Nashua, NH – A pair of past champions sit atop the leaderboard after the opening round of the 92nd New Hampshire Open Championship at Nashua Country Club, but it was former champion David Pastore who set the pace Thursday with a 7-under-par 64.

Pastore, of Stamford, Connecticut, carded eight birdies and just one bogey on the par-4 17th hole to take a one-shot advantage into Friday’s final round over defending champion Jason Thresher of Granby, Connecticut, who matched Pastore with eight birdies of his own but offset them with two bogeys en route to a 6-under 65. Thresher is seeking his third consecutive New Hampshire Open title after victories in 2024 and 2025.

Pastore wasted little time finding his rhythm, birdieing the par-5 second hole before adding several more circles around the turn to build momentum. He kept his card spotless through the opening 16 holes before a bogey at the 17th, then closed with a par at the last to secure the day’s low round.

“I kept the card clean for the most part until 17,” said Pastore. “I had a nice start, I birdied 2 and it got me going and I made a few right at the turn.”

Pastore credited his short game and favorable morning conditions for his strong start saying, “The putter was good. The course kind of suits my game a little bit, as long as you can keep it in play, you’re going to have a lot of wedges. Wedges and putting are some of my strengths so I took advantage of that today.”

With players who teed off later in the day facing increasingly difficult conditions, Pastore acknowledged the benefit of an early tee time. He stated, “We were off early today so I think that helped a little bit. The wind is really blowing now.”

Just one stroke behind, Thresher pieced together another impressive round despite arriving at Nashua Country Club without the benefit of a practice round. The two-time defending champion relied on precise wedge play and a newly adjusted putter to keep pace.

“I haven’t played here before, I didn’t get a practice round in,” said Thresher. “I didn’t make too many mistakes and I had lots of wedges into the greens.”

Knowing he would need to stay aggressive from the outset, Thresher emphasized the importance of getting off to a fast start saying, “I know I had to get off to a good start today or I’d be behind,” he said.

Thresher may alter his strategy slightly in Friday’s final round after having seen the course now. He stated, “I might play slightly more conservative tomorrow with one or two tee shots. I hit driver a couple times when I probably shouldn’t have.”

A recent equipment adjustment also paid dividends. Thresher commented, “I made some putts today. I made a putter change this week, I changed the grip and I was rolling it on my line.”

Shawn Warren of Falmouth, Maine sits alone in third place at 5-under 66, while Liam Friedman of Marlborough, Massachusetts and amateur Gavin Richardson of Concord, New Hampshire share fourth at 3-under 68. Richardson, the 2026 New Hampshire Four Ball Champion, put himself firmly in contention for low amateur honors after a back-nine surge featuring several birdies.

“On my back nine, I just started making birdies,” Richardson said. “I wasn’t really making anything on the front but they just started to fall on the back nine.”

Richardson’s familiarity with the changing wind conditions proved beneficial throughout the day. He said, “I just knew how to play the shots downwind and I knew how the wind would affect my ball flight.”

While pleased with his position entering the final round, Richardson believes there is still room for improvement saying, “I didn’t drive the ball really well today, so I was scrambling a lot. I’m probably going to go home and work on my drives a little bit to be ready for tomorrow.”

After seeing what was possible around Nashua Country Club, Richardson is eager for another opportunity stating, “Now I know I can go low here if I just make putts and hopefully I can do that and see how I finish.”

Tyler Piekarski, Terry Hatch and Jalen Rines are tied for sixth at 2-under 69, while five players are tied for ninth at 1-under 70 heading into Friday’s championship round.

With just 18 holes remaining, Pastore will look to add a second New Hampshire Open title to his résumé, while Thresher aims to continue his reign atop one of New Hampshire Golf’s most prestigious championships.

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