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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bergen County 15-year-old wins PGA-sponsored national golf championship
Rory Asselta dominated New Jersey, and now the rising sophomore from St. Joseph is conquering the United States. Asselta, who put together arguably the most dominant season in New Jersey high school boys golf history, won the PGA High School Golf National Invitational on July 22 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. 'I just knew if I played well, I would have a chance to win,' the 15-year-old said. 'This is, by far, my lowest-scoring tournament, and I played really, really well.' Asselta dominated the famed Pinehurst Resort courses with a three-round, 16-under-par 200. The Ramsey resident won by one shot after registering 18 birdies and just two bogeys while competing on Pinehurst courses Nos. 8, 5 and 6. 'He's got the mental fortitude, the physical makeup, the skills, the determination – he's got it all,' St. Joseph coach Kevin Rooney said. 'It was just super consistent the whole time,' said Asselta, among the youngest competitors in a field of more than 300. 'I didn't hit any super-wayward shots to get me out of position. And I was just hitting them close on the greens and rolling in putts.' Meanwhile, St. Joseph made a stellar team showing. The Green Knights, who were named Boys Team of the Year at the 2025 North Jersey High School Sports Awards, tied for fifth among 55 teams with a shoot-five, count-four score of 2-over 866. Asselta's older brother, Michael, a rising senior, and Liam Moloney, an incoming freshman at Loyola (Md.), each shot 1-over 217 to tie for 32nd among 301 finishers. Rising junior CJ Antifonario shot 234 to tie for 167th and rising sophomore Justin Peck shot 235 to share 175th. The St. Joseph players are such good friends, and so team-oriented, that Moloney withdrew from the U.S. Junior Amateur, July 21-26 in Texas, so he could compete with his teammates at Pinehurst. Moloney is the lone key Green Knight not returning next season. 'It's a testament to his mentality, and how special this team is, and how close they are,' Rooney said. 'They love being together, they love competing, and he just wanted one more chance to play for St. Joe's.' 'It's really, really great that he chose to come down here with us,' Asselta said. 'We had a great time in Pinehurst, and it just shows what a great kid he is, to pass up on a great opportunity to go and try to do something with the team.' Next up, Asselta and Moloney will compete at the Junior PGA Championship, which is July 29-Aug. 1 in Indiana. It's a 156-player field for ages 18 and under. The field will be cut to the low 60 and ties after 36 holes and cut to the low 30 and ties for the final round. 'This is my first time playing in it,' Asselta said. "Liam has been there before, so hopefully he can show me around and we can have a great time together there.' Asselta and St. Joseph had delivered the most dominant season in Garden State high school boys golf history. The Green Knights won all nine of their 18-hole tournaments, including the season-ending NJSIAA Tournament of Champions. Asselta won seven of nine individual crowns, cruising to the TOC title with a record-setting, 8-under 64. 'I can't wait to be with him next year in the spring and beyond,' Rooney said. 'He's going to go and do something special in his life, for sure. He's already done it.' 'Coming in next year, with a top-five at the nationals, gives us a huge expectation to play well next year,' Asselta said. 'And if we keep doing our thing, and I keep doing what I'm doing, we can have another, great, great year.' This article originally appeared on Rory Asselta wins PGA High School Golf National Invitational
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
VOTE for the North Jersey HS Sports Team of the Week for Jan. 20-26
After another exciting week of the winter high school sports season, it's time to look back on the top team performances. Read about the teams that stood out last week and let us know which one should be the North Jersey Team of the Week in the poll at the bottom of this page. Voting closes at 5 p.m. Thursday. The Crusaders won the Bergen County championship and the Big North United crown last week. The Knights won the Bergen County championship last week, their fifth county title in six years. The Ghosts went 4-0 last week, including a win over 15-win Paterson Charter. They moved up six spots to No. 14 in the latest North Jersey Top 25 rankings. The Blue Eagles beat DePaul last week to take hold of first place in the Big North United division. They've now won eight of their last nine games. The Braves became the first public-school team to win two relays at the Bergen County Meet of Champions. The Bulldogs won their third straight Passaic County championship with a 3-2 win over Wayne in last week's county title game. The Scarlets went 3-0 last week and have now won their last six games. They are 11-4 on the season. The Green Knights went 3-0 last week, including a win over then-No. 2 Don Bosco to clinch a Bergen Jamboree bid. St. Joseph moved up to No. 2 in the latest North Jersey Top 25 rankings The Green Knights won their first Bergen County championship in program history with a 2-0 win over Don Bosco in last week's county final. The Indians won their first Passaic County team championship since 2012 over the weekend. Noah Zindaki (138 pounds) and Adam Suzay (150) won individual titles. Note: If you can't see the poll, try refreshing the link or clearing the cache in your browser. If you are viewing the poll in the Twitter app, try viewing it in the Varsity Aces app or at This article originally appeared on VOTE: North Jersey HS Sports Team of the Week for Jan. 20-26
