Over a dozen Pocono area golfers competed in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference golf tournament, and 14 total golfers will continue their season into next week.
The best performance goes to Pocono Mountain East junior Emmett Galucci, who tied for fifth place with a score of +7. In addition to having the best individual score of all area competitors, he also qualifies for the exemption from the District 11 qualifiers and will compete in the District 11 Championship at Steel Club.
“The day was crazy,” Galucci said after receiving his medal. “I had a rough start on the first couple of holes, and then I started heating up. I made a birdie on hole 14, which for my group was the fifth hole, and I got fired up. At that point, I was tied for first place.”
A double and triple bogey really hurt Galucci’s chances for first, but he made par on a majority of his holes at Great Bear Golf Club, which everyone, from players to coaches, noted its difficulty.
“But all in all, it was a fun day. I made it to districts, and that’s all that matters,” Galucci said.
East head golf coach Brian Fitzpatrick was proud of Galucci’s accomplishment.
“He’s the hardest working kid I know,” Fitpatrick said. “He truly loves the game. Emmett went from a kiddo that was so novice to the game to just working every single day. He’s really an incredible player.”
In addition to Galucci, East junior Chase Murphy received a medal for finishing 11th. Only the top 5 (plus ties) get the qualifier exemption, but Murphy and Galucci are the only area players to medal for the EPC Tournament.
Of the 13 golfers competing in the district qualifiers at Northampton Country Club, five are from East, the most of any area school. The remaining golfers are from Stroudsburg (4), East Stroudsburg North (1) and Pleasant Valley (3).
Among the qualifiers, an impressive performance came from Stroudsburg’s Phillip Yetter, the only freshman of the group. He had a rough first EPC Tournament (+25), but he had the overall season target score of 85 or better to reach the qualifier.
“Phillip has unlimited potential in golf,” Stroudsburg coach Pete Sobrinski said. “He’s already a solid player. It’s just going to get better and better for him. He has skills around the green that are necessary to do well on challenging days and when you don’t have your ‘A’ game.
“He’s a terrific kid, and I like his chances going forward.”
When asked about reaching the district qualifier, Yetter said, “It’s a great feeling. I just have to put the EPCs out of my way and keep going. That’s all there is to it.”
The District 11 qualifying tournament is Sept. 22 at Northampton Country Club. Those who place high enough or meet the score will move on to the district championship at Steel Club in Hellertown on Sept. 30.
Pocono golf District 11 qualifiers
East Stroudsburg North High School
Caden McGinley
Pleasant Valley High School
Drew Patascher
Austin Balanca
Noah Conklin (won’t participate)
Pocono Mountain East High School
Emmitt Galucci (Exempt from district qualifiers; will compete in championship on 9/30 @ Steel Club)
Chase Murphy
Chris Gerheart
Kevin Gerheart
Mason Stiff
Maddie VanBuskirk
Stroudsburg High School
Phillip Yetter
Zach Fritz
Chris Tretheway
Colin Wrazien
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