Keene, NH – A day that many competitors expected to complete before the forecasted rain arrived instead became a true test of perseverance as steady showers settled over the South Course at Bretwood Golf Course during the Quarterfinals of the New Hampshire Mid-Amateur and Senior Match Play Championships. Many players found themselves caught off guard by the early arrival of the rain, forcing them to navigate wet conditions for much of the afternoon as the fields were narrowed to four remaining competitors in each championship.
Mid-Amateur Match Play
The Mid-Amateur Quarterfinals featured a combination of dominant victories and tightly contested battles as the semifinal matchups were finalized.
Top seed Jalen Rines continued his strong run through the championship, defeating John Tregea 1 up in a tightly contested match where Tregea led most of the way. Tregea got himself to 1 up and then 2 up after the 3rd and 4th holes with his steady play. He then extended his lead to 3up after 8 holes as Rines carded another bogey. However, Rines never let him out of his reach by winning the 9th hole and keeping his sights set on working his way back. He went on to win the 11th, 16th and 17th holes to claim the lead and with pars on the 18th, Rines claimed his 1 up win to advance to the Semifinals.
Rines advances to face Ross Oberg, who earned one of the day’s most convincing victories with a 4 & 3 win over Ricky Dichard.
On the opposite side of the bracket, Matt Moore advanced with a 4 & 2 victory over Aaron Loring, while Austin Cassady battled through a close match against Tim Fitzgerald, prevailing 1 up to earn the final Semifinal spot. Moore and Cassady will battle it out in the Semifinals in hopes of earning one of the final spots.
Mid-Amateur Match Play | Championship Bracket
Senior Match Play Championship
The Senior Match Play Championship delivered its own share of compelling matches despite the increasingly difficult weather conditions.
Dave Larrivee, the 9 seed, took down former champion and 1 seed, Craig Steckowych 2 up in a close match that could have gone either way. Steckowych got himself to 1 up early on with a birdie on the par-3, 3rd hole on Bretwood’s South Course. Larrivee earned the hole back with a birdie on the 5th hole and got himself to 1 up in the match with another birdie on the 6th hole. His 1 up lead didn’t last one as Steckowych brought it back to tied with a par on the 7th hole.
From there, the two tied the next three holes until Larrivee won the 11th hole and that is where his lead stayed until the final hole. With a steady par on 18, Larrivee won 2 up to earn his spot in to the Semifinals. He will face Phil Pleat in the next round in hope of securing a spot in the finals.
On the bottom half of the bracket, Danny Arvanitis had a strong 4 & 3 win over John Flynn and moves on to face Steve Lane who took down former champion Peter Keilty 3 & 2.
Senior Match Play | Championship Bracket
With championship berths now within reach, the remaining four players in each division will head to Montcalm Golf Club next month looking to survive one more round of match play. After successfully navigating both formidable opponents and an day of persistent rain on the South Course, the Semifinalists have proven they can adapt to whatever conditions come their way as the chase for Match Play Championship titles continues.
The next round of match play will take place on August 11th at Montcalm Golf Club.
