Colombino Wins Junior Championship; Celiberti Takes Boys Title

Anthony Colombino spends the summer months residing in Garfield, N.J., and doesn’t miss any opportunity to play at Montclair Golf Club where his father, Michael, is a member.

Colombino took some lessons from those sessions at Montclair and brought them to the NJSGA 95th William Y. Dear Junior Championship at Essex Fells Country Club.

“We belong to Montclair and those are the hardest greens I ever played on. I’m comfortable on those old Donald Ross courses like Montclair and Essex Fells.”

Colombino, 17, who resides in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., the rest of the year, was comfortable enough to win the Junior Championship, 5 and 3, over 15-year-old Jack Wall of Manasquan River.

In the 46th Boys Championship, 15-year-old Will Celiberti of Arcola birdied seven of his final 10 holes to defeat his Bergen Catholic teammate Alessandro Lamarca of Valley Brook, 5 and 4.

PHOTO GALLERY JUNIOR MATCH PLAY BRACKETS BOYS BRACKETS

Colombino advanced to the final after defeating 2014 Boys Champion John Driscoll of Arcola, 2 and 1. Wall advanced by edging Colin Peters of Mendham, 3 and 2.

“All I wanted to do was to keep hitting fairways and greens. My driver was a little loose yesterday. But for me, my irons are solid. If I can keep it in the low grass, I can put a little spin on them and keep them close to the pin,” said Colombino, who will play golf at Division 2 powerhouse McKendree University in Illinois.

“This means a lot to me. It’s my biggest win so far,” said Colombino, who last summer won the Hurricane Tour’s Major Championship at Makefield Highlands in Hardley, Pa. “To have my name on the trophy with PGA Tour professionals (Morgan Hoffmann, 2008) is great.”

Colombino got off to a fast start, getting birdie wins on the first and fourth holes. He added a par victory on the fifth hole to go 3-up. Wall cut it to 2-up with par victory on No. 8, but Colombino hit the shot of the match on the uphill par-4 ninth hole when his iron shot from 143 found the bottom of the cup for an eagle. He then won the 10thhole to go 4-up.

“The thing I worked on the most in the past year was my driving. I was getting a little too quick and a little too long,” he said.

He also was overcoming a left wrist injury incurred last July when recruiters from Duke and Seton Hall lost contact with him. In the semifinal victory over Peters, Colombino carded five birdies and a bogey. For the four rounds of match play, he recorded 12 birdies and an eagle.

“The course was in great condition. The greens were tricky and fast. Winning on the Hurricane Tour last summer showed me I could play with the great junior golfers.”

Wall opted to play with the juniors, players up to age 18 as long as not entered in college, even though he may have fared better in the Boys Division.

“I think I can handle playing with the older guys. I proved I could be a competitor and get the job done,” said Wall, a rising sophomore at Christian Brothers Academy, who will play in the prestigious MGA Carter Cup matches next week at Winged Foot.

Celiberti, who lives in Ridgewood, put on a putting display he will not soon forget. Down by two holes after four, he got even with birdies on the par-four No. 5 and par-three No. 6 by making short putts. He took the lead for good by draining a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-four No. 7.

At the par four No. 9, he dropped a 15-footer for a fourth birdie. On the par-three No. 12, he had a gimmee for a birdie. But he closed the match by dropping a pair of 30-foot birdie putts on the par-four No. 13 and par-4 No. 14.

“I’ve been striking it well this summer, but not putting as well. After Tuesday’s round I went to the range at Arcola with my dad. I held the putter a little looser and exaggerated getting the putter on the line. I felt like today I was reading the putts well and getting the speeds right,” Celiberti stated,

He led his most of his morning match against Jack Strippoli of Francis Byrne. Strippoli’s birdie victory on No. 15 got him all square before Celiberti won, 1 up, with a par on No. 18.

“He (Strippoli) hung in there. I was shaking those last three holes. Going into the final, I just wanted to keep playing the way I was going. I was relieved the first match was over, but I felt confident. I was looking forward to playing Alex (Lamarca). We’re great friends at school. I’ll remember this a long time.”

Said Lamarca: “I played well. He made all those birdie putts. I was second last year and was trying to win. It was a great experience.”