Chamber holds 5th annual High School Golf Invitational
A Panther and a Pirate took home the top prizes during the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce’s 5th annual High School Golf Invitational at LaTourette Golf Course.
Petrides High School senior Mark Stuto finished with a 5-over 77 to win first place in the boys’ portion while Tottenville High School senior Blossom Yu shot a 15-over 87 to garner the top spot in the girls’ portion.
“Coming into (the Invitational), I just wanted to get my score from (the Mayor’s Cup) which was a 79,” said Stuto, who accomplished that goal. “There was some rough putting. I missed at least eight birdie opportunities.
“I could have definitely shot lower, but I’m happy with how I played,” added Stuto, who recorded birdies on the 9th, 10th and 17th holes.
“I played here for Mayor’s Cup (earlier in the week), so I thought I just need to do what I did at the Mayor’s Cup and just play as best as I can. And that’s kind of what I did,” said Yu. “I had my group members tell me I was doing really well because I personally felt I wasn’t playing that well. But they were saying, ‘No, you’re playing fine.’ So, I had them to keep (my spirits) up.
“I’m happy but also shocked,” admitted the 18-year-old about her win.
The annual affair attracts golfers from private, public, and Catholic high schools to compete against each other. This year’s 18-hole Invitational attracted 31 golfers from 10 different high schools.
“It felt good. I got to play with people I knew. And then I met some people. So it was relaxing,” said Yu, who will head to John Jay College of Criminal Justice in the fall to pursue criminology.
“I really love this tournament because you get to see who’s really good in high school,” said 17-year-old Stuto, who will attend St. Francis (N.Y.) College in the fall on a Division I golf scholarship. “I do play with a lot of these kids throughout local tournaments and even Met PGAs and AJGAs. But it’s a very, very nice tournament they put on here.”
After Stuto’s performance, there was a stiff battle for second place as St. Peter’s Gerald Burt and Xaverian’s Matt Missud tied at +9. However, Burt claimed second place on tiebreaking procedures.
In the girls’ action, Susan Wagner’s Marielle Gelman (+17) was second followed by St. Joseph Hill’s Ava Graziano (+18).
Tottenville and Petrides tied for the boys’ team trophy, but the Pirates brought home the trophy due to a tiebreaker. Meanwhile, Tottenville also captured the girls’ team trophy.
After the event, golfers had more time to mingle with the competition during a barbecue lunch.
Frank Scarangello (SCARAN) and Mike Bloomfield (Tekie Geek) were the chairmen for the event.
The 5th annual High School Golf Invitational’s leaderboard was sponsored by Rampulla Associates Architects LLP in New Dorp. To view the leaderboard and scorecards, visit: highschoolinvitational.com.
Participants
Boys
McKee/Staten Island Tech: Kristian Marino and Jeffrey Sun. Monsignor Farrell: Mike Burke, Stanley Carter-Hercules and Nicholas Foppiano. Petrides: Wilson Morales and Mark Stuto. St. Peter’s: Gerald Burt, Matt Ropiak and Thomas Sipp. Staten Island Academy: Zachary Zawisny. Susan Wagner: Sebastian Indelicato and Ryan Nix. Tottenville: Greg D’Aniello, Sam Demeri, Nick Khoury and Craig Sampson. Xaverian: Tom McKenzie, Matt Missud, Matthew Mooney and Andrew Summa.
Girls
Notre Dame Academy: Madison O’Halloran and Allison Zarrilli. Petrides: Stephanie Stuto. St. Joseph Hill Academy: Ava Graziano, Isabella Mancino, and Victoria Alonso. Staten Island Academy: Kaleigh McDonald. Susan Wagner: Marielle Gelman. Tottenville: Blossom Yu and Nicole Filicamo.
