Keene, NH – Defending champion Jason Thresher is in prime position to go back-to-back at the New Hampshire Open Championship presented by NBT Bank after firing a second-round 5-under-par 67 on the North Course at Bretwood. Thresher sits atop the leaderboard at 11-under-par, two strokes clear of overnight leader David Pastore. Pastore now sits two shots back of Thresher as he carded a 2-under-par 70 in the second round for solo second position on the leaderboard at 9-under-par.
Thresher’s second round featured six birdies and just one bogey, highlighted by a clean 3-under 32 on the back nine. He birdied holes 11, 13, 15 and 17 on his first nine holes, the back nine on Bretwood’s North Course, then added birdies at 1 and 4 on his second nine. His lone blemish came with a bogey on the par-3 16th. His ability to convert birdie opportunities and limit mistakes has him in commanding form with 18 holes to play.
David Pastore, who opened the tournament with a bogey-free 65, couldn’t quite match that pace in Round 2 but still posted a solid 2-under 70 to sit at 9-under overall. Pastore’s round included five birdies at holes 1, 4, 5, 15, and 17—but was offset by bogeys at the par-5 2nd, par-4 12th and par-3 13th, where many others struggled due to the gusty winds. Despite the bogeys, Pastore is just two shots back of Thresher and will look to capitalize on the birdie opportunities and limited the mistakes in the final round.
Four players are tied for third at 8-under (136), including New Hampshire’s own Rich Berberian (Hooksett, NH), who matched his first-round score with a second straight 68. Berberian commented on today’s round saying, “The wind was brutal. I kept the ball in front of me pretty good, I hit a few good shots, and I didn’t make too many bogeys. I had a couple mistakes here and there but other than that I played pretty well.”
Comparing his first round to his second, Berberian stated, “I played much better today. It’s definitely difficult with the wind and just judging where it is. So, it’s battling what you feel versus what it’s supposed to be, and I think I did a pretty good job of that.”
Now with 18 holes left, Berberian and many others will look to keep the leaders in their sights in hopes of climbing the leaderboard even further. Berberian attributes much of his success to his putting, saying “The putter seems to be something that I can rely on. So as long as I can keep it in play and hit some greens tomorrow, I feel like I’ll be good on the greens.”
Harrison Shih (Jacksonville, FL) also carded a 4-under 68 for the second straight day and credited his steady approach and early momentum for keeping him in the hunt. He said, “I saw how windy it was going to be when I woke up this morning. I was just trying to keep the golf ball in front of me today and make the round as simple as possible.”
Shih got off to a strong start and gave himself a boost of confidence as he rolled in a par for birdie on the 2nd hole. He commented, “I picked one up early with a 30-footer on the 2nd hole which was a nice start to the round, and I really just took advantage of the par-5s again today.”
Looking ahead, Shih said, “I just want to give myself as many opportunities as possible. With a tree-lined golf course, I just want to continue to hit as many fairways as possible and give myself as many looks at birdies as possible.”
Joining Shih and Berberian in the tie for third are Tyler Collet (Vero Beach, FL) and James Imai (Davenport, FL), both of whom delivered consistent rounds to stay in contention. Chris Fosdick (Middlefield, CT) sits alone in seventh at 7-under (68-69—137), while Jimmy Jones of Tampa, FL vaulted into the top ten with a 4-under 68 to reach 6-under overall.
New Hampshire native and 2006 New Hampshire Open champion Mark Baldwin made a big move up the leaderboard on Friday, shooting a 3-under 69 to climb 15 spots and sit in a tie for 10th at 4-under. He’s joined by six others at that number, including Round 1 standout DJ Griffiths (Binghamton, NY), who slipped back with a second-round 74 (+2) after an opening 66 (-6).
The cut was made at +3 (147), with the final round set for Saturday. With a packed leaderboard and several past champions and local favorites in the hunt, the 2025 New Hampshire Open is shaping up for a thrilling finish.
Pairings & Tee Times | Round 3
NH Open | Leaderboard
