Craig Hornberger
For more than two decades, the ideal goal for every player who's gone through Manheim Township's golf program was to match the standard set by a certain, famous Blue Streaks alum.
That, of course, being 16-time PGA Tour winner and 2003 U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk, who won the District Three and PIAA titles in his senior year at Township in 1987.
After Saturday, the Blue Streaks' future players might soon be trying to match the resumé of Craig Hornberger instead.
Using a late birdie binge to post a final-round, 2-under 70 at Briarwood Golf Club's East Course, Hornberger, a senior at Township, rallied down the stretch to win the District Three Class AAA boys' golf championship — his third straight district gold — by two shots over teammate Andy Butler and first-round leader Josh Rinehart of West York.
With his two-day total of 71-70—141, Hornberger became the first player in the 77-year history of the event — which moved to two classes (AAA and AA) this fall — to win district gold three times, much less consecutively.
Interestingly enough, he's also the first player in history to win the event on two different teams, having captured his first title as a sophomore at Conestoga Valley in 2010.
"It's obviously awesome," Hornberger said afterward. "There's no better feeling than making history. There's not really words to describe it. It feels great."
Meanwhile, in Class AA boys', Pequea Valley's Dylan Beiler, who started the day alone in second, four shots off the pace, could never catch Fairfield's Isaiah Logue. Logue finished with rounds of 68-73—141 to win by six shots over Beiler (72-75—147), who settled for solo second.
Fact is, after making the turn 1-under for the tournament, Hornberger figured he might be playing for second when a bogey at No. 10 left him three shots behind Rinehart and two behind Conestoga Valley's Marc Oliveri Jr. — who were playing with Hornberger in the final group.
Enter Hornberger's little epiphany.
"It actually hit me on (No.) 10 green that I was only three back, and three shots is not a lot in golf," he said. "I was down on myself (after the bogey at 10) and then I just kind of cheered up a little bit."
The results seemingly took care of themselves from there.
After making par on Nos. 11 and 12 to stay even for the tournament, Hornberger watched Rinehart follow a bogey on No. 11 with a double bogey at 12 that dropped him to 1-over.
When Oliveri also doubled the 12th, he and Hornberger were suddenly tied for the lead with six holes to play.
"As soon as you get back in it it's a whole new feeling," Hornberger said. "You just gain so much confidence. And for me it really helped in my putting. And once the putter gets hot, it can't get bad from there."
Only got better, actually.
In fact, when Rinehart and Oliveri both bogeyed No. 13, Hornberger had the lead to himself.
"He knows when the big stage is there ... and he rises to the occasion," Township golf coach Skip Walters said of Hornberger. "He steps up on that occasion. He's in to fight, he's ready to go after it."
He did, starting with No. 14, where he stuck a 9-iron to 12 feet for a birdie that pushed his lead to two.
And after Oliveri, for all intents and purposes, fell out of contention with a double at 15, Hornberger jacked his lead to three over Rinehart by draining a 20-foot birdie putt on the par-4 16th.
Rinehart did respond with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 17 and 18 to get back to 1-under for the tournament, but it was too little, too late.
Especially when Hornberger reached the par-5 17th in two with a 7-iron and two-putted from 15 feet for another birdie that took him to 3-under, where he stayed.
Still, in regard to those comparisons to Furyk's high school career, Hornberger knows there's work left to do in the coming weeks.
"Senior year, Furyk won states," Hornberger said with a grin. "So I have to do that to keep up with him."
