Dover, NH – Two college golfers who grew up competing on the NH Golf Junior Tour saved their best golf for last. After surviving five days of match play, No. 28 seed Myles O’Quinn of Portsmouth Country Club defeated No. 30 seed Gavin Richardson of Concord Country Club 2 up, in a tightly contested 36-hole championship match to claim the 123rd New Hampshire Amateur Championship presented by Davis & Towle Insurance.
The championship match lived up to its billing from the opening tee shot, with neither player ever allowing the other to gain much breathing room. O’Quinn struck first by winning the opening hole, but Richardson answered immediately by taking the second. That back-and-forth pattern continued throughout the day as the two traded momentum and refused to let the other pull away.
The first 18 holes ended exactly where they began, tied.
“It was crazy, the first 18 was a battle,” said O’Quinn. “The first 18 holes ended tied. I knew I had a caddy on the way. He showed up for the back nine and that was huge. He was able to keep me in a good mindset and stay positive throughout the round.”
O’Quinn used that momentum to create the largest lead of the match early in the second round, winning two of the first four holes to move 2 up. Richardson, however, continued to answer every challenge, repeatedly cutting into the deficit and preventing O’Quinn from pulling away.
“It was tough,” O’Quinn said. “I was told before this match yesterday that Gavin was going to be able to get up and down from everywhere, and he basically did, so that was difficult to stay positive with. But once the putter started rolling, I felt good.”
The match remained within a single hole for much of the afternoon before O’Quinn restored a 2-up advantage on the 33rd hole, leaving Richardson with little room for error. Richardson responded by winning the 34th after O’Quinn made bogey, trimming the margin back to one.
Both players then delivered perhaps the best hole of the championship on the par-5 35th hole, matching each other with birdies to halve the hole. That meant Richardson would need to win the 36th to force extra holes. Instead, O’Quinn delivered one final clutch shot.
On the par-3 finishing hole, Richardson’s tee shot came up short and left of the green while O’Quinn safely found the putting surface. With the championship within reach, O’Quinn calmly needed only a two-putt to secure the title. Richardson was unable to convert an up-and-down, allowing O’Quinn to close out the match 2 up and capture his first New Hampshire Amateur Championship.
“I was definitely a little nervous,” O’Quinn admitted.
Talking about his golf game in his sixth match of the week he said, “It felt great. It was a little iffy in the first couple of holes, the nerves were definitely there, but once I got comfortable, I was able to chuck some darts.”
The victory marks another success story for New Hampshire’s junior golf pipeline. O’Quinn developed his game through the NH Golf Junior Tour, where he spent years competing against many of the state’s top young players before continuing his career at Endicott College. His championship run serves as another testament to the strength of junior golf in New Hampshire and the opportunities it provides aspiring players to develop into state champions.
“It feels pretty awesome,” O’Quinn said with a smile. “I’m definitely going to celebrate tonight.”
O’Quinn’s championship caps an improbable week in which the No. 28 seed defeated five opponents, including fellow Junior Tour alumnus Richardson, to become the newest name etched into New Hampshire Golf history. On top of that, O’Quinn has earned himself an exemption into the U.S. Amateur Championship being contested at Merion Golf Club and Philadelphia Country Club next month.
NH Amateur | Match Play Bracket
