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North Sutton, NH – The top junior golfers in the Granite State took to the Country Club of New Hampshire as the New Hampshire Junior Championship got underway. June Doerr (Abenaqui CC) leads the way for the Girls as she shot a five-over par, 77 to grab a hold of the lead by six strokes. On the Boys side of the competition, Jeremy Burke (Hoodkroft CC) had a strong back nine to get himself to one-under par on the day, 71. Burke leads by two strokes as the field heads to Round 2 of the championship.

Doerr, who has historically found success on the junior circuit in New Hampshire, has a commanding lead following the first round of competition in the New Hampshire Junior Championship. She was able to maintain a steady and consistent front nine with just two bogeys on her card to make the turn at two-over, which was just a one stroke lead at the time. With just three bogeys on the back nine, she finished the day with a 77 (+5) and extended her lead to six strokes.

“I focused on each individual shot, and it came together nice”, stated Doerr following her first round of the competition. With her game in good shape, she hopes to improve on her score in the second round of the competition to keep that lead going.

Now having the seen the course a couple times, she is able to formulate more of a gameplan for a few of the holes that might have given her some issues. She commented on what she plans to work on saying, “Probably strategy on some of the holes, including one or two on the front nine.”

Behind Doerr on the leaderboard is Julianna Megan (Hoodkroft CC) who shot an 83 (+11) in her first round and looks to keep Doerr in her sights as there is plenty of golf left to play. Rounding out the top three of the Girls Junior competition is Delaney Nadeau (Cochecho CC) who sits just one shot back of Megan with an 84 (+12).

The Boys Junior Championship leaderboard is currently a closer race as only two shots separate the top two players on the leaderboard. Jeremy Burke leads the way as he was the only player to post an under-par round as he fired a 71 (-1) to lead by two strokes. Burke’s front nine consisted of two birdies and two bogeys to make the turn at a steady even-par, which was one shot back of the 9-hole leader, Evan Rollins (Laconia CC). Burke went on to birdie 11 and 12 at Country Club of New Hampshire to get himself to two-under par on the day. He bogeyed the 16th hole, his only bogey on the back nine, to finish up with a 71 (-1).

“I hit a lot of drives straight which was really key on this course”, Burke commented as he reflected on his round. “On the 11th hole, I chipped in for birdie which was very helpful and on the hole after that I made a 25-foot putt for birdie.” His two highlights of the day, chipping in and draining a lengthy putt, are the two parts of his round that propelled him up the leaderboard. Burke understands the challenges this course presents as it is a tight course, requiring accuracy off the tee and with approach shots.

Burke also stated, “It was key on this course to get the ball on the green in two because these greens were very difficult to read.”

With 18 holes behind him and a two-shot lead, Burke may rethink a few of his club choices as there are still 36 holes left to play. He said, “I will probably hit a lot more irons off the tee tomorrow, it is definitely a tight course, and I don’t think my driver will be straight the whole week.”

Sitting just behind Burke is Evan Rollins who shot a 73 (+1) in his opening round of the competition. While Rollins got off to a shaky start making bogey on the first and fourth holes, he bounced back strong making three-straight birdies on 6, 7 and 8 to make the turn at one-under par to take an early lead. Although his back nine was consistent, he bogeyed the 14th and 15th holes, making par on the rest, to finish up the day with a 73 (+1). With plenty of golf left in the competition, it is a tight leaderboard, and anyone could start making birdies to make a run at the top.

The New Hampshire Junior Championship is a three-day, 54-hole stroke play competition to determine the top male and female junior golfers in the Granite State. The tournament is being held at the Country Club of New Hampshire, July 26-28.

NH Junior | Leaderboard | Round 2 Pairings & Tee Times