A blazing start was the key for one, an almost equally hot finish boosted the other. But two Green High School golfers wound up in the same enviable position Wednesday at J.E. Good Park Golf Course.
Jordan Conjerti and Maxwell Moldovan each shot a 1-under 70 on day one of the 78th annual Good Park Junior Golf Tournament, the same score as North Olmsted’s Ben Gleichauf. All three led the 13-18 age division and will be among the 17 boys who advance to the Championship Flight on Thursday and Friday.
Conjerti, 16, will be a junior at Green while Moldovan, 14, will be a freshman this fall.
Five birdies, a bogey and three pars resulted in a sizzling 31 on the front nine for Conjerti. He birdied Nos. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 and bogeyed No. 4. A 39 on the back nine brought him back to earth a bit on the 6,288-yard course.
He said he played the tournament once before, “but I didn’t do too well. It was a few years ago.”
What was the difference this time?
“I putted pretty well today,” Conjerti said. “And I grew a lot — I hit the ball farther.”
“Pretty happy with my round,” Conjerti admitted.
Moldovan won the 11-12 age division in 2014 and made it to the Championship Flight last year.
“I’ve been playing well lately,” he said. “This is around what I’ve been shooting recently.
“I hit the driver pretty well today. And, on the back nine I putted pretty well.”
Moldovan eagled No. 14 and had birdies on 15 and 17. He had three bogeys on the front nine, none on the back. He said he was encouraged for the next two rounds.
“It should be fun,” he said.
Four golfers were tied for fourth at 72, including recent Highland High graduate Chad Dubiel, 17; Archbishop Hoban junior Dylan Erks, 17; Copley senior Jeremy Forster, 17; and Fairview Park’s Topher Reed, 13.
Tyler Grabowski, 17, of Medina and Andrew Wyss, 14, of Canton both shot 73.
Finley’s 81 paces girls
Hannah Finley didn’t let a “throat thing” slow her down Wednesday.
A Hoban High junior-to-be, Finley may have been a little hoarse but shot the low round of the day — an 81 — in the girls 13-18 age division.
Finley, 16, shot a consistent 41-40 in her first try on the 4,926-yard course.
“I’m happy,” she said. “It’s kind of crazy because I know I can shoot better than that. There are a lot of holes where I made some stupid mistakes that I know I can improve on for [Thursday] and the next day. It’s exciting.”
A member of the Hoban girls team the last three years, she played the course for the first time in a practice round Tuesday with friend Dylan Erks, a member of the Hoban boys team who also had a good day (72) Wednesday.
“I was able to take notes,” said Finley. “And he has played the course a lot and so I got to see his advice on a couple holes.”
Tying for second were Meaghan Grant, 14, of Hudson, and Olivia Swain, 14, of Uniontown. They will join Finley and five other girls in the Championship Flight on Thursday and Friday.
Haynes shoots 69
The low round of the day was carded by Nolan Haynes, 11, who shot a 69 to top the boys 11-12 age group.
Haynes, who enters the sixth grade at Barberton Middle School in the fall, credited an improved putting touch for his fine round over 4,926 yards. He said it equaled his previous best round.
“My irons were dead accurate today,” Haynes said.
“And my driver was just going 20 yards farther, somehow.”
Haynes will be challenged by Solomon Petrie in the 11-12 division. Petrie was second with a 76.