Golf: Sydnes in comfort zone at Turtle Creek

LIMERICK — Radnor sophomore Michael Sydnes has come to like the Turtle Creek Golf Club layout. Maybe it was the 3-under 33 he fired on the front nine in an early nonleague dual match against Spring-Ford.

Sydnes was back at the 6,375-yard, par-72 Turtle Creek layout Monday for the opening round of the District One Tournament and he put together a 3-over 75 that left him in a tie for ninth in the Class AAA field.

Sydnes was one of just two Delco boys to make the cut for Tuesday’s second round. The cut fell at 6-over 78 and only Penncrest senior Griffin Colvin, who grinded out a patient 5-over 77 on a windy, but blustery day in western Montgomery County, will join Sydnes for Tuesday’s second round.

On the girls side, Radnor junior All-Delco Brynn Walker survived a quintuple-bogey 10 on the par-5 second hole of the Red nine to card a 3-over 74 on the Red and White nines at Gilbertsville Golf Club and lead a trio of Raiders who made the cut for Tuesday’s second round, which will be played back down Swamp Pike at Turtle Creek.

Walker’s teammates, senior Julia Curley and sophomore Gabby Kim, both shot 79 to make the cut on the number.

Sydnes, who plays out of Talamore Country Club, is the first one to admit that early season nonleague match when he led Radnor to a fantastic team score of 175 at the Turtle is among his golfing highlights.

“I think that was the most fun day I’ve ever had on the golf course,’ said Sydnes, who works on his game with Stu Ingraham, the veteran instructor at the M Golf Range in Newtown Square. “I had an eagle, two birdies and a bogey. I’ve shot 3-under for nine one other time and my best 18-hole scores are a 68 (at Turtle Creek) and at Paxon Hollow (Country Club).’

Sydnes knows to be careful on a lot of the holes at Turtle Creek. Starting on the 17th, he made birdies at two of the par-5s, the eighth and the 13. One of his five bogeys came on the 12th hole when he hit his approach out of bounds, but reloaded and knocked it stiff.

“You have to think your way around here,’ Sydnes said. “And the wind complicated things a little today. It got windier as the day went on.

“I was hitting my wedges really well today. I gave myself a lot of looks (at birdie), but I didn’t make many putts. I knew eventually I’d get a couple to fall.’

Sydnes will return to Turtle Creek Tuesday trying to take the next step and earn a spot at the East Regional Tournament Oct. 14 at Golden Oaks Golf Club.

“You have to take it one shot at a time out here,’ Sydnes said. “You can’t get ahead of yourself out there thinking about the cut. You have to stay focused on what matters, which is the next shot.’

Colvin, too, has played some good rounds at Turtle Creek, including a 73 at last week’s Central League Tournament that gave him a share of second place for the straight year.

Colvin admitted he wasn’t playing his best Monday. Starting on 16, he got an early boost when he chipped in for birdie at the 17th.

After that he was up and down all day, finishing up by three-putting at 14 and 15 for bogeys. But that’s the way Turtle Creek can be.

“Every hole out here, you can make bogey,’ Colvin said. “My driver and my putter were really poor today, but you just have to keep grinding out there.’

Nobody went very low as Upper Dublin’s Jack Melville took the lead with a 2-under 70. Matt Scargle of Unionville is in second place at 1-under 71 and Holy Ghost Prep’s Steve Cerbara and Spring-Ford’s Matt Keim are tied for third at even-par 72. Conestoga’s Andrew Willner, the runnerup at the PIAA Class AAA Tournament a year ago, and teammate Mike Cook are two of three players tied for sixth at 2-over 74.

Over at the 5,834-yard, par-71 Red and White nines at Gilbertsville, Walker, the runnerup at this tournament a year ago, started her round on the White nine and was cruising along at 3-under when she reached the 504-yard, par-5 second hole on the Red nine, her 11th of the day.

“I hit a good drive and I tried to reach the green in two with a 3-wood and I pulled it just a little and it was out of bounds,’ said Walker, the runnerup at districts a year ago. “The second time, I just snap-hooked it out of bounds. So I took a hybrid and got it up there and then I three-putted.

“It was unfortunate, but I just have to put a good round together over at the Turtle (Tuesday) and make sure I advance.’

Reigning Class AAA state champion Isabella DiLisio of Mount St. Joseph, fired a 5-under 66 to lead Coatesville’s Samantha Staudt by two shots and defending District One champion Jackie Rogowicz of Pennsbury by three.

Walker is one of three players tied for sixth at 3-over 74, one of whom is Council Rock North junior Madelein Herr, with whom Walker partnered last week to earn the qualifying medal for next May’s inaugural U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship.