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Kevin Scherr and Jordan Barker win 2017 Lehigh Valley Sportsfest Junior Golf Classic titles
March 26, 2018
Kevin Scherr and Jordan Barker win 2017 Lehigh Valley Sportsfest Junior Golf Classic titles
ALLENTOWN — Kevin Scherr and Jordan Barker added another victory Friday to their impressive junior golf career resumes.
Scherr, a recent Nazareth graduate, rode an opening round 2-under-par 70 to win the wet 17th annual Lehigh Valley Sportsfest Junior Golf Classic at Allentown Municipal Golf Course.
The tournament was shortened due to heavy rains on Friday to the common number of holes played in each age group division.
Headed to Youngstown State University on a partial golf scholarship, Scherr finished with a 24-hole score of 1-under-par 70-26–96 to win by four strokes over Nazareth rising senior Collin Seip, who shot 74-26–100.
Scherr, the 2016 PIAA state champion, played a steady round of 15 pars, one birdie, one eagle (par-5 13th hole), and one bogey on Thursday to shoot 70.
Playing a busy tournament schedule this summer to prepare for collegiate golf, Scherr liked the competitive nature of the Sportsfest event.
“I know my game a lot better this year,” said Scherr, who led his Nazareth golf team to a second place finish in the 2016 PIAA 3A state team championship. “My course management is a lot better. I’m focusing on the next shot, not so much on the past.”
Barker, 14, won the 14-15 years-old division with a score of even-par 71-21-92.
Headed to Liberty High School in the fall, Barker edged future Hurricane golf teammate Joseph Altemose (74-23-97) by four shots over 23 holes of competition.
Barker, who advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2016 Lehigh Valley Amateur, won the 12-13 years-old division title the past two years.
The younger brother of 2014 and 2016 Sportsfest champion J.T. Barker, Jordan said that his brother J.T. taught him how to swing a golf club when he was eight years old.
“This event has good competition,” Barker said. “I definitely was preparing. I was putting a ton. Putting is the key. That is where you gain the most strokes.”
Barker, who finished 19th and 24th in two American Junior Golf Association tournaments this summer, figures to make an huge impact for the Liberty golf program.
“There is so much competition (in the AJGA),” Barker said. “The golfers are so good. They are so focused. I can definitely compete with them.”
In the girls competition, Tomita Arejola of Aliso Viejo, CA shot 2-under-par 69-44-113 to win by 22 strokes over recent Saucon Valley graduate Sophia Israel (86-49-135).
Arejola is traveling the northeast part of the country this month playing in golf tournaments and looking at colleges. Israel will continue her golf career at Ithaca College.
In the highly-competitive 12-13 years-old division, one stroke separated the top seven finishers in consecutive fashion.
BASD sixth grader Matthew Vital shot 5-over-par 85 for 20 holes to win by one stroke over Nazareth eighth-grader Owen Fahs.
17th annual Lehigh Valley Sportsfest Junior Golf Classic
Allentown Municipal Golf Course (par 72)
Final scores:
16-19 years-old (24 holes) — 1. Kevin Scherr 70-26-96 (1-under-par); 2. Collin Seip 74-26-100; 3. Mark Lusk 76-28-104; 4. Tyler Coyle 78-27-105; 5-T. Thomas Lakata 82-26-108, Thomas Smith 79-29-108, Jackson Wagner 79-29-108, Alec Cwienkala 79-29-108; 9-T. Mitch Machulsky 82-27-109, Thomas Coakley 79-30-109; 11. Luke Reiter 83-27-110; 12-T. Andrew Benner 86-29-115, Peter Chiaradia 84-31-115; 14. Austin Stella 88-28-116; 15-T. Tristan Keopraseut 88-31-119, Ben Tetzlaff 88-31-119; 17-T. James Grimm 91-29-120, Ian Masenheimer 90-30-120; 19. Isaiah Martino 91-31-122.
14-15 years-old (23 holes) — 1. Jordan Barker 71-21-92 (even-par); 2. Joseph Altemose 74-23-97; 3. Trevor Grimm 79-24-103; 4-T. Colin Wong 89-23-112, Thomas Wagner 89-23-112; 6. Roman Lisicky 94-24-118; 7. Jason Koch 94-28-122.
12-13 years-old (20 holes) — 1. Matthew Vital 76-9-85 (5-over-par); 2. Owen Fahs 78-8-86; 3. Jimmy Barker 78-9-87; 4. Nicholas Blunt 81-7-88; 5. Matthew Zerfass 81-8-89; 6. Jase Barker 81-9-90; 7. Michael Vital 83-8-91; 8. Owen Wandalowski 85-8-93; 9. Tyler Hager 85-11-96; 10. John Keba 92-12-104.
9-11 years-old (11 holes) — 1. Prithvi Dixit 44-11-55 (11-over-par); 2. Jayden Bleiler 45-12-57.
Girls (29 holes) — 1. Tomita Arejola 69-44-113 (2-under-par); 2. Sophia Israel 86-49-135; 3. Emilie Wright 101-52-153; 4. Jess Bretzik 99-63-162; 5. Hannah Puc 107-58-165.
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