Mancini/Tice/Ricci Emerge Victorious at SDGA Junior Classic

A trio of champions were crowned at Bellevue CC in the annual SDGA Junior Classic. Drew Mancini (middle), Ashton Ricci (right) and Chloe Tice (left) each won their respective divisions. 

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Mancini, capturing the Boys’ 18U crown, shot 78-79-82 over three days to finish at 26-over 239 and win by one stroke. In his final round, he rolled in a pair of birdies on holes eight and ten. He converted six overall across his 54 holes. This is Mancini’s second Junior Classic trophy, having won the Boys’ 14U Division in 2023. Mancini was also recently voted as The Citizen’s Golfer of the Year in July and syracuse.com’s All-Central New York boys’ golf team for his showing that the New York State High School Golf Championships. 

Trailing closely behind Mancini, finishing at 240, was David Ahn, who shot his best round of the tournament (79) on the final day to secure a runner-up finish. Coming in at 241 was Patrick O’Connor, good for a third place finish. Jacob Olearczyk finished solo fourth at 242, while Andrew Fox rounded out the top-five at 245.

In the Girls’ 18U Division, Tice shot 93-78-90 to capture her second SDGA title of the summer, having recently won the SDGA Junior District Match Play championship at Drumlins CC. She rolled in five birdies across her three rounds, with three of them coming during her tournament-low second round, where she put together her best nine hole stretch on the front nine (38). 

In the Boys’ 14U Division, Ricci’s first round proved to be the difference, as it gave him a sizable ten-stroke lead as he approached his second and final round. In what would be the low round of the championship (77), Ricci went out for 39 and in for 38, which included consecutive birdies on 13 and 14. He added another birdie in his second round, where he shot 85, on hole five. Ricci would go on to win comfortably by 22 strokes. 

Caleb Burns (+42) finished in second place, while Charlie Beaton (+43), Jacob Koss and Jeremiah Jones followed to round out the top five.