Megan Wins Second Straight Mike Ryan Memorial, Johnston Takes Down top Seed On His Path to Victory.
Manchester, NH- Another Mike Ryan Memorial Championship is in the books. Players fought through the heat to have their chance to take home the championship title.
Julianna Megan played some phenomenal golf to be crowned champion in the Girl’s Elite division for the second year in a row. After finishing the qualifying round, with the one seed going into match play, Megan had a bye in the first round on Tuesday. In today’s morning match she faced off against Lauren Mauch.
“Lauren came out and played well early. My swing was a little off, but I was able to work through it during the middle of the round. I was able to put some lag putts close” Megan stated.
Megan definitely worked through her swing issues and ended up closing the match out on the 11th hole.
The other Girl’s Elite match in the morning saw a battle between sisters. Delaney Nadeau and Teagan Nadeau faced off to meet Megan in the finals. Teagan won the match 5&4 to move on.
About the championship match against Nadeau, Megan said “I really tried to continue to focus on my swing, and ended up feeling more confident. I found my rhythm more. I was able to continue to get my lag putts close. Teagan played really well. It was a battle after we halved the first three holes.”
Jascha Johnston took home the hardware in the Boy’s Elite division Championship flight. Johnston was the five seed going into match play and found himself up against the top seeds. In his morning match, Johnston faced off against the top seeded Mitch Cormier in the semifinals. The match stayed close the whole time, with Johnston taking it 3&2.
In the championship match, Johnston took on Sam Maurice. With both players hitting the ball well, the match never made it more than 1 up. Johnston and Maurice came into the 18th hole all square. After the 36th hole of the day, the matched remained all square. After two playoff holes, Johnston finally closed Maurice out earning himself champion status.
The Boy’s Prep division saw Maddox Ketelaar continue his streak of dominance. After closing both of his matches out early yesterday, Ketelaar kept that momentum going. Squaring off against Thomas Manning in the semis, Ketelaar won 5&4. In the final match, against John Hallisey, Ketelaar capped off his tournament with a 6&5 win.
Our Prep Girl’s division paired Mady Savary against Madelyn Giampa. In “The Madelyn Match” both players worked through the afternoon heat. Savary was just 1 up through the first nine holes. The match stayed close until Savary won 15 and 16 to win the match 3&2.
Marc Giampa found himself on top of the Birdie division podium. Giampa won his first match 5&3. He went on to face-off against Colton Cameron in the finals. Giampa kept his strong play going and finished Cameron off 3&1.
The NHGA Junior Tour would like to thank everyone at Derryfield for hosting this excellent event. Mike Ryan was a steward for junior golf in the state of New Hampshire. We saw a field of 90 players, in five different divisions, fighting through rain and heat to become a Mike Ryan Memorial champion. Mike’s legacy clearly still lives on among junior golfers around the state!