New Hampshire Junior Champions Crowned: Doerr & Rollins Seal the Deal
North Sutton, NH – Two Granite State junior golfers have been crowned this year’s New Hampshire Junior champions as the 54-hole championship concluded at the Country Club of New Hampshire. June Doerr (Abenaqui CC) and Evan Rollins (Laconia CC) are taking home the trophies as they each capture their first New Hampshire Junior title.
16-year-old, June Doerr was able to seal the deal in the final round of the Girls Junior Championship to capture her first title. While the third round may not have been her best of the week, she came into the final round with a 10-stroke lead, giving herself a cushion in the final round. The front nine was not as friendly to her as it was in the second round, but she made the turn at three-over par, still with a firm hold on the lead. She did find some trouble on the back nine, but managed two birdies, including on one the final hole of the championship to end the day with a 78 (+6).
“It was not quite as smooth as yesterday, but that is alright”, stated Doerr following her win. “The pins were in some really tough positions, but it made the course really fun.”
Doerr was able to go 77-71-78 over the course of the tournament, to finish at 10-over par for the tournament and win by 10 strokes. She is thrilled to capture this title and give herself a boost of confidence as she heads into the remainder of her golf tournament season.
Thinking back on the three-day tournament, Doerr commented on one of the more memorable stages of the tournament saying, “The front nine yesterday was definitely a big highlight; it was exciting to see all that come together.
She was four-under on the front nine alone in her second round, proving to herself that she has what it takes to post some low scores. Doerr was followed on the leaderboard by Julianna Megan (Hoodkroft CC) who ended up shooting the same score as Doerr in the final round, 78 (+6). Megan’s front nine in the final round was up and down, but she played steady and consistent golf on the back nine with just one bogey accompanied by eight pars, an impressive feat as the back nine can be challenging. Both girls will carry their confidence from this tournament into the next week where they will be both teeing it up in the New Hampshire Women’s Amateur Championship at Concord Country Club.
Evans Rollins, in his final New Hampshire Junior Championship appearance, was able to close it out and take home his first title, winning by just one stroke over Jascha Johnston (Youth on Course) and Sam Maurice (Hoodkroft CC). Rollins played the most steady and consistent golf game the entire week, going 73-74-74 to finish at five-over par.
Rollins was able to get redemption on the first hole at Country Club of New Hampshire, making par, where he had made bogey each of the other rounds. From there he rolled in a birdie putt on the second hole and made one bogey on the 6th hole to make the turn at even-par. With the back nine being a little trickier for the group, he was able to hold on and just needed a par on the final hole to close it out.
“I had a couple rough holes on the back, I made a couple bogeys, so it was pretty close down the stretch coming in, but I was able to get it done”, stated Rollins following his victory.
It can be a long week taking on a 54-hole championship and staying at the top of the leaderboard. Rollins commented on what worked for him this week saying, “I hit the ball pretty well this week. I didn’t putt well at all, I couldn’t really make anything, but I was able to keep it in play and hit a lot of greens everyday and that really helped me the whole week.”
Rollins now closes out his New Hampshire junior run with a win in a tournament where he has always been among the top competitors. He now heads into his freshman year of college at Southern New Hampshire University with some confidence in his game.
The New Hampshire Golf Association would like to thank the entire staff at the Country Club of New Hampshire for their hospitality throughout the week!