Portsmouth, NH – Andrew Surprenant entered the second round of the New Hampshire Stroke Play Championship in a crowded pack after an opening-round even-par 71 at Breakfast Hill. Twenty-four hours later, the Beaver Meadow Golf Course standout separated himself from the field. Surprenant fired a flawless 8-under-par 63 Wednesday at Pease Golf Course, vaulting to the top of the leaderboard at 8-under-par 134 and taking a one-shot lead into Thursday’s final round at Portsmouth Country Club.
The championship’s second round also finalized the cut, with the low 40 players advancing to the final round. The cut line fell at 12-over-par 154, with exactly 40 golfers earning a place in Thursday’s championship round.
Surprenant’s turnaround was fueled by elite ball striking and a putter that finally matched the rest of his game. Commenting on his game today he said, “Pretty good. The game’s been in a great spot, so just happy to finally put together a low number.”
His statistics reflected just how consistent he was. After hitting 17 greens in regulation during Tuesday’s opening round, he found all 18 greens on Wednesday. Talking about what worked he stated, “Pretty much everything. Even yesterday, I hit 17 greens, hit 18 greens today. Ball striking hasn’t been the issue, it’s just been the putter. But the putter finally kept up today.”
One of the defining moments of his round came at the par-5 13th after an errant drive found the fescue. Surprenant said, “I pulled my driver into the fescue, and then kind of bunted one out there, had 175 in, and hit a 7-iron to like 5 feet for birdie. So that was one hole that I kind of didn’t expect to make birdie and was just happy to pull one out of there.”
Surprenant also credited a subtle equipment adjustment between rounds. He said, “Believe it or not, I actually went to Dick’s and changed my putter grip last night, putted for a couple hours, and then today it really was just putting like yesterday at Breakfast Hill. So, the game didn’t change much, just made a few more putts than yesterday.”
With 18 holes remaining, Surprenant plans to rely on the same patient approach that has carried him to the top of the leaderboard saying, “Just stay steady like I have all week, just don’t try to force anything, and keep hitting greens in regulation.”
Just one shot behind is former New Hampshire Stroke Play Champion Joe Leavitt, who matched Surprenant’s charge with a 6-under-par 65 to reach 7-under overall. Leavitt got off to a fast start despite an opening-hole three-putt.
“I played a really good round of golf today. I shot 31 on the front. I got off to a pretty good start. I actually three-putted one. I got it right back on 2 with a birdie,” Leavitt said. “And then I think probably my hole of the day was 4. I hit a driver right onto the middle of the green, ended up making like a 30-footer for eagle. So that was a nice little kickstart to the round, kind of get me in gear. I felt like I got that three-putt back on one with that eagle.”
Another highlight came just before the turn. He said, “On 9, I actually hit it long left of the green, kind of short-sided. So, I was in a tough spot. I hit just a beautiful flop shot, ended up holing it. So that was nice momentum going into the back nine. I figured I might lose one there, and to get one was kind of a turn of events.”
Leavitt enters the final round exactly where he hoped to be. He commented, “It’s right where I want to be, so I’m excited. Right there at the top with a bunch of great players.”
While acknowledging Surprenant’s impressive performance, Leavitt is confident in his own experience.
“He’s a really good player. He shot a heck of a round today, eight under par,” stated Leavitt. “I’ve been in this position before. I’ve won this tournament, and I’ve won a handful of NH Golf events. So, I think I’m going to go and be aggressive. I’ve played Portsmouth a few times. I know there’s some birdies to be made out there, but I’m just going to stick to my game plan, which is middle of fairways, middle of the greens, and hopefully I can get a few to drop.”
Noah Farland sits tied for third at 4-under after following his opening-round 66 with a 1-over-par 72, while Bryce Zimmerman climbed into a share of third after carding a 4-under-par 67. Derek Dinwoodie and Jim Cilley are tied for fifth at 3-under, with New Hampshire Amateur runner-up Gavin Richardson making one of the biggest moves of the day, firing a 6-under-par 65 to jump into seventh at even par.
The championship concludes Thursday at Portsmouth Country Club, where New Hampshire’s top amateur golfers will battle over the final 18 holes to crown the 2026 New Hampshire Stroke Play Champion. With just one stroke separating Surprenant and Leavitt, and several accomplished players still within striking distance, the stage is set for an exciting finish.
Stroke Play Championship | Leaderboard
