Devils’ Petracci wins title
Devils’ Petracci wins title
EGG HARBOR CITY—Led by individual winner Noah Petracci, Hammonton High School’s golf team finished second overall at the Carl Arena/Al Rifkin Memorial Golf Tournament on May 6 at the Blue Heron Pines Country Club in Egg Harbor City.
Starting the tournament on the ninth hole on a windy morning, Petracci scored five birdies and finished with a 71. Petracci began the day 3-over par, but then put together his best stretch of the day con holes 14-18, where he recorded four birdies.
“[This] is a big accomplishment. I had a rough start, it was windy on the first six holes and the tree lines were tough, but the string of birdies put me back and I was able to put everything together,” Petracci said.
Teammate Olivia Strigh shot a 79, which earned her second place among the girls competing. Add in Luca Gherardi’s 94 and Hammonton totaled 244, tying Haddonfield for second place in the team competition. St. Augustine Prep won the team trophy with a 239.
The finish was the latest in what has been a strong start to the season for Hammonton, which enters this week with a 10-1 record.
Petracci and Strigh have been consistently among the top scorers in every match this season, although Petracci said he feels he can play better golf.
“I’ve be kind of up and down this year, but today I had all phases of the game going well. I was happy to have this kind of performance in an event like this. It’s a pretty big trophy,” he said.
In regular season action last week, Hammonton earned wins against Buena, Lower Cape May and Millville.
Playing at Buena Vista Country Club to start the week, Hammonton topped host Buena 177-216. Petracci was 4-over at 40 to lead all scorers, while Strigh shot a 42. Shane McSorley finished the round with a 46, and Gherardi shot a 49.
Playing at Lower Cape May the following afternoon, Hammonton cruised past the host Tigers 157-181.
Petracci and Strigh led the way for the Blue Devils, each shooting a 2-over 37. Gherardi had a 39 and Sam Mento shot a 44 to round out the scoring.
The week ended at home against Millville, where Hammonton won 165-213. Strigh’s 38 led Hammonton, and Petracci finished a stroke back at 39.
McSorley had a 42 and Gherardi shot a 46 for the Devils.
The victories last week left Hammonton with a 10-1 record entering play this week.
Earlier this week, Hammonton played in the South Jersey sectionals, but results were too late for this edition. On May 12, the Blue Devils visit Ocean City at 4 p.m.