Goffstown, NH – Playing on her home course, Sarah DesRuisseaux weathered momentum swings throughout the final round before sealing a dramatic two-stroke victory at the New Hampshire Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship on Wednesday at Stonebridge Country Club. After beginning the day one shot behind first-round leader Tara Joy-Connelly, DesRuisseaux carded a 1-under-par 71 to finish at 1-under for the championship (72-71—143), becoming the only player to finish under par for the 36-hole event. Joy-Connelly finished runner-up at 1-over (71-74—145), while Kat Bordeau placed third at 5-over par.
The championship featured a back-and-forth duel between the final pairing, with the lead changing hands multiple times before DesRuisseaux prevailed on the final hole. Joy-Connelly entered the day with a one-shot advantage after an opening-round 71, but the momentum shifted early. A bogey by Joy-Connelly on the par-4 5th coincided with DesRuisseaux’s birdie, allowing the Stonebridge member to move into the lead. She quickly built on that advantage with consecutive birdies on the sixth and seventh holes, stretching her lead to two shots, as Joy-Connelly also rolled in a birdie putt on the 7th hole.
Just as quickly, the championship swung back in Joy-Connelly’s favor. DesRuisseaux stumbled with three consecutive bogeys on holes eight, nine, and ten, opening the door for Joy-Connelly to reclaim the lead as the pair battled through the back nine.
With both players trading steady golf down the stretch, the title ultimately came down to the par-4 18th hole. Joy-Connelly’s tee shot found the water, and despite battling to recover, she carded a triple bogey. DesRuisseaux stayed composed, making a routine par to secure her first New Hampshire Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship by two strokes.
“It was definitely hard coming in today,” said DesRuisseaux. “I know Tara is a wonderful player, she definitely knows how to push the people with her. I tried to just do a mental reset because I knew this is my home course and I know what to do. Keeping it hole-by-hole and shot-by-shot really helped me today.”
The two competitors pushed each other throughout the round, something DesRuisseaux embraced. She said, “I knew she could push me to be the player that I want to be and I knew I could do the same with her. It motivated me to be better.”
Even standing on the final tee with the championship within reach, DesRuisseaux refused to assume the outcome. She commented, “Honestly I had no idea what was going to happen on that last hole just because Tara is such a good player. After her first shot went in the water, I figured she was just going to hit it on the green because that’s what she’s done all day today so I was just preparing that if I could just do a two-putt par, we’ll just see where we’re at.”
Competing on her home course brought both added comfort and added expectations throughout the week. She stated, “I feel like it’s helped me and not helped me at the same time just because I put that mental pressure on myself.”
In the end, the victory made the pressure worthwhile.
“It felt good,” she said. “I have two second place finishes prior and I knew I really wanted to do it while it was at Stonebridge. My goal this year was to be the best player that I could be and try to do it at home.”
DesRuisseaux’s victory marks a memorable championship on familiar ground, as the Stonebridge Country Club member captured her first Women’s Mid-Amateur title in front of family, friends, and fellow members after one of the most dramatic finishes of the New Hampshire championship season.
NH Women’s Mid-Amateur | Results
