Oct. 4—EXETER — After getting cut from the Abington Heights golf team as a sophomore, Alec Hamilton never imagined he would one day be a district champion.
Yet, there he was Tuesday with the gold medal around his neck. The senior shot an 1-over-par 71 at Fox Hill Country Club to capture the Class 3A title at the District 2 Individual Golf Championships.
“Freshman year I wasn’t even a starter,” Hamilton said. “Sophomore year I got cut from the team. Junior year I got benched pre-districts and didn’t get a chance to play at districts. Finally, this is my first time playing districts and it feels amazing.”
Teammate Cade Kelleher shot 2-over 72 to finish second and give Abington Heights a 1-2 finish. Ryan Roman of Dallas also shot 72 to place third, while Dallas’ Brad Kugler defeated Wilkes-Barre Area’s Mike Hamel in a one-hole playoff to take fourth place after they both shot 73.
In Class 2A, Nick Werner from Wyoming Seminary carded a blistering 3-under-par 67 to claim the title. Cael Ropietski of Lake-Lehman was second with 70 and Riverside senior Mike Maslanka was third with 71. Michael Lugiano from Lake-Lehman was fourth with 74, while Lackawanna Trail senior Gavin June and Western Wayne senior Jamie Chapman each shot 76 to finish fifth and sixth, respectively.
The top four finishers in Class 3A and top six in Class 2A qualify for the PIAA Championships at Penn State University on Oct. 16-17. Class 2A will play the White Course and Class 3A the Blue Course.
Getting cut from the team as a sophomore served as a wakeup call for Hamilton.
“It humbled me in a way of thinking that life’s not easy,” Hamilton said. “To be good at something, you have to grind and work at it. Hours on the putting green, hours on the range, hours playing and gaining experience in tournaments over the summers. It just made me think I’m not special, I’m not that. To be good at something, you have to earn it and really try. I practiced 8-to-10 hours a day at the course during the summer. That’s all I really wanted was to be successful at golf.”
He certainly was Tuesday.
He started with a birdie on No. 1, but gave it right back with a double bogey on No. 2. He parred out the rest of the front nine to stand at 1-over 36.
On No. 10, Hamilton had another double bogey, then responded with a birdie on No. 11.
“That was kind of crazy because every time I play this golf course, I never par or birdie that hole,” Hamilton said. “So, birdie was insanely good there.”
After pars on the next three holes, Hamilton hit what he called his best drive of the day on No. 15, put his second shot to within five feet and made the putt for birdie. He parred his final three holes to finish the back nine with an even-par 35.
“It was an amazing round today,” Hamilton said. “I just kept myself together the entire round. I didn’t think about my past shots. I just played golf. The flow was there.”
Kelleher started on No. 18 and shot 36s on the front and back nine.
“I had a pretty smooth start, which kind of kept my head in the game,” Kelleher said. “From there, I just built on that. Made a few birdies, a few mistakes here and there but didn’t let it get to me.”
A key shot for Kelleher came on the par-3 seventh hole. He hit his tee shot to within three feet, but it spun off the green. However, he still made the birdie putt.
“I didn’t let that impact me,” Kelleher said. “I knew if I kept on going, I’d have a good shot.”
Both Hamilton and Kelleher are now looking forward to the state tournament at Penn State.
“I’m going to go play my game, do what I do, no expectations,” Hamilton said. “Just show up and play. Try to have no pressure and be calm and collected throughout the entire round. Just hit the next shot.”
Added Kelleher: “I’ve played at tournaments there prior and I did pretty well. So I’m excited to go back and play a course I’m pretty familiar with.”
Class 2A
In his first three seasons, Maslanka missed qualifying for the state tournament by one stroke each time. So, when he started with a three-putt bogey on No. 1, he couldn’t help but to start have some doubts Tuesday.
But the turning point came on No. 5 when he sank a 10-footer for a birdie, then had an eagle on No. 6.
“Early on I wasn’t feeling the greatest,” Maslanka said. “On No. 5, I had a punch shot from out of the trees and hit that punch shot to 10 feet and made birdie. That got me back to even. That was a big momentum swing.”
He said he also caught another break on No. 14.
“I pushed the drive a little right, but it ended up hitting the path and going down to the bottom of the hill,” Maslanka said. “So I had a wedge into the par-5 and hit that to 10 feet and an easy two-putt birdie there.”
He finished with a 35 on the front nine and 36 on the back nine to punch his ticket to states for the first time.
“The last three years, I always had that monkey on my back and missed it,” Maslanka said. “So this year, it definitely means a lot. This morning was definitely nerve-racking. But I never let my emotions get the best of me, even early on. I just kept an even head and stayed patient.”
His round, though, wasn’t enough to challenge Wyoming Seminary’s Werner, who played in the same foursome.
“There were some moments where there could have been swings. Just wasn’t able to get the ball in the hole quick enough,” Maslanka said. “But he played a great round. He deserved it. It was his day.”
June started on No. 15 and shot 39 on the front nine and 37 on the back. He overcame a quadruple-bogey 8 on No. 8 and a bogey on No. 9 when his putt for par lipped out.
“I was feeling a lot worse going into hole 10,” June said. “But I made a nice 15-foot putt on 10 for par and that built some momentum. Then I hit monster drive on 12 — one of my furthest tee shots I think I’ve ever hit.
“I was cruising along and then I had one bad hole and it stuck with me for one or two more. But I got through it.”
He did, and as a result, June will head to states for the third straight year.
“It’s always a treat. It’s always a bonus,” June said. “I want to be playing my best golf in October. I’m not quite there yet, but we have two weeks to figure it out and hopefully have a good showing.”
Chapman is headed to states for the first time. Starting on No. 17, he had 37 on the front nine and 39 on the back.
“I didn’t start off well. I think I was 5-over after my first four holes,” Chapman said. “So I was like, ‘All right, you have to get it together.’ I birdied No. 4 and started out getting a good string of pars. I had some good holes on the back. I was a couple feet from a hole-in-one on No. 13. The rest of the round, I was hitting good iron shots and my putting picked up after starting out a little bad.
“It’s just awesome. I’ve dreamed about this since I was a freshman and made it a big goal for my senior year to get to states. I’m real happy for myself.”
Contact the writer:
swalsh@scrantontimes.com;
570-348-9100 ext. 5109;
@swalshTT on X
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