Dover, NH – Rob Henley made an immediate impression in his first competitive round at Cochecho Country Club, carding a 5-under-par 65 on Monday to take the opening-round lead at the 123rd New Hampshire Amateur Championship presented by Davis & Towle Insurance. The 2024 New Hampshire Amateur champion sits one shot clear of a trio at 4-under-par that includes Noah Leclair, Jack Pepin, and Ryan Zetterholm. With one more round of stroke play remaining Tuesday, the field of 156 players will be trimmed to the low 64 and ties before match play begins Wednesday.
Henley, representing Lake Sunapee Country Club, relied on steady ball striking and a hot putter to produce six birdies against just one bogey. His lone blemish came on the par-4 17th after a tee shot found out of bounds, but he recovered well to save bogey and preserve the outright lead.
“I played well, hit the ball well,” Henley said. “I’ve never seen the course before, so I was trying to play it fairly safe for most of the round. I made a bunch of 10-foot putts for birdie. I only hit one bad shot; I hit one out of bounds on 17.”
Looking ahead to the second round, Henley plans to keep the same conservative approach on Cochecho’s tight layout. He said, “I hope I hit it as well and make some putts. And keep it in play. There’s a lot of places you can get in trouble on this course so if you can keep it in play it’s pretty straight forward.”
Leclair, of Nashua Country Club, posted a 4-under 66 with five birdies and just one bogey. He credited a recent swing adjustment for helping him regain confidence off the tee. He stated, “I’ve been struggling off the tee lately. But I went through a little swing change last week, I saw my coach and was able to get some things straightened out. I had a good off-the-tee game and put it to work today.”
His plan for Tuesday is simple saying, “Tomorrow should be pretty much the same game plan, just go out there and try to forgot about the last hole, good or bad, and try to post another good round.”
Jack Pepin’s round was one of the most impressive turnarounds of the day. The Atkinson Resort & Country Club member, Southern New Hampshire University golfer and 2023 New Hampshire Amateur champion opened with two bogeys in his first three holes but played his final 15 holes bogey-free, making six birdies along the way. He capped the comeback with a birdie on his last hole to join the tie for second.
Zetterholm, representing USGA/NH Golf GC, also battled through a slow start before finding momentum. His round was highlighted by a three on the par-5 8th hole.
“I started out not too hot,” Zetterholm said. “I was missing some greens just by a little bit and leaving myself in some tough putts, but I made a bunch of 5 or 10 footers for par coming in. I made a nice eagle on 8, I hit a good 8 iron to 10 feet above the hole.”
Zetterholm knew the closing stretch would demand patience. He commented, “I had heard before the round that people were struggling on the back nine so I knew it would be tough.”
With another round of stroke play still to come, he isn’t looking to force the issue saying, “I think I’m in a position where I don’t need to take any extreme risks. So I’ll just keep the ball in front of me. Anything around par is probably going to be good.”
The leaderboard remains tightly packed heading into Tuesday. Five players are tied for fifth at 2-under-par 68, including defending champion Josiah Hakala, while another four players sit at 1-under-par 69.
After Tuesday’s second round, the field will be cut to the low 64 players and ties. If necessary, a playoff for the final match play spots will be held Wednesday morning before the championship transitions into match play later that day.
NH Amateur | Round 2 Pairings & Starting Times | Leaderboard
