While he’s won plenty of tournaments in his career, Jamesville-DeWitt boys golfer Jackson Saroney picked up a particularly special victory early last week.
Saroney is the New York State Public High School Athletic Association champion after his record-setting performance at Mill Creek Golf Club in Churchville, west of Rochester.
No golfer in the NYSPHSAA tournament’s 52-year history ever played as well as Saroney, who finished at 10-under-par 132 to lap the field and earn Section III’s first individual title at this event since New Hartford’s Derek Roy in 2013.
A senior bound for Penn State, Saroney had dominated the sectional state qualifier May 21 and 23 at Colgate University’s Seven Oaks course winning that event by seven strokes, serving as a preview for what would happen at Mill Crek.
In the opening round on Sunday Saroney made just one bogey while securing five birdies on holes 2, 5, 11, 15 and 17. The four-under-par 67 put him one shot ahead of Yorktown’s Joe Carey going to the final round.
Getting an early start Monday morning due to anticipated stormy weather, Saroney birdied 3 and 4 back-to-back and, despite a bogey at 7, turned in 35, now leading Carey and Zach Berger with nine holes left.
Then the getaway began.
Saroney birdied the par-3 10th, got another birdie at 12, recorded back-to-back birdies at 14 and 15 and finished with one more birdie at 18, all for a back-nine 30.
The 132 total left him six shots clear of Carey and Albany CBA’s C.J. Strong, who tied for second. What’s more, it also helped Section III win the state team tournament as its cumulative plus-38 beat Section II by 14 strokes.
Westhill’s Danny Young finished tied for seventh at 146. New Hartford’s Tommy Goodelle tied for 11th at 148 as Cicero-North Syracuse’s Drew Kippen tied for 17th with Holland Patent’s Jake Olearczyk at 150. Cooperstown’s Brayden Sentz posted 155.
Drew Mancini (Skaneateles) and J.P. Lazzaro (New Hartford) both finished at 157 one shot ahead of West Genesee’s Jon Shoults, who played in this tournament in between rounds of the state Class A boys lacrosse tournament where Shoults is the starting goalie for the sectional champion Wildcats.
Over at Wild Wood Golf Club in Rush Fayetteville-Manlius was making its push for the NYPSHSAA girls golf team title and gave itself a chance with a cumulative plus-86 in the opening round 30 shots behind Scarsdale.
Moving to the final round, F-M improved to plus-71 and, with its finish at plus-157, was third overall, its best-ever finish in the state tournament. Only Scarsdale (plus-101) and Great Neck (plus-131) finished ahead of the Hornets.
Individually, Lindsey Chong led F-M shooting an 85 in the opening round as Bella Fullmer posted 89. Lizzy Noel had a 97 and Maya Moody finished at 103. In the second round Chong shot 87, two ahead of Noel, who improved to an 89 as Fullmer’s 91 beat out the 92 from Moody.
Christian Brothers Academy golfer Anna Fuller shot rounds of 102 and 103 to finish at 205. C-NS’s Chloe Tice had the best individual finish of any Section III golfer as her 159 tied for 17th place.
