It was an added twist to Week 5 of the Penn-York Junior Golf League circuit, and it saw a competitive match between the top golfers from New York and Pennsylvania.
The Empire State edged Pennsy 14-10 in the inaugural Ed Forrest Cup on Monday at Pine Acres Country Club, a match-play tournament which featured the top eight golfers from each side facing off.
There were 24 total points available in the event, with a one tally going for the best front nine, best back nine and low medal in each of the five groups.
Smethport’s Connor Alfieri shot a 75 to pick up three points as well as capture first place in Division I for the second time this summer.
Alfieri shot four strokes better than the rest of the field, and redeemed himself after losing on a playoff during Week 3 of Penn-York two Mondays ago at Pennhills Club.
“Just putting the ball in play off the tee,” Alfieri said was the key to his three-over-par victory. “I was never really out of position, and if I did end up missing with my aim, it wasn’t terrible. I didn’t really have any bad breaks, maybe one or two, but that was about it.”
Alfieri edged out Ethan Beaver, who played in his first Penn-York event of the summer on Monday. Beaver is from Pensacola, Fla., but has family in Randolph, N.Y. and has played several Penn-York events over the past two summers.
For Alfieri, he has now finished in the top three in Division I in each of the first four weeks of play.
He credited his successful summer to some of the game’s basics.
“Putting and chipping, and mainly around the green stuff,” he said. “The more I hit it up and down just helps me a lot more because I’m usually not in trouble off the tee so as long as I can get it up around the hole, I know I can put it in.”
Despite Alfieri’s strong round, New York’s Sean Campbell, Jarrett Pond and Morrison picked up three points each.
The Ed Forrest Cup, named after the longtime league director who died in December, will be awarded to the New York team next week.
Elyse Godding meanwhile, the only female to qualify for the Cup, shot an 87 off of the boys tees. Her round was good enough for capture first place in the girls Division I. Godding has won every Penn-York event she’s participated in this summer, though she missed the last outing because she was playing in Australia at the Down Under Games.
In Division II, it was Salamanca’s Jarrett Pond leading the field with an 83. He said it was only his second time playing at Pine Acres (last year’s event was his first) and noticed some challenging pin placements that gave many in the field troubles.
“The pin placements were definitely interesting,” he said. “The roughs and fairways were good, but the pin placements weren’t. First time I’ve seen something like that.”
Still, Pond (Elkdale) had enough working in his game to pick up his first win of the summer.
“Had a couple bad putts and a couple of bad drives, but I was always confident with that second shot,” he recalled.
The shots that sent him to a seven-stroke victory over Kane’s Curtis Barner?
“Probably all the par-threes, honestly. I had three incredible shots that went at least 10 feet in for birdie.”
Elsewhere on the course, Bradford’s Dawson Skaggs picked up his first victory of the summer in boys Division IV. Skaggs shot a 43 at his home course (a 15-shot improvement from his last outing) to top Jaxon Morrison of Cardinal Hills.
Avery Salvaggio (Cardinal Hills) shot a 63 in the girls Division III to claim her third win. Her brother, Tyler, shot a 45 in the boys Division III to pick up his first victory over the summer. Those wins marked the first time in Penn-York history that a brother and sister tandem took first place on the same week.
Penn-York will conclude its regular season slate next Monday at Bartlett Country Club in Olean.
The 10 lowest stroke averages then receive an invitation to the SWNY-NWPA Men’s Amateur and the lowest 16 are invited to the Betty Bergreen Invitational, both at Bartlett at the end of the season.
The top ten from Week 5 at Pine Acres
Division I Boys
1. C. Alfieri (Smeth) 75-10
2. E. Beaver (CH) 79- 9
3. S. Cornelius (PA) 80- 7
3. S. Campbell (Bar) 80- 7
3. T. Andersdon (PH) 80- 7
6. S. Hyman (HH) 82- 5
7. B. Burton (HH) 84- 3
7. B. Morrison (CH) 84- 3
7. C. Salvaggio (CH) 84- 3
10. M. Davis (Bar) 86- .5
10. E. Christoff (LM) 86- .5
Ed Forrest Cup Results
New York 14, Pennsylvania 10
C. Alfieri (PA) – 3 points vs S. Hyman (NY) – 0 points
S. Cornelius (PA) 2.5 points vs. M. Lonto (NY) – .5 points
B. Burton (NY) 2.5 points vs. C. Barner (PA) – .5 points
M. Davis (NY) 2 points vs. Z. Zameroski (PA) – 1 point
S. Campbell (NY) 3 points vs. E. Christoff (PA) – 0 points
J. Pond (NY) – 3 points vs. E. Godding (PA) – 0 points
T. Anderson (PA) – 3 points vs. C. Salvaggio (NY) – 0 points
B. Morrison (NY) – 3 points vs. M. Bizzak (PA) – 0 points
Division II Boys
1. J. Pond (Elkdale) 83-10
2. C. Barner (Kane) 90-9
3. D. Henzel (Bar) 95-8
4. M. Bizzak (Kane) 96-7
5. K. McClain (Bar) 99-6
6. D. Brokaw (PH) 100-5
7. D. Peterson (LM) 102-3.5
7. B. Streich (COUD) 102-3.5
9. T. Stitt (Bar) 107-1.5
9. J. Owen (Bona) 107-1.5
Division III Boys (9 holes)
1. T. Salvaggio (CH) 45-10
2. M. Brinsky (PH) 49-9
3. C. Brinsky (PH) 50-8
4. E. Bailey (WELLS) 56-7
5. D. Smith (PH) 62-6
6. C. Brainard (CH) 63-5
7. K. Padlo (Birch Run)65-3.5
7. C. Boutillette (Bart) 65-3.5
9. K. Scanlon (Bol) 81-2
10. J. Kahm (Bona) 82-1
Division IV boys (9 holes, modified)
1. D. Skaggs (PA) 43-10
2. J. Morrison (CH) 45-9
3. C. Carls (Spring) 46-7.5
3. A. Schott (Coud) 46-7.5
5. C. Davis (CH) 51-6
6. J. Marsh (Cable) 52-4.5
6. O. Wright (CH) 52-4.5
8. L. Wetzel (Coud) 53-3
10. A. Bohdanowycz (Bar) 56-1.5
10. L. Johnson (Bar) 56-1.5
Division I Girls (18 holes)
1. E. Godding (PA) 87 – 10
2. K. Kline (Unatt) 93 – 9
3. J. Corey (MOON) 100 – 8
4. S. Pillitieri (MOON) 101 – 7
5. J. Stockwell (MOON) 102 – 6
6. L. Salvaggio (CH) 103 – 5
7.) I. Palermo (MOON) 125 – 4
Division III Girls (9 holes)
1. A. Salvaggio (CH) 62 – 10
2. R. Thompson (BOL) 64 – 9
3. N. Ecklof (MOON) 65 – 8
5. E. Edwards (Bona) 67 – 6.5
5. S. Cornelius (PA) 67 – 6.5
6. K. Crawford (Bona) 76 – 5
