Cilley Has Target On His Back as Field Heads to Final Round of NH Mid-Amateur
Thornton, NH – Birdies were once again in play in the second round of the New Hampshire Mid-Amateur Championship held at Owl’s Nest Resort as the leaders continued to pour in the birdie putts to post under-par rounds. Jim Cilley (Laconia CC) posted an identical score to his first round, 69 (-3) to keep a hold of the lead as the field heads to the final 18 holes of the competition. Cilley’s lead has been extended to two strokes, but former Mid-Amateur champions Ryan Kohler (Hooper GC) and James Pleat (Nashua CC), along with Jeremy Duhamel (Manchester CC) have their sights set on catching Cilley.
Starting his day on the back nine at Owl’s Nest, Cilley started out his round up and down. Wherever he made birdie on the front nine, he followed it up with a bogey. Even the first part of his second nine, the front nine at Owl’s Nest, he made birdie on the 1st hole, but once again followed it up with a bogey. It wasn’t until his finishing four holes where he turned on the jets. Cilley birdied three of his last four holes to post another 69 (-3) and put himself at six-under par for the tournament.
Cilley is leaving Owl’s Nest for the day with some confidence in his game and looks ahead to the strong competition the final round will bring as he has two former champions and a young gun trailing two shots behind. Ryan Kohler and James Pleat, five New Hampshire Mid-Amateur titles combined between the two, sit at four-under par for the tournament with strong second round play. They are joined by Jeremy Duhamel who made a statement in the second to make his way up the leaderboard.
Two-time defending champion, Ryan Kohler, tied for the low round for the day in the field with a 68 (-4). Kohler began his day on the back nine at Owl’s Nest and first made a statement by making eagle on the par-5, 13th hole at Owl’s Nest. He said, “I was trying to two-putt on 13 and just happened to get one to go in and that was a good start to the round.”
From there, he went on birdie the 17th and 18th holes to make the turn at four-under par, turning some heads. Kohler’s back nine didn’t have as many fireworks but it was steady and consistent with one birdie and one bogey to finish up the day with a 68 (-4).
“The putting was the big difference from yesterday”, stated Kohler. “I probably hit it the same both days and just made a lot of putts today.”
Kohler is now one of many golfers to be chasing Cilley down in the final round of the New Hampshire Mid-Amateur. Having been in this position before, he doesn’t necessarily feel comfortable but knows what it will take to be able to bring home another title. He stated, “There’s a lot of good players in this field so I’m not going to get ahead of myself, but I’m just happy to be in the mix tomorrow.”
Also in the mix is James Pleat who has captured this title twice before and posted a three-under par round to move himself up the leaderboard into contention. Pleat’s day started with a bogey on his opening hole, the par-3, 10th hole at Owl’s Nest, but he was able to turn things around and make three birdies on the back nine of Owl’s Nest, turning at one-under par.
From there, he played a great second nine making six-straight pars after making the turn. He birdied the 7th and 9th holes to close out his second nine at two-under par and three-under for the day.
Turning some heads with a 68 (-4), matching Kohler for the low round of the day, was Jeremy Duhamel who is competing in his first New Hampshire Mid-Amateur Championship. Duhamel started strong with a birdie on his first hole and continued to have a great round from there. He made the turn at three-under par, turning some heads as he worked his way up the leaderboard in a hurry. His back nine included three birdies and two bogeys to extend his under-par round to four-under. With an even-par first round at Owl’s Nest, Duhamel joins Kohler and Pleat at two shots back of the lead.
Following the second round, the field was cut to the low 40 golfers plus ties. Those managing 20-over par or better will advance to the final 18 holes at Owl’s Nest to determine this year’s champion.
Round 1 & 2 | Leaderboard