Phoenixville’s Limongelli earns Jr.-Jr. Boys’ medal, gains quarters

 CHERRY HILL, N.J. — A slew of reporters — ages 10 to 13 — surrounded Michael Limongelli as he approached the scoring area at Merchantville Country Club (par 36, 2,703 yards) Monday. They feverishly asked “What did you shoot, Michael?” and “Did you finish under par?” Limongelli, sans an agent or security team, shed a smile and responded, “37.”

  That’s the equivalent of 1-over-par at Merchantville, which earned Limongelli medalist honors in the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s 65th Junior-Junior Boys’ Championship. The Phoenixville Country Club member followed his fantastic stroke play qualifying performance with a 3&2 victory over Merion Golf Club’s Mac Costin in the Round of 16.

  The quarterfinals begin tomorrow at 8 a.m., with the semifinals to follow.

   “I played pretty well today,” Limongelli, 13, of Phoenixville, Pa., said. “Almost every part of my game was toward the top of what I usually do. I just felt like I was in total control.”

  Perhaps history and familiarity anointed Limongelli with a bit of celebrity status. He finished as a semifinalist in the event a year ago on his home course.

   “All in all, I like [Merchantville]. It’s a lot like mine because of its narrow fairways and small greens,” Limongelli, an incoming freshman at Pope John Paul II High School, said. “I like how the course is playing. The greens are of relative speed, which I like because I’m used to fast greens. It’s easy to stop the ball, so I have better control than usual.”

  In his match against Costin, the soft-spoken Limongelli won three consecutive holes to seal victory. He launched an 8-iron to the back fringe on No. 3 (par 3, 125 yards) and two-putted. A pitching wedge to the middle of the No. 4 (par 4, 280 yards) green gave Limongelli a 2-up advantage. He cited the par 4, 300-yard No. 5 as his best hole of the contest. Limongelli cranked a 52-degree wedge 110 yards to four feet for birdie.

  In the stroke play portion, Limongelli carded a birdie against two bogeys to top the 22-player field. He hit a 9-iron 125 yards to 40 feet and converted a slight left-to-right breaker for birdie on No. 2 (par 5, 487 yards).

  When he isn’t practicing at Phoenixville, Limongelli enjoys going to the beach and watching television shows and movies.

  The Junior-Junior Boys’ Championship is open to players from Member Clubs who are 10 to 13 years of age. Merchantville hosted the event in 2004 and 2009. This year, the event underwent two changes. The Association condensed its four eight-player brackets into two match play grids, and on the event’s first day, players competed in stroke play qualifying as well as a first-round match.

  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 143 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
Round of 16
1. Michael Limongelli, Phoenixville CC d. 16. Mac Costin, Merion GC, 3&2
9. Colman Mitchell, Wilmington CC d. 8. Kevin Civitella, Aronimink GC, 4&2
4. Jake Calamaro, Rolling Green GC d. 13. Michael Castaldi, Llanerch CC, 4&3
5. Conor McGrath, Huntingdon Valley CC d. 12. Drew Skultety, Little Mill CC, 4&2
15. Phillip Bancroft, III, Trenton CC d. 2. Brian Isztwan, Huntingdon Valley CC, 3&2
7. Billy Civitella, Aronimink GC d. 10. Doug Ergood, Jr., Tavistock CC, 2&1
3. Hayden Moffat, GAP Junior Players Club d. 14. Alec Ryden, Laurel Creek CC, 1-up
6. Matthew Civitella, Waynesborough CC d. Andrew Gallagher, Laurel Creek CC, 1-up

First Flight
Quarterfinals
5. Jack Cooley, Kennett Square G&CC d. 4. Beckett Chapin, Jericho National GC, by default
6. Andrew Lauerman, Talamore CC d. 3. Jack Boyle, Overbrook GC, 10 holes