Golf Devils club Churchmen

by TOM UTESCHER

Cruising to a home/away sweep of a struggling Episcopal Academy squad last week, Chestnut Hill Academy’s golf team climbed to a 3-1 mark in the Inter-Ac League, and a 5-1 record overall. On Monday, on their home course at Sunnybrook, the Blue Devils downed the Churchmen, 243-277, and the following afternoon CHA won on the west course at Merion, 234-256.

Although the Devils were able to defeat Episcopal by a comfortable margin in Monday’s home match, a number of individual players had recorded superior scores the week before. Nick Pearson delivered a 36 to help the Devils defeat Malvern Prep, Ryan Hoyes’ 37 led the locals past Shipley in another bout at Sunnybrook, and although CHA lost its rematch with Malvern at the end of the week, Chip Culp chalked up a 34 on the Friars’ home circuit at Waynesborough.

In last Monday’s sortie at Sunnybrook, junior Reed Valutas of the Churchmen actually carded the best score of the day with a 38, but Episcopal’s next-best round was a 45 from Billy Brown, and the visitors had three players score in the 50’s. Meanwhile, a trio of Blue Devils came in at 40 even; Eric Dziengelski, Jason Ochroch, and Mike Soowal.

The other three Chestnut Hill scores included in the official team tally were all 41’s; these came from Hoyes, Pearson, and Robert Robertson. Rounding out the reckoning for Episcopal were a 46 for Lexi Van Arkle, a pair of 49’s by Micah Albrycht and Mark Nakahara, and a 50 for Carter Cox.

The Blue Devils were able to shave nine strokes off their team score when they went on the road the following day. Ochroch and Soowal each mastered the hilly Merion West circuit to hit par at 36, while Robertson recorded a 38 and Culp came in at 40. A 41 from Steve Wetherill and a 43 from Pearson rounded out the team total for CHA.