Laconia, NH – The second round of the New Hampshire Mid-Amateur Championship presented by Johnnie Walker at Laconia Country Club brought a little bit of everything, steady rain to start, clearing skies by mid-day, and relentless gusty winds that challenged every player in the field. With swirling conditions making club selection and putting particularly difficult, players were forced to stay patient and grind through one of the most demanding tests of the week.
When the rain and wind settled, Jake Nutter (Derryfield Country Club) emerged on top of the leaderboard at 3-over par (75-72–147). Despite battling ups and downs throughout his round, Nutter closed strong with birdies on his final two holes to take the lead heading into the final day.
“Today was very up and down. It was just a grinding day and you knew you were going to make bogeys and you had to be okay with it,” said Nutter. “I missed a lot of putts but was fortunate to make a 2 on 9 so that really got me back into things. And then I birdied the last two holes to wrap everything up after a double on 16.”
Trailing Nutter by just one stroke is Ryan Kohler (NH Golf e-Club), who continued his steady play with a second consecutive round of 74 to sit at 4-over par (148). “This course is playing incredibly difficult. Yesterday it was the greens and today was still the greens plus the weather. It’s just been a grind and been really hard,” said Kohler. “I’m trying to not get wrapped up with trying to shoot a really good score. Just take what the course gives you and, it’s boring, but just hit fairways and greens and try to two-putt is the name of the game out here.”
Behind Nutter and Kohler, a tightly packed leaderboard is setting up for an exciting final round. Just two shots separate the top three players, and several more sit within striking distance at 6- and 7-over par, including local favorites Jim Cilley and AJ Correia, both representing Laconia Country Club. With the course playing firm and fast and the wind expected to linger, every shot will matter in the final round.
At the end of the day, the cut line fell at 16-over par (160), trimming the field to those who will advance to Thursday’s final round. Players who survived the cut will battle one more time for the New Hampshire Mid-Amateur title, as well as special gifts from sponsor, Johnnie Walker.
Nutter, who’s looking to capture another major title this season, is keeping his approach simple heading into the final round. “I am a very one shot, one hole at a time person. I know how quickly this game can change. You can be striping it one day and the next day you can lose it all. So tomorrow I’m just going to try to go out and hit every fairway and every green and not three-putt and hopefully that will be enough to win. My mindset is to just keep doing what I’m doing. I know bogeys are going to happen out here especially with the way the greens are.”
The final round of the New Hampshire Mid-Amateur Championship presented by Johnnie Walker will take place tomorrow at Laconia Country Club, where one player will look to emerge from the challenging conditions as the 2025 champion.
NH Mid-Amateur | Leaderboard
