Stratham, NH –  The Match Play Championship concluded Thursday at The Golf Club of New England, with four players competing across the Mid-Am Championship Flight and Senior Championship Flight. Despite favorable playing conditions, a strong and persistent wind made for a challenging final round as Ross Oberg and Dan Arvanitis emerged as champions in their respective flights.

Oberg defeated Austin Cassady, 2 and 1, to claim the Mid-Am Championship Flight, while Arvanitis defeated Dave Larrivee, 3 and 1, in the Senior Championship Flight.

Eagle on Fifth Sparks Oberg’s Championship Run

Oberg and Cassady played a steady opening stretch, with Cassady taking an early 1-up advantage after the fourth hole. Oberg quickly changed the momentum on the fifth hole, however. Oberg stated, “I holed out my bunker shot on hole 5 for eagle. I followed that up with a lengthy birdie putt on 6, and then I was able to capitalize on a mistake on 7 to go 2 up.”

With the match still within reach for Cassady late, Oberg delivered another key stretch on the 16th and 17th holes. On the 16th, Oberg faced 125 yards from a bunker with the wind in his face after seeing Cassady’s shot travel long. Oberg remembered, “I saw Austin hit his shot long into the wind on 16, which almost made me bail right, but I decided to go right at it. From 125 in the bunker, I hit it to about 5 feet.”

Oberg then closed out the championship on the 17th hole, hitting a precise approach on the par 3 into a strong headwind. He said,  “I sealed it on hole 17. There was 142 yards to the pin with a 20 mph wind in the face. I took my time, waited for my number, and I put it just a couple inches from the hole.”

Oberg’s victory capped a strong run through the Mid-Am Championship Flight and sends him home with the title.

Arvanitis Overcomes Early Deficit

In the Senior Championship Flight, Arvanitis defeated Larrivee, 3 and 1, in a match that featured several momentum swings.

Larrivee opened the match by taking the first hole with a birdie, putting Arvanitis 1 down immediately. After the second hole was halved, Arvanitis settled in and took advantage of several opportunities, winning four consecutive holes to build a 3-up advantage. Arvanitis said, “I knew it was going to be a tough round because Dave is a very good player. I had to be on my game to win it today. I came out and hit everything down the middle, taking really good irons into the greens.”

Arvanitis maintained his advantage through much of the back nine, but Larrivee continued to apply pressure. After Arvanitis had built his lead to three, Larrivee fought back with strong play of his own to keep the match competitive.

One of the most important moments came on the 16th hole. With Larrivee applying pressure, Arvanitis needed a clutch putt to preserve his advantage. He explained, “I made a really big putt on hole 16. I had to make a 10 footer to halve the hole, which was a huge point in the round.”

The halved 16th kept Arvanitis 2 up with two holes remaining. He closed out the match on the 17th to secure the 3-and-1 victory and the Senior Championship Flight title.

Arvanitis also credited his caddie, John Mumford, for helping him stay composed throughout the match. He exclaimed, “My caddie was the best, just bantering and talking me through the course. We did misread a couple of putts, but I would have missed them anyway. He helped to keep my mind at ease.”

With both championship matches decided before the 18th hole, Oberg and Arvanitis finished atop their respective flights and earned Match Play Championship titles after navigating multiple rounds of head-to-head competition.

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