Concord, NH – The Round of 16 of the Mid-Amateur and Senior Match Play Championships delivered an exciting day of head-to-head competition at Beaver Meadow Golf Course. The day concluded with eight golfers advancing in each championship flight through some upsets and closely contested matches.
Mid-Amateur Match Play
Top-seeded Jalen Rines advanced to the quarterfinals with a 2 & 1 victory over 16 seed Jeff Sovis in one of the featured matches of the Round of 16. Rines came out sharp early, building momentum with wins on three of the opening four holes to take control of the match. Rines pushed the lead to as many as four holes ahead during the front nine before Sovis battled back to keep the match alive into the closing stretch.
Sovis won key holes on 9, 11, and 12 to narrow the deficit, but Rines responded with steady play down the stretch to maintain his advantage and close out the match on the 17th hole. Rines carded birdies on the 2nd and 4th holes, drained his eagle putt on the 2nd hole and consistently avoided mistakes throughout the match, never surrendering the lead after taking the opening hole.
Elsewhere in the bracket, 9 seed Jon Tregea earned a victory over 8 seed Matthew Bagdovitz in one of the tightest matches of the day. The duo needed one extra hole to decide the winner as Tregea carded a par to advance. In similar fashion, 13 seed Ricky Dichard advanced with a win over 4 seed Chris Healy in 19 holes, while 5 seed Ross Oberg defeated 12 seed Brian Boshar 6 & 4.
In the bottom half of the bracket, 2 seed Matt Moore moved on with a 4 & 2 victory over 15 seed Kyle Sarausky, while 10 seed Aaron Loring upset 7 seed Josh Bolduc by a 2 & 1 margin. 3 seed Joshau Pabst was upset by 14 seed Sean Fitzgerald 5 & 3, while 6 seed Austin Cassady held off 11 seed Branden Porter to advance 1 up.
Quarterfinal matches are now set as Rines faces Tregea, Dichard meets Oberg, Moore squares off with Loring, and Fitzgerald takes on Cassady with spots in the semifinals on the line.
Mid-Amateur Match Play | Championship Bracket
Senior Match Play Championship
The Senior Match Play Championship featured several tightly contested matches as the field narrowed to eight players, including one of the day’s most competitive battles between former champion Bob Mielcarz and 9 seed Dave Larrivee.
Larrivee defeated Mielcarz in a back-and-forth match that came down to the final hole, with Larrivee securing a 1up victory to advance to the quarterfinals. The tightly contested matchup saw momentum swing throughout the round as Mielcarz found himself 2 up in the match after 8 holes. He held onto that lead for a few more holes before Larrivee started to make his comeback. After the 13th hole, the match was back to tied with Larrivee winning one more hole before taking his 1up win on the 18th hole.
Five-time champion and 1 seed Craig Steckowych turned in one of the most dominant performances of the opening round, defeating 16 seed Kevin Williams by an 8 & 7 margin to advance comfortably into the quarterfinals. 13 seed Phil Pleat advanced with a 2 & 1 upset over 4 seed Eric Emeneau, while 5 seed Rob Parsi defeated Colin McGee by a 1up margin.
Second-seeded Danny Arvanitis advanced with a 3 & 2 victory over Peter Beaulieu. 10 seed John Flynn defeated 7 seed Scott Doughty 2 & 1 to move on.
In the bottom portion of the bracket, 3 seed Peter Keilty advanced after his match was conceded prior to the start of the Round of 16, while 6 seed Steve Lane earned a 3 & 1 victory over Stuart Frye.
Three former champions of the Senior Match Play remain, Craig Steckowych, Danny Arvanitis and defending champion Peter Keilty. With the Quarterfinals on deck, Steckowych goes up against Larrivee, Pleat faces off with Parsi, Arvanitis takes on Flynn and Keilty goes up against Lane.
Senior Match Play | Championship Bracket
The next round of match play will take place on July 21st at Bretwood Golf Course.
