CHA captures another golf series

by TOM UTESCHER

The Chestnut Hill Academy linksters raised their record in the Inter-Ac League to 5-1 last week with home and away wins over Germantown Academy.

The Blue Devils (7-1 overall) won 249-257 on their home course at Sunnybrook Golf Club on Monday afternoon, and on Thursday they knocked off the Patriots (2-4 league) on GA’s Philadelphia Cricket Club turf, 245-265.

Up until last spring, CHA had played for many years at Philadelphia Cricket, while Germantown had called Sunnybrook home. In addition, several players at each school are family members at the other team’s club, so there really was no “home field advantage” in the recent series, even with GA hosting at Philly’s new Militia Hill course, instead of the old 18.

In the first meeting, Chestnut Hill was led by a pair of 39’s from Nick Pearson, who birdied the second hole, and Chip Culp, who carded six pars during his round. Eric Dziengelski and Robert Robertson each turned in a 42 for the Blue Devils, and a 43 by Steve Wetherill and a 44 by Jason Ochroch rounded out CHA’s team score.

Adam Prince’s 40 and Phil Azarik’s 41 were the low scores for Germantown, which received 43’s from Matt Ehrlich and Brian O’Neil. O’Neil’s brother, Brennan, fired a 45 for the Patriots, as did Matt Shearon.

On the road three days later, Chestnut Hill won by a larger margin, despite having to cope with changeable, challenging weather conditions. One minute it might be sunny and calm, in the next there could be a sudden squall which swept the course with sheets of rain and rowdy windgusts.

“A couple times, I was hitting three-irons from 190 [yards] straight into the wind,” remarked Mike Soowal of the Blue Devils. “I just tried to keep it under the wind and make some pars.”

Birdies on the third and seventh holes helped Soowal attain the best score of the day with a 36, par for the front nine at Militia Hill. The consistent Culp shot a 39 for the second straight match, and Robertson came in at 40. A 42 for Dziengelski and 44’s by Pearson and Andrew Bartholomew fleshed out CHA’s team tally.

Brian O’Neil’s 40 paced the Patriots, and his partner in the first foursome, Ehrlich, made it around with a 43. Shearon and Ricky Lassin contributed a pair of 45’s, and Azarik, Brennan O’Neil, and Anthony Seravalli all produced 46-stroke rounds, two of which figured into the final reckoning for GA.