WELLSVILLE, N.Y. — He’d just experienced his worst pre-round range outing of the summer.
“I was doing just about everything wrong,” Spencer Cornelius acknowledged.
Still, too much had already gone right for the rising Bradford High junior to think he’d have anything but another stellar showing.
Cornelius played Monday’s stop on the Penn-York Junior Golf League, Wellsville Country Club, two weeks earlier to get a feel for the course’s greens. He played next week’s leg, Pine Acres, over the weekend, shooting a bogey-free 70.
He also had an added bit of motivation, having dropped a two-stroke lead with three holes to play in Week 2 at Pennhills, one of only two events he hasn’t won (of 11 and counting) all summer. What followed was perhaps his most impressive effort to date in either the Penn-York or Western New York PGA Junior Tour.
Cornelius fired a 1-under-par 69 to earn medalist honors in the eldest boys division (16-18) in the third of five Penn-York stops Monday. He finished four strokes ahead of high school rival Connor Alfieri (Smethport), who had roared back to unseat his counterpart seven days earlier.
Cornelius is the first P-Y participant “in a couple years” to shoot in the 60s, tournament director Kyle Henzel noted.
“I DEFINITELY hit my irons very well, both the front and back nine,” said the Bradford standout, who now owns two firsts and a fourth in Penn-York play, when asked the key to his sub-70. “I was a little shaky at the beginning, but I got a lot of confidence from (his round at Pine Acres on Saturday), so I know that my golf game’s in there somewhere, and when I shoot good it’s going to come out.”
Cornelius’ name and photo have become a regular component of local sports pages. But that’s on merit: He’s now won nine of 11 starts, has the points lead in multiple tours and, at 16, is regularly flirting with par.
His round Monday consisted of four birdies and two bogeys.
“I made really nice recoveries for par on Nos. 4 and 5 and then came back and birdied 6 and 7, and at that point I was 1-under and knew that there were some easy holes coming up on the end of the front and start of the back,” he said, “so I just got myself in a good position to keep going on the day.”
CORNELIUS and Alfieri have developed a rivalry both in District 9 and atop the Division I P-Y standings over the last two years. On Monday, the pair finished 11 and seven strokes ahead of the third-place finishers (though the leaderboard has generally also consisted of fellow Big 30 golfers Kamdyn McClain, of Olean, and Sean Campbell and Michael Davis, of Allegany-Limestone).
But in those battles, they’ve pushed one another, Cornelius noted.
“You definitely want to be competitive,” he said, “but there’s always the friendship. He ended up getting me last week at Pennhills, and I wasn’t too happy about that. I always like to find an inspiration to keep my golf game up, shoot as well as I can and just keep improving.”
Cornelius, who three days prior carded a 2-over 73 to take first in the 16-18 age group at Geneva Country Club in the WNYPGA Junior Tour, believes he’s turned another corner after earning medalist honors at the D-9 Tournament and advancing to states last fall.
“You can always leave shots out on the course,” he said. “My goal is to keep trying to hit the ball further (with) my driver. I’m still getting out there a little bit, but my wedge and iron game is still good enough where I can keep intact.”
A WEEK after four playoffs were needed to determine a winner, only two extra holes were necessary at Wellsville CC.
In Division II (14-15), Andrew Forrest (Birch Run) and Ethan Bailey (Wellsville) tied with regulation rounds of 93 before the former edged out Bailey with a 6 to the latter’s 7 on a replay of hole 1. “My irons were working really good,” Forrest noted. “I was having a little trouble with my driver though.”
In Division IV (11-and-under), Liam McCardle (Caledonia) edged out Matthew Beaver on the first playoff hole after the pair carded nine-hole rounds of 42 from the modified tees. Elsewhere, Makenna Heckman made it three wins in three events in Division IV-Girls with a 62 from the modified tees. Olivia Schott (Division I-Girls, 57), Kaden Heckman (Division III-Boys, 12-13, 44) and Payten Leet (Division III-Girls, 62), playing nine holes, all picked up their first triumphs of the summer.
The Penn-York tour will continue next Monday in Week 4 at Pine Acres Country Club in Bradford. Following are the Top 10 finishers from each division in Week 3:
BOYS
DIVISION I
1.) S. Cornelius (PA) 69-10
2.) C. Alfieri (Smethport) 73- 9
3.) C. Barner (Kane) 80- 7.5
3.) M. Lonto (Elk) 80- 7.5
5.) K. McClain (Bar) 81- 6
6.) C. Salvaggio (CH) 82- 4.5
6.) A. Rohrs (BR) 82- 4.5
8.) S. Campbell (Bart) 83- 2.5
8.) J. Pond (Elk) 82- 2.5
10.) B. Streich (Coud) 85- .5
10.) M. Davis (Bart) 85- .5
DIVISION II
1.) A. Forrest (BR) 93- 10
2.) E. Bailey (Wells) 93- 9
3.) T. Stitt (Bar) 95- 8
4.) D. Brokaw (PH) 103- 7
5.) J. DeRose (Bar) 104- 6
6.) M. Brinsky (PH) 116- 5
7.) E. Obergfell (Bona) 118- 4
8.) C. Brinsky (PH) 119 – 2.5
8.) R. Streich (Coud) 119- 2.5
10.) K. Padlo (BR) 122- 1
DIVISION III (9 holes)
1.) K. Heckman (Coud) 44- 10
2.) R. Lechner (Bart) 46- 9
3.) J. Morrison (CH) 50- 7.5
3.) J. Mest (Bona) 50- 7.5
5.) A. Schott (Coud) 51- 6
6.) C. Kline (RA) 52- 5
7.) D. Skaggs (PA) 58 – 4
8.) C. Vogtli (Bona) 59- 2
8.) Z. Trietley (Bona) 59- 2
8.) S. Howard (IV) 59- 2
DIVISION IV (9 holes modified)
1.) L. McArdle (Cal) 42- 10
2.) M. Beaver (CH) 42- 9
3.) N. Beaver (CH) 43- 8
4.) D. Myers (Bar) 45- 6.5
4.) C. Carls (Spring) 45- 6.5
6.) J. Marsh (CH) 46- 5
7.) L. Johnson (Bart) 47- 4
8.) C. Bartman (Bona) 50- 2
8.) A. Leet (PA) 50- 2
8.) A. Bohdanowycz (Bart) 50- 2
GIRLS
DIVISION I (9 holes)
1.) O. Schott (Coud) 57 – 10
2.) A. Salvaggio (CH) 60 – 9
3.) S. Cornelius (PA) 72 – 8
DIVISION III (9 holes)
1.) P. Leet (PA) 62 – 10
2.) K. Crawford (Bona) 66 – 9
3.) N. Ecklof (Moon) 67 – 8
4.) M. Ford (Bona) 74 – 7
5.) A. Bates (Bona) 82 – 6
6.) C. Bell (PA) 85 – 5
DIVISION IV (9 holes modified)
1.) M. Heckman (Coud) 62 – 10
2.) J. Sherry (Coud) 84 – 9
