Ashland, NH – Phil Pleat held off the field to capture the NH Senior Amateur Championship on Wednesday at the Owl’s Nest Vineyard Course, completing the two-round stroke play championship at 3-over par for his ninth NH Senior title.

Pleat entered the final round with a one-shot lead after opening with a 1-over 71 on Tuesday. He followed that with a 2-over 72 on Wednesday to finish at 143, four strokes clear of Rick Coons and Craig Steckowych, who tied for second at 7-over.

Pleat got off to a fast start in the final round, making birdie on the opening hole before adding an eagle on the par-3 fourth. He also birdied the ninth to make the turn at 2-under for the round. He said, “It was great to get a birdie on hole 1 today. I made a great read and knocked it in. I took the right club on four for the birdie, and I was able to start well.”

After making the turn in 34, Pleat faced a tougher back nine, carding a 38. He made four bogeys on the day, but the strong start provided enough cushion to keep him comfortably atop the leaderboard. He recalled, “All of my bogies today were just from missed greens and not being able to get up and down. I made a couple of bad swings at the turn, but those things will happen.”

Pleat’s 71-72 performance was enough to separate him from a crowded group of challengers. Coons and Steckowych both finished at 7-over, while Bill Everett and Peter Keilty tied for fourth at 9-over. Dan Arvanitis finished sixth at 10-over.

The championship was contested over two rounds of stroke play, with ideal fall weather conditions throughout both days at the Owl’s Nest Vineyard Course.

For Pleat, the victory added another NH Senior Amateur title to his career and provided a memorable finish to the two-day championship. He exclaimed, “I am really happy to get this win. Even if this is the last one I’m able to extract at this age, I’m going to be happy.”

Senior Championship  |   Results