Sarah Lydic of Indian River High School won her second DIAA golf championship with an impressive eight-under par total for the two-day, 36-hole event at Maple Dale Country Club in Dover May 28-29.
Her first state title came in 2021 as a freshman at Sussex Academy. That was the last individual championship that pitted all players against each other. In 2022, her sister Hannah won the first girls’ title, as the DIAA split the individual titles by gender while keeping the coed team championship in place.
Sawyer Brockstedt of Rehoboth Beach, a junior at upstate prep school Tower Hill, took second place with a fine three-under par performance. This was her second runner-up finish in the girls’ championship. In 2022, she lost in a playoff against Hannah Lydic at Odessa National.
Kylie Yiengst of Polytech had the overall lead for the first round with a three-under 69. She went three-over par in the second round to take third place.
Matthew Kolbjornsen of Middletown High won the boys’ title at three-over par after defeating Tatnall’s Jack Homer with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff. Tatnall’s Win Thomas finished third at five-over par.
Twelve of the 45 golf teams in the state qualified for the team championship, with 11 making it to the second round, which required at least three of a team’s players to make the cut.
Delmarva Christian and Cape Henlopen fielded the only Sussex County teams in the championship. The Georgetown private school finished 10th and Cape took the 11th spot.
The Royals who contributed both days to the team total included Avery Brown, Joel Perry and Lance McQuay, along with Edward Higgins for the first round.
The Vikings who scored both days included Tyler Healy, Jacob Gabbard and Kingston Davis, with Edward Ghabour’s first-round score added to the total.
The order of finish for the other teams was as follows: 1. Archmere; T-2. Caesar Rodney and Tatnall; T-4. Polytech and Salesianum; 6. Tower Hill; 7. Wilmington Friends; 8. Charter School of Wilmington; and 9. Middletown.
Cape golf coach Rob Harrod was pleased. “Just super happy with how it all played out. Happy for Tyler, Jacob and Kingston to make it through to the second day. We competed with some of the top teams in the state and had our players up there with them,” he said.
Harrod continued, “The fact that we took a full team here and that we brought a team to finish the second day and didn’t have that dreaded DNF on the board, that was our goal going into the year. So we met that, and that’s cool.”
Laura Heien is the director of championship administration for the Golf Association of Philadelphia. She oversaw the GAP staff in running the state championship.
“Maple Dale was a great host yet again,” she said. “Course conditions this year were fantastic, with perfect weather over the two days, which gave the kids a great opportunity to score. Great crowds both days, as you could tell by the parking lot. Lots of applause. Really builds up the spirit of the event.”
Titleist Golf Balls
At the 2024 PGA Show, I talked with Titleist Golf Ball Product Director Frederick Waddell about the AVX ($49.99) and the Tour Soft ($39.99) golf balls.
Waddell said the AVX has a really loyal following, who in feedback responses call it a fountain-of-youth ball.
It is also hugely popular. Waddell said its sales numbers are not far behind the company’s best-selling ProV and Pro V1X balls, making it third best among the company’s models. He said it appeals to golfers seeking a lower ball flight while still giving them the most distance possible.
When telling Titleist what they wanted for the next iteration, however, AVX fans said they wanted “a little more spin on the greenside shots.”
So, keep it low spin until you just miss the green, then high spin – no problem, apparently.
Waddell said the engineers tweaked the core. The material becomes stiffer as it reaches its thinner casing layer. Combined with a softer urethane cover, the change in materials helps to produce the desired differential effect.
We also discussed the Tour Soft model, which Waddell said aims at producing the best possible performance for under $40 per dozen. The two-piece ionomer cover mimics urethane, he said, especially in the 2024 edition.
The core is designed to be faster than prior designs, while the Fusablend cover stayed soft. Waddell said, “It can generate a lot of spin, especially for shots from 100 yards in.”
The company’s marketing materials say “Fusablend is a proprietary combination of ionomers and softening polymers used to create a cover material with spin performance and feel that is unmatched among other ionomer covers.”
Tour Softs are currently sold in three colors: white, high-optic yellow and green. A pink edition will become available in July.
Local club competition results
The Mulligan’s Pointe Ladies group played a scramble game May 28.
Pat Burk, Janece Hausch, Jana Puffenberger and Ann Reid won first place. Maxine Ansbach, Kathy Hudak, Brenda Joyce and Bonnie Quesenberry finished second.
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Fritz Schranck has been writing about the Cape Region's golf community since 1999. Snippets, stories and anecdotes from his columns are included in his new book, "Hole By Hole: Golf Stories from Delaware's Cape Region and Beyond," which is available at the Cape Gazette offices, Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, Biblion Books in Lewes, and local golf courses. His columns and book reviews are available at HoleByHole.com.
Contact Fritz by emailing fschranck@holebyhole.com.
