Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York, Pa., one of the most difficult courses in Pennsylvania, tested the players and coaches alike. The course’s tight fairways and sand-trap-guarded greens caused havoc to even the most experienced players. Led by seniors Alex Pol and Rob Harris, as well as junior standout Pat Kelly, the Cathedral Prep golf team highlighted why it is one of the best in state.
The Ramblers were dominant throughout District 10, as they went 5-0 in region play. On the road they had spectacular success at various prestigious golf invitationals. The Ramblers claimed the MidWest Classic played at Whispering Woods and captured the title at the Rough Rider Invitational for the third year in a row. They also achieved top five honors at the prestigious Lion Cardinal Classic as well as the Latrobe and Meadville Invitational.
“These were good bench markers for us through the season. We could really use these to gauge where we were at and what we needed to work on,” said senior Rob Harris.
They had no problem putting the pieces together when it counted most. At the District 10 Championships, the Ramblers shined. In the individual championships Pat Kelly showed why he’s one of the best. He blew away the field capturing the District 10 Title once again. His first round score of 70 and second round score of 75 led him to a 6-stroke victory and qualified him for the Western Region Individual Tournament, taking him one step away from his third state trip.
Senior Rob Harris shot a combined 155, which was good enough for fourth, and freshman Evan Rowane shot a 162, and that placed him seventh. In the team tournament, the Ramblers absolutely dominated the field winning with a commanding 21-stroke victory, defending their title from last year.
“Our team was very strong physically and mentally on the course,” said Pat Kelly, and that killer mentality was too much for any team to handle.
The road to the state tournament led them to the PIAA eam Subregional versus Altoona & Bradford. Played at Treasure Lake in DuBois the golf team battled hard and once again came out on top. Pat Kelly paved the way shooting and impressive 70, and the Prep golf team advanced into the state golf championship with the 17-stroke win in the subregional. At Toms Run Golf Course at the Western Region Individual Tournament, Pat Kelly was given another gold medal. His round of 70 was good enough for the victory and a spot in this year’s state tourney.
At Heritage Hills Golf Resort, in York, Pa., Pat Kelly was the lone District 10 representative in the highly competitive Class AAA field. After day one, Pat’s first round score of 73 had him at two over par and well within the top 10. Day two proved to be more challenging. A 15-minute delay due to weather made the course much more difficult. His second round score of 76 at five over gave him a combined score of 149, and his final score of seven over par earned Pat a medal tying for tenth.
In the team competition the next day, Pat Kelly bounced back. His 70 at one under had him tied for first. Alex Pol shot an impressive 74, Evan Rowane an 80, Luke Misko an 81, and Rob Harris an 82. The team’s combined score of 305 tied them with Central Catholic for third. This concluded a successful and memorable golf season for the
team.
“Hard work pays off,” said Alex Pol. “Our team this year was one of the best; we were truly a group of brothers.”