Playoff winner

Cumberland’s Tarquinio medalist of Salem/Cumberland Challenge after historic playoff with Schalick’s Nelson; Schalick wins team title in three-way scoreboard playoff with Woodstown, Cumberland

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CENTERTON — Nicole Tarquinio answered a lot of questions for herself Monday at Centerton Golf Club.

The Cumberland Regional senior won medalist honors after the longest playoff in the history of the Salem/Cumberland Challenge. It was a co-ed mash-up and anyone was open to win,

Tarquinio did it with a birdie on the fourth hole of a sudden death playoff, surviving a spirited battle with Schalick’s Mikey Nelson, who played what he called “definitely the best round of my life” to get there. Both players shot 7-over-par 78 in regulation.

Schalick won the team title, surviving a three-way match-of-cards with Woodstown and Cumberland. All three teams came in with 330 when the counting was done and the Cougars were declared the champions with the best aggregate on the most difficult hole.

For Tarquinio, winning the tournament showed she could hold up over 18 holes (and then some) when nine is the norm, she had the wherewithal to win a tournament and she could play with (and beat) the boys. She had been trying for four years to win this tournament and while she has been the low girl over the years and was in the hunt to the last few holes last year this was the first time she beat ’em all.

“It feels so good to beat the boys because a lot of boys try and show that they’re better than me, they don’t worry about girls being better than me, it’s like nice to finally show it,” the York College signee said. “I’m also happy for myself not just beating everybody else in the tournament, but shooting my personal best, because for a while, in the past couple tournaments, I’ve been struggling to shoot good and this feels like I finally was able to break that.

“This made me feel a lot better playing. Winning this tournament boosted my confidence a lot more, because the last couple tournaments  I just wasn’t playing well and I feel like this showed me I can do it, especially against boys, too. It shows me I can do it and gives me confidence as we go on.”

Tarquinio won the playoff with a 20-foot putt on the par-3 third, very similar to a putt she made for birdie on 12 to take her round to 2-over before a tough closing stretch brought her back to the field. She had the same putt on 3 in regulation that didn’t go in, but the feel gave her confidence in the playoff she could get it close.

Nelson had chances to win on each of the first three playoff holes, with putts of par or better on each green inside five feet, but couldn’t get them to drop. He hit a 56-degree wedge from 80 yards to four feet left of the pin on the second playoff hole – with Tarquinio looking at a 10-foot uphill putt for birdie – and ran it past the hole. He got in contention with a one-putt eagle on the 485-yard par-5 14th. 

“If I had taken more time, just concentrated on that putt, I would’ve had it,” Nelson said. “After the drive on the second playoff hole I just went back to my soccer roots playing in high intensity. Just keep it calm. I was chill about it. I kept getting calmer and calmer as it went on. Maybe I got too calm on Hole 3.”

Finally, on the fourth playoff hole, Tarquinio, playing from the red tees all round, hit a 6-iron on the green, while Nelson sliced his 7-iron off to the right. He had a firm bare lie and tried to coax his ball over the bunker onto the green, but he found the bunker instead. He got out with his third, but still wasn’t on the green.

Tarquinio had two putts for the win, but only needed one to become the tournament’s first female medalist.

“Credit to Nicole,” Schalick coach Sean Collins said. “She earned it today, but she really earned it over the last four years.”

The team playoff went to an aggregate match-of-cards on the 430-yard, par-4 16th, the No. 1 handicap hole of the course. Schalick played the hole in 3-over, Cumberland in 4-over and Woodstown in 5-over. Jaxon Weber and Anthony Sepers both parred the hole for the Cougars. Nelson bogeyed it and Seth Fisher made 6.

“We tied with Woodstown the last two years for the division, we still have to win a match this year to tie them again, we were at Carl Arena we tied, we beat them at states pretty good,” Collins said. “It’s a fun rivalry we’ve had with them the last couple and the kids all know each other, especially this group of kids, the four seniors who have been through a lot of battles with Woodstown in the county so I’m glad that they won. Albeit a match of cards in the end they’re the champs.”

BOYS GOLF
WOODSTOWN 166, DEPTFORD 168: Just a few hours after competing in the Salem/Cumberland Challenge, where they finished third in a three-way card playoff, the Wolverines were back on their home course, Town & Country, and took a tight match from the Spartans.

The Wolverines trailed by four after each team’s top three scorers were posted, but they had a choice of the 45s from Austin Wood or Blake Bialecki to overtake Deptford’s fourth score (51). Deptford’s Austin Tennyson was medalist (2-over 37), one shot ahead of Woodstown’s Lucas Fulmer, who played a clean round with the exception of a triple-bogey on the par-3 fourth at Town & Country.

The Wolverines will now keep a keen eye on Tuesday’s Schalick-Cumberland match at Running Deer Golf Club. If Schalick wins, the Cougars are TCC Diamond Division co-champions. If Cumberland wins, Woodstown wears the crown.

Salem/Cumberland Challenge

TEAM SCORES: x-Schalick 330, Woodstown 330, Cumberland 330, Vineland 425, Salem Tech 447. x-Declared winner on aggregate scorecard playoff.

INDIVIDUAL SCORES
x-Nicole Tarquinio, Cumberland	78
Mikey Nelson, Schalick	78
Jaxon Weber, Schalick	79
Nate Valente, Woodstown	79
Joseph Nolan, Cumberland	81
Logan Jones, Woodstown	81
Maahishee Patel, Cumberland	84
Alejandro Vazquez, Woodstown	85
Jack Bucksar, Woodstown	85
Seth Fisher, Schalick	86
Manntram Patel, Cumberland	87
Anthony Sepers, Schalick	87
Anthony Kaskabas, Vineland	88
Trevor Hann, Pennsville	97
Sophia Conto, Salem Tech	104
Artur Kovch, Vineland	105
Makenna Minguez, Pennsville	106
Hailey Hillegass, Vineland	107
Abigail Bohn, Pennsville	109
Hannah Kormann, Salem Tech	110
Thomas Conto, Salem Tech	115
Daniel Atanasio, Salem Tech	118
Ava Caruso, Vineland	125