Final Results - IJGT at Blue Heron Pines

International Junior Golf Tour (IJGT) Presents
South Jersey Open at Blue Heron Pines
Cologne, N.J.
Sunday, October 13, 2013

Mody Captures South Jersey Open in Playoff

Kang Cruises to Victory

COLOGNE, N.J. - The International Junior Golf Tour's (IJGT) Northeast Tour was in Cologne, N.J., on Oct. 12-13, 2013 for the South Jersey Open at Blue Heron Pines. The field consisted of 61 players, ages 10-19, representing five Mid-Atlantic states.

Blue Heron Pines Golf Club opened in 1993 and has been recognized as one of the best golf courses on the Jersey Shore. The first round was played mostly in the rain with wind gusts of 30 mph. While the rain cleared out for the final round, the swirling wind remained, making no hole an easy hole. Adding to the difficulty the weather presented, Stephen Kay's course design featured multiple bunkers on every hole and four ponds.

In the Boys 15-19 Division, Curren Mody of Monmouth Junction, N.J., needed more than 36 holes to claim his first IJGT victory, defeating Quinn Dolan of Broomall, Pa., on the first hole of a playoff.
Mody paced the leaderboard in the first round, firing a 1-over-par 73, highlighted by a birdie on the par-5 18th hole. Even with the inclement weather, Mody only bogeyed two holes, to go along with his birdie. He started his round with pars on the first five holes before bogeying the tough sixth hole.

Dolan also was able to succeed in the wind and rain, shooting a 74. Like Mody, he started with five consecutive pars, only to drop a stroke at the sixth hole. Dolan birdied holes Nos. 11 and 14 on his way to an even-par back nine and finish second after the first round.

Joshua Goldenberg of Scarsdale, N.Y., went 1-under-par on his opening nine and was even-par until a quadruple-bogey on hole No. 14 set him back. Goldenberg recovered to birdie the 18th hole for a first-round total of 75, putting himself right in contention.

Mody, Dolan, and Goldenberg all held shares of the lead early on in the final round. Dolan birdied the second hole to grab a share of the lead with Mody. Following a triple-bogey by Mody on No. 3, Dolan had his first outright lead. It did not last very long, though, as consecutive bogeys by Dolan, coupled with four pars by Goldenberg, put them atop the leaderboard.

Dolan held the lead after 27 holes, as he shot a front-nine 38 along with Goldenberg, while Mody sat three strokes back after carding a 42.

Mody began his comeback with three pars to start the back nine to tie Goldenberg and get within two shots of Dolan. Mody's birdie coupled with a bogey by Dolan on No. 13 put the two back in a tie for first. Goldenberg slowly fell back from the pack, playing holes Nos. 14-17 at 5-over-par.

While Mody and Dolan were matching scores from holes Nos.14-17, Matthew Bastian of Media, Pa., was making his move a group ahead of them. Bastian birdied the 17th hole to get within two strokes with only the par-5 18th hole remaining. But Bastian could not keep up the momentum, double-bogeying the hole to finish his day at 78 and 154 for the tournament, hoping that both Mody and Dolan would also find trouble on the last hole.

They did not. Both players found the fairway off the tee and then laid up with their second shots. With each having the opportunity to win the tournament right in front of them, Dolan hit his third shot to 25 feet while Mody was 50 feet away.

Mody's long-distance putt came up short and he was left with a tough par putt. Dolan was also off with his birdie putt but he was able to tap in for his par. With the pressure on, Mody sank his par putt to send it to a playoff.

Playing the 10th hole, Mody found the middle of the fairway and Dolan's ball rolled to the edge of the rough. Mody then hit the green with his approach, as the ball came to rest within 12 feet of the cup. Dolan also found the green but left himself a downhill putt from 15 feet for birdie.

Dolan was first up. His putt came off the hill and missed, rolling a foot past the cup. That left Mody with the chance to win and he came through in the clutch. His putt rolled slowly towards the hole and was able to sneak in the side for the victory.

"I tried to keep the ball low and focus on my short game," said Mody when asked about his keys to victory.

Bastian finished third, two strokes off Mody and Dolan's 152 totals. Michael McIntosh of Chittenango, N.Y., shot a final-round 77 to win the Clazic Belts Low Final Round Award.

In the Girls Division, Raphaella Kang of Bayside, N.Y., built a comfortable lead early and cruised to victory. A double-bogey on hole No. 5 during the first round was her only mistake, as Kang fired a 77. She birdied the 10th hole as part of a 1-over-par back nine. After the first round, she carried a five stroke lead over Alexis Hios of Rye, N.Y., and six strokes over Eun Won Park of Tenafly, N.J., and Christina Parsells of Bernardsville, N.J.

Playing with the lead, Kang never committed any real big mistakes during the final round. A front-nine score of 42 kept her five-stroke lead intact, as only Parsells's 41 was better.

With the wind again playing a huge factor, no one was able to make a move. Kang finished her round strong, with three pars to shoot an 83. Her total of 160 was seven strokes better than Hios, Park, and Sarah Kokotajlo of Ewing, N.J., who all tied for second.

"I hit my irons perfectly straight all weekend. The wind never affected me," mentioned Kang following her round.

Kokotajlo and Alessandra Ricigliano of Scarsdale, N.Y., both shot 82 to win the Clazic Belts Low Final Round Award.

In the Boys 14 & Under Division, C.J. Hughes of Indiana, Pa., won his first IJGT Event of the season, after coming so close at the Labor Day Classic at Hershey.

Hughes struggled on the front nine during the first round, as he shot a 43 in the wind and rain. He started the back nine with a birdie, then a bogey, followed by four pars. Hughes finished his round with another birdie, good for a total of 81. Ryan Pongrac of Freehold, N.J., paced the division with a first-round score of 80, highlighted by birdies at holes No. 1 and 12.

Hughes started the final round hot, with a birdie at the opening hole. He struggled again on the front nine, carding a 42. It was enough to give him the lead after 27 holes, as Pongrac's 44 put him one stroke behind. Pongrac took the lead back on hole No. 10, as Hughes put up an eight on the par-4, while Pongrac bogeyed. Pongrac could not make the most of his lead, unable to get comfortable on the remaining holes. A string of bogeys gave the lead back to Hughes.

Hughes entered the 18th hole with a three-stroke lead over Pongrac. Even though he double-bogeyed the hole, Pongrac only made up one stroke, giving Hughes the victory. Hughes finished with final totals of 81-86-167 to Pongrac's 80-89-169.

"I had trouble getting off the tee the first day but I got that straightened out in day two," noted Hughes as a key to victory.

Jack Halleron of Timonium, Md., finished third with scores of 86-85-171.

The IJGT Northeast tour will be in State College, Pa., the weekend of Oct. 19-20, 2013 for the College Classic at Penn State. The tournament will be played on the Blue Course at Penn State. To sign up for this Event, or others, visit www.IJGT.com/info or call 888.936.5327.

About the IJGT

The IJGT provides exceptional junior golfers with the opportunity to develop and showcase their competitive skills while setting high standards to preserve the traditions and integrity of the game. As a tour that operates primarily throughout the academic year, the IJGT hosts approximately 60 tournaments annually. In addition, the IJGT hosts three international events. Each event provides multi-day competition for junior golfers of all skill levels ages 9-19. Players representing 45 states and 43 countries around the world regularly compete in events at venues such as TPC Sawgrass, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Kiawah Island Resort, and Harbour Town Golf Links. Official partners of the IJGT include Bridgestone Golf, Quagmire Golf, CHAMP Spikes, Clazic Belts, AB Golf Designs, The First Tee, Sundog Eyewear, Golfweek morodZ, PURE Grips, and the International Junior Golf Academy.

To obtain more information about the IJGT, please visit www.IJGT.com/info or call 888.936.5327.

COLOGNE, N.J. - Final-round results of the IJGT South Jersey Open at Blue Heron Pines conducted by the International Junior Golf Tour completed October 13, 2013. Boys 15-19 Division: Gold Tees - 6,708 yards, Par 72 (72.5/135) Boys 14 & Under Division: Black Tees - 6,150 yards, Par 72 (69.4/133) Girls Division: Blue Tees - 5,829 yards, Par 72 (73.5/129)

Weather: Saturday: Rainy with temperatures in the low 60's with 30-35 mph winds
Sunday: Cloudy with temperatures in the low 60's with 30-35 mph winds

International Junior Golf Tour
Blue Heron Pines
Cologne, N.J.
October 12-13, 2013

Boys 15-19 Division - Gold Tees, 6,708 yards, Par 72
1. x-Curren Mody, Monmouth Junction, NJ, *73-79--152
2. Quinn Dolan, Broomall, PA, *74-78--152
3. Matthew Bastian, Media, PA, *76-78--154
4. Jack Faraci, Port Jefferson Station, NY, *77-78--155
5. Eric Terminello, White Plains, NY, *77-79--156
5. Joshua Goldenberg, Scarsdale, NY, *75-81--156
7. Michael McIntosh, Chittenango, NY, *81-77--158
7. Mark Benevento, Somers Pt., NJ, *79-79--158
7. Sam Sawyers, New York, NY, *78-80--158
7. Trey Croney, Bryn Mawr, PA, *77-81--158
7. Brian LeBlanc, Newtown, CT, *77-81--158
12. Blake Vodges, Wildwood Crest, NJ, *79-81--160
13. Justin Murray, Burlington, NJ, *80-81--161
14. Jonny Emmerman, Scarsdale, NY, *84-78--162
14. Thomas Urciuoli, Short Hills, NJ, *81-81--162
14. Jake Mayer, Scotch Plains, NJ, *81-81--162
14. Vince Palazzolo, Colts Neck, NJ, *81-81--162
18. Reid Bedell, Fair Haven, NJ, *82-82--164
19. Thomas Dzwonczyk, North Abington Township, PA, *83-82--165
19. Andrew DeMarco, Huntington, NY, *82-83--165
19. Jonathan Solimano, Montvale, NJ, *79-86--165
22. Brandan Bree, Kennett Square, PA, *87-80--167
23. Chris Binet, Oreland, PA, *77-92--169
24. Jb Bradbeer, Rosemont, PA, *89-81--170
24. Mike Hanrahan, Ossining, NY, *86-84--170
24. Gregory Szrom, Egg Harbor Township, NJ, *81-89--170
27. Harry Jin, Palisades Park, NJ, *90-81--171
28. Michael Barychewsky, Richboro, PA, *85-87--172
28. Ethan Means, Landenberg, PA, *83-89--172
30. Perry Litwin, Rumson, NJ, *89-84--173
30. Cristian Cerza, Greenwich, CT, *88-85--173
30. Evan Santa, Edgewater, MD, *82-91--173
33. Ben Litt, Moorestown, NJ, *88-87--175
34. Ryan Bree, Kennett Square, PA, *89-87--176
35. Benjamin Kotler, Penn Valley, PA, *85-94--179
36. Bobby Moriarty, Summit, NJ, *93-93--186
37. Peter Bradbeer, Philidelphia, PA, *98-89--187
38. Jesse Bevilacqua, Rumson, NJ, *97-93--190
39. Ryan Conway, Bryn Mawr, PA, *104-89--193

DID NOT FINISH
Leonard Lee, Wyckoff, NJ, *86--JWD
Nicholas Infanti, Clarksburg, MD, *87--JWD

Boys 14 & Under Division - Black Tees, 6,150 yards, Par 72
1. C.J. Hughes, Indiana, PA, *81-86--167
2. Ryan Pongrac, Freehold, NJ, *80-89--169
3. Jack Halleron, Timonium, MD, *86-85--171
4. Thomas Corrigan, Irvington, NY, *83-90--173
5. Ford Bennett, Owings Mills, MD, *90-90--180
5. Michael Paduano, Shrewsbury, NJ, *91-89--180
7. Daniel Bastian, Media, PA, *91-94--185
8. Aj Aivazoglou, Glen Mills, PA, *95-106--201

Girls Division - Blue Tees, 5,829 yards, Par 72
1. Raphaella Kang, Bayside, NY, *77-83--160
2. Sarah Kokotajlo, Ewing, NJ, *85-82--167
2. Alexis Hios, Rye, NY, *82-85--167
2. Eun Won Park, Tenafly, NJ, *83-84--167
5. Christina Parsells, Bernardsville, NJ, *83-85--168
6. Alessandra Ricigliano, Scarsdale, NY, *88-82--170
7. Katie Edelblut, New Hope, PA, *91-83--174
8. Carley Hopton, Madison, NJ, *85-90--175
8. Alyssa Schiera, West Windsor, NJ, *88-87--175
10. Madison Braman, Loudonville, NY, *91-91--182
11. Emily Corrigan, Irvington, NY, *99-91--190
12. Alexis Harris, Piscataway, NJ, *101-104--205