conners, Whitford CC, 19 holes
First Flight
Final
9. Hayden Rousselle, Lookaway GC d. 3. Akhil Giri, Laurel Creek CC, 3&2
Semifinals
9. Hayden Rousselle, Lookaway GC d. 4. Zachary Barbin, GAP Junior Players Club, 1-up
3. Akhil Giri, Laurel Creek CC d. 15. Wills Montgomery, Whitford CC, 2-up
