Mike Ryan Memorial: Day 2
It was a successful yet tiring day of match play at The Derryfield Country Club for our Round of 16 and Quarterfinal matchups of the Mike Ryan Memorial Championship. 75 golfers across six brackets took to the course this morning, and now only 24 remain in contention for the championship in their respective flights.
In the Boys Elite Championship Flight, there was no bad golf played among the sixteen boys today. The difference between the top seed and the lowest seed was only six strokes entering the Round of 16, and matchups were tight throughout two grueling rounds. The match of the day came in the quarterfinal round of this bracket as 12-seed Andrew Surprenant faced off against 13-seed Jack Steele. Both players posted outstanding rounds in the Round of 16 and continued that trend throughout their matchup. Andrew Surprenant eventually broke the tie and finished 1-Up to advance to the Elite Champ Flight Semifinals. Surprenant joins Mitch Cormier (9 seed), Will Miele (11), and defending champion, Jascha Johnston (2) in the final four.
In the Boys Prep Championship Flight, top seed Zach Nelson emerged as a force to be reckoned with when it comes to match play. Nelson posted an impressive clean sweep of the first ten holes to win his Round of 16 matchup against Finn Belair, followed by a quarterfinal matchup that had him 4-Up through the fourteenth hole, winning shortly thereafter via opponent concession. He hopes to make a run at the championship, but not before a tough matchup against 4-seed Jackson Jodoin.
In the Girls Championship Flight, top seeds Madelyn Giampa, Taylor Barry, and Ava Bawell earned a bye through their low stroke play scores on Day 1 to make it to tomorrow’s semifinal round. This left one spot remaining in the final four, so Kailee Pendleton and Aubree Herzog entered a battle with hopes to become a semifinalist. This was a hard fought matchup in the early afternoon sun that lasted to the fifteenth hole, where Herzog was able to put it away 5&3. She will face off against a well-rested Giampa in the morning, while Barry and Bawell will fight for the other spot in the finals.
Mike Ryan Memorial