Lachy Barker Brings A-Game to NH Open, Leads by Two Following Second Round
Keene, NH – Both golf courses at Bretwood seem to be no match for Lachy Barker (Ames, IA) who now leads the 89th New Hampshire Open Championship by two shots following a second round 65 (-6) on the South course. When it seemed that scores were going to be higher than the previous day, Barker proved that wrong with a five-under par front nine and one-over par back to head to the final round with a two-shot lead. He will have the final 18 holes with a target on his back as those making the cut head back to the North course for one last round.
Barker came to New Hampshire without having seen either course at Bretwood, but his strategy all along has been to hit the shots he has been practicing and it has certainly been paying off. He had a bogey-free front, which propelled him up the leaderboard even further as he made three birdies and one eagle to make the turn at five-under par and 11-under par overall.
The back nine on the South course was a different story for Barker and many others, most had atleast one bogey on the card in the final four-hole stretch. Barker was not immune to that as he made two bogeys on the back nine, including one on the 17th hole. Despite the two bogeys, he managed a one-over par back nine to card a 67 (-4) and sit at 10-under par overall.
Two players who worked their way up the leaderboard with a pair of 66’s were Brandon Berry (Great Falls, VA) and Dylan MacQueen (Tarpon Springs, FL). Both players now sit two shots back of Barker at eight-under for the tournament, hoping to continue their momentum into the final round.
Berry, who was fortunate enough to be a part of the morning wave for the second round, started his day with a birdie on the first hole of the South course. From there, he rolled in two more birdie putts to make the turn at three-under par, following his gameplan he set for himself.
“I really was trying to eliminate the bogeys the last two days”, stated Berry after his round of 66. “I’ve done a really good job; I made 34 pars or better.”
He even poured in four more birdie putts on the back nine which is impressive given the difficulty of the back nine on the South course. Similar to others, though, Berry found himself with a double bogey on the card, coming on the par-4, 14th hole. He had already worked himself to five-under par prior to the double bogey, so he needed to earn those shots back, which he did with birdies on the 15th and 17th holes.
Berry says his game is right where he wants it to be. He commented, “My ball striking has been great, I really only chipped about three or four times this week and my lag putting has been awesome, so it’s a good combination for some good golf.”
He will now join MacQueen at two shots back chasing down Barker in the final round. MacQueen had a T10 finish in last year’s New Hampshire Open held at Breakfast Hill and is now on track to do even better. With his opening round 69 (-3), he set himself up well to make moves in the second round, which is exactly what he did.
“I got off to a good start, I birdied holes 1 and 2”, stated MacQueen. Not only that, but he birdied four of the first five holes to get off to a strong start. He made the turn at four-under par, heading to the challenging back nine. He kept things rolling as he made two more birdies to get himself to six-under par after 14 holes. Although he didn’t make it through the last four holes without a bogey, he finished strong with a 66 (-5), tying the low round for the day and leaping up the leaderboard to a tie for second place.
“Final round strategy tomorrow, we’ll see how the front nine goes”, commented MacQueen. “If we’re rolling, we’re right there. I like to watch the leaderboard and see what I need to do coming home.”
He feels comfortable with his game as the field heads back to the North course to determine the champion. He said, “As long as I keep hitting it the way I’m hitting it and get the putter hot, we’ll see what happens.”
Berry and MacQueen, along with 37 other golfers who shot one-over par, 144, or better will be chasing down Barker in the final round of the 89th New Hampshire Open Championship at Bretwood Golf Course.
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