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Canterbury, NH – With a daunting weather forecast filled with heat and humidity, 65 players teed it up at Canterbury Woods Country Club in the first round of the New Hampshire Senior Championship.  Competing in just his second New Hampshire Senior Championship, David Larrivee grabbed a hold of the lead after Round 1 of the competition, firing a two-under par, 70.  Sitting two shots back of Larrivee in second place is Bob Kearney, a tough competitor who actually led the field at one-under thru nine holes but settled for an even-par opening round.
 
Starting out on the back nine at Canterbury Woods, Larrivee got off to a strong, steady start, hitting all nine greens and rolling in nine-straight par putts.  He said, “On the front side, I hit all nine greens, had a three putt and shot even par.”
 
“On the back side, I kept it going but started rolling the putter better,” continued Larrivee. 
 
His second nine was a different story, he rolled in four birdie putts but also made two bogeys.  Despite the bogeys on his card, he got himself to two-under par on the day, good enough to lead the field by two strokes.  Hitting an impressive 17 greens throughout his round, he can rest happy with how he played.  He commented, “With 17 greens, you expect a lot, but you have to be happy with two under par.”
 
Now with a target on his back as Kearney, Keith Stone, Bob Mielcarz, and Phil Pleat are chasing him down, along with the remainder of the field, Larrivee looks to continue what he did in the first round into his second round.  He stated, “Find some fairways and get below the hole.  There’s a lot of slope on these greens and you just try to give yourself uphill putts whenever you can.”
 
Kearney, a strong competitor in his own right having won the New England Senior Amateur in 2019 and is a past champion of the Texas Amateur Championship, follows behind Larrivee with an even-par, 72.  While Kearney did not get off to a strong start on his first hole, making bogey on the 10^th at Canterbury Woods, he bounced back with two birdies and got himself to one-under par after nine holes, leading the field at that point.
 
Heading to his second nine, he was not able to hang onto his under-par round as he carded two more bogeys.  Despite getting to one-over par after 17 holes, he finished on a strong note, making birdie on Canterbury Woods’ 9^th hole.  Kearney now looks to close the gap on Larrivee as the field heads to the final round.
 
Keith Stone, Bob Mielcarz and Phil Pleat all sit three shots back of Larrivee after carding one-par par rounds of 73.  Mielcarz and Pleat have both captured the New Hampshire Senior title before and know what it will take in the final round to overcome a three-shot deficit.  Stone, who only recently turned 55 to become eligible for the tournament, will look to maintain his strong play heading into the second round.
 
The heat and humidity certainly played a factor for the competitors in the New Hampshire Senior.  They were faced with navigating the hot temperatures and staying hydrated to maintain their game throughout the round.  The final round calls for the same forecast, if not warmer.
 
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