Brian Hagberg
WARREN, Pa. – With the course difficulty cranked up, three players rose to the occasion to claim the 2022 Jackson Valley Golf Course Club Championship this past weekend.
Jesse McMichael (Men’s), John Aldrich (Senior), and Kristen Petrarca (Women’s) had the best two-day totals in their respective divisions and were crowned 2022 Club Champions.
After being the runner-up several times, McMichael claimed his first-ever Club Championship. McMichael shot a 77 on Saturday and a 78 on Sunday for a 155 total. He finished five strokes ahead of 2021 champion Nick Petrarca (160).
“During the 2-day contest, only three players managed to break 80; and Jesse McMichael was the only player to break 80 both days,” JVGC club pro Joe Yeagle said. “Runner-up Nick Petrarca was the only other player to break 80 on day 2.”
In the Championship flight, Rob Ritchie took first with a 161 and Skete Williams took second with a 162.
In the A flight, Jordan Baker took first with a 161 and Matt Johnson took second with a 161. Ties were broken by a match of cards from the day 2 scores.
In the B flight, Mark Sweet took first with a 173 and Fred Utegg took second with a 175.
The Senior Championship was locked in a three-way tie following Saturday’s round with Aldrich, Mark Silvis, and Fred Franklin all having shot a 78 for the day. On Sunday, Aldrich played the final eight holes in even par to claim a 1-shot victory over Silvis, 154-155.
“John and Mark were the only two players in the Senior division to break 80 on both days of the Club Championship,” Yeagle said.
In the Senior Championship flight, last year’s champion, Chet Loomis, took first with a 163 and Bill Andrews took second with a 170.
In the A flight, Fred Franklin took first with a 162 and Denny Holcomb took second with a 181.
For the first time since 2017, a Ladies Champion was crowned at JVGC.
Kristen Petrarca jumped out to a big, early lead and never looked back on her way to claiming the title. Her two-day total of 186 was 12 shots ahead of runner-up Julie Moyer (198). Petrarca was the only ladies player to break 100 on both days of the tournament
“Though we had only a few sign-ups, we have built interest in the contest for the ladies at Jackson Valley and hope it continues to grow over the next few years,” Yeagle said.
