Senior shoots par as the Bulldogs advance to the Group II Championship.
By: Tim Falls
Ben Bershad played for par or better.
The Hopewell Valley Central High School senior golfer finished close to par at the Mercer County high school golf championship last Thusday, but close wasn’t good enough.
Bershad shot even par at the NJSIAA Group II Centarl-South sectional tournament at Centerton Country Club in Pittsgrove on Monday and it was more than enough.
Bershad carded a 71 to lead the Group II Central-South field by three strokes and posted the lowest score out of all the golfers competing in sectional tournaments across the state on Monday. The North Jersey Group II and Group I sectionals and the Central-South Group I sectional were not completed on Monday because of rainy weather.
Bershad shot a 37 on the front nine and dropped three strokes to record a 34 on the back nine at Centerton Country Club. Haddonfield’s Dave Taraschi took second with a score of 74.
Haddonfield won the Central-South Group II sectional team title, while Hopewell Valley placed second.
Haddonfield led with a 307, while Hopewell Valley followed two strokes back with a 309.
The second-place finish helped the Bulldogs advance to the Group II Championship this Monday, May 22. The top two teams and top five individuals from each sectional advance to the group championships which are combined into one tournament, the Tournament of Champions.
Alex Laughlin shot a 77 as the Bulldogs placed second, while Areeb Zamir had a 79 and Andrew Glander shot an 82.
Even before Bershad sank his last putt at the Mercer County High School golf championship at Mercer Oaks, the defending champion knew another player would be taking the county title.
The Hopewell Valley senior shot a 75 on the par 72 18-hole course.
Bershad won the championship last season after a four-hole playoff against Princeton’s Michael DiMeglio. Both golfers shot a 74 last season.
Bershad only finished one stroke behind his winning score from last year, but when Bulldog tallied his score after the 18th green two other golfers playing in his group already had him beat.
Still, the current Mercer County champion did not come from the lead group.
West Windsor-Plainsboro South’s Ryan Phelan edged Princeton’s Jordan Gibbs on the second playoff hole after both finished with a 72.
Gibbs and WW-P South’s Anthony Aloi, who shot a 73, golfed alongside Bershad in the first group.
"We had threee scores 76 or better in our group," said Bershad. "Mercer County has a lot of good golfers."
Bershard seemed set to take the county title a second time. The Bulldog had one of the best scores on the first nine with three birdies.
The Hopewell Valley senior had a 35 through nine holes. Only Nottingham’s Kevin Krecicki, who finished fourth with a 74, matched Bershard by finishing one-under par on the front nine.
"I hit two consecutive birdies," said Bershad. "I birdied four and then seven and eight."
It was only later on the back nine that Bershad fell behind in his group.
"Toward the end of the round I faltered," said Beshad. "I recorded three straight bogies on 15, 16 and 17."
Bershad managed a par on 18 but still finished the round three strokes behind the leaders.
"I thought I’d have to hit something under par to win," said Bershad. "I was looking to play under par."
While Bershad stayed under par on the front nine, the Bulldog shot a 40 on the back nine to finish 3-over par overall.
Lawrence’s Steve Mann finished with a 75 as well, but Bershad earned fifth place ahead of the Cardinal golfer by winning a match of cards.
Bershad’s fifth-place finish led Hopewell Valley to third-place in the team scoring.
West Windsor-Plainsboro South kept Princeton from reclaiming the county title. The Pirates finished first with a score of 302, while the Little Tigers placed second with a 305. Hopewell Valley finished third with a score of 314.
"We had a lot of good scores," said Bershad. "I had a decent amount of pars and a few birdies. Most importantly, I didn’t have any double bogies."
Unlike Bershad, Steve Marsh wasn’t one of the four Hopewell Valley golfers who scored at the county tournament last year. This year Marsh was second among the Bulldogs with a 78.
"I putted well," said Marsh. "I had a good round."
Marsh said his best hole was 17.
"I made a long putt for birdie," said Marsh. "It was probably a 20-footer."
Glander and Lauglin each shot an 80 for Hopewell Valley. Laughlin placed fourth last year with a 78.
Zamir shot an 86 for the Bulldogs, but it did not count to the team score.
Pennington placed 11th with a 339. Ben Blankstein led the Red Raiders with an 81, while Matt D’Amico had an 84, Liz Batchelor, Brandon Murphy and Drew Uzupis all shot an 87.