Fleetwood’s Ryan Hromiak wins Berks individual title
Ryan Hromiak was not expecting to win coming off No. 18 after making bogey on the 27th hole he played that afternoon. One of the first things the junior from Fleetwood did after his round was ask the nearby spectators at Blackwood Golf Course how much he had lost by.
Turns out, Hromiak hadn’t lost at all. His 27hole total of 11-over 116 was good enough to name him the 2022 BCIAA boys individual golf champion. Hromiak shot a 7-over 77 over the first 18 holes and trailed Twin Valley’s Shane O’Doherty by two strokes heading into the decisive nine holes.
“He had no idea where he was at,” Fleetwood coach Casey Mayer said. “He knew he was probably beating the guys that he was grouped with, but one of the kids in the group behind him, with two holes left, caught up to tie them, but he had no idea. So he came off of eighteen and he’s like, ‘So how much did I lose by?’ He had no idea.”
After 18 holes in morning, the field was cut to the low 18 scores and ties in Class 3A and to the low 18 scores and ties in Class 2A.
Wilson’s Kyle Rittersbach finished tied with Daniel Boone’s Chase Yenser after 27 holes with a 12-over 117. Yenser defeated Rittersbach in a playoff for sole possession of second place.
Hromiak said that he was proud of his victory and the way he improved at this year’s county tournament in comparison to previous years.
“It feels amazing,” Hromiak
said. “I worked hard pretty much every day since last season at counties did not go well at all. It made me strive through to get this win recover from last year. Practicing every day is what got me here.”
Though the scores may have been on every spectator’s mind as they checked the live online scoring results on their phone during the final nine holes, Hromiak stayed focused on the task at hand and did not stay updated on the competition throughout the round.
“I was not informed at all,” Hromiak said. “I just assumed there was some good players behind me; some really good players. It was it was important for me to stay in it because they could be under par any given moment.”
Hromiak explained that he has undergone training with a new golf coach, John Dunigan, who has helped him with his game as well as his mental preparation. Dunigan also coaches Wilson’s Kayla Maletto who won the BCIAA girls individual tournament.
“That’s credit to John DRounding out the other medalists were: Wilson’s Evan Jozwiak (the 2021 champion), who shot a 13over 118 for fourth place, Conrad Weiser’s Zander Sholly, who shot a 14-over 119 for fifth place and Wilson’s Nate Neiswender in sixth place, who also shot a 119 but fell to Sholly in a playoff for fifth place.