Thresher & O'Rourke Climb to Top of NH Open Leaderboard As Field Gets Cut to 40 for Final Round
Enfield, NH – Mother Nature has had everything in store for the New Hampshire Open across the last two days, including rain, lightning, heat and chillier temperatures to close out the second round of the championship being held at Montcalm Golf Club. Despite all that, the first two rounds of the competition were completed amidst a challenging first day forcing Round 1 to be completed this morning. Jason Thresher and Daniel O’Rourke shut out all the weather challenges each day and were able to card a pair of 65’s to sit at 12-under par and tied at the top of the leaderboard as the field gets cut for the final round.
Jason Thresher (West Suffield, CT), past New Hampshire and Mass Open champion, has had two solid days of golf. His first round consisted of five birdies, one eagle and a lone bogey to seal the deal on his first 65 (-6) which concluded this morning. Continuing that momentum into the second round he carded six additional birdies, an eagle and two bogeys for his second 65 (-7) to put himself at the top of the leaderboard, a place his is no stranger to.
Joining Thresher at the top is Daniel O’Rourke (Milford, NJ) who finished his first round bogey-free, rolling in six birdie putts throughout the round. Even across the 36 holes, O’Rourke only carded one bogey which happened on the challenging, downhill 10th hole. Despite that, he made seven birdies in his second round for a 12-under par total and a share of the lead. O’Rourke and Thresher will have targets on their backs as they hold a four-shot lead over the next competitors on the leaderboard.
Impressively, the lowest round of tournament so far has come from Caleb Manuel (Topsham, ME) who finished his first round at seven-under par, 64. Manuel stated, “Yesterday my wedges were working really well. I hit a lot to tap in range and I got a little momentum going late in the round.”
Manuel’s first round was bogey-free and he was five-under par on Montcalm’s front nine alone. He wanted to take that momentum he gained with him has prepared for the second round. Starting on the front nine for his second round, the side he found success on in Round 1, he admittedly had a slower start. He said, “I started off slow. It started to rain and I was getting kind of miserable but I stayed positive.”
“I saw a 20 or 30-footer go in on 7 and then I stayed patient and made good up and downs on 10 and 11 and I made two birdies coming in,e so I put myself in a good spot going into tomorrow”, continued Manuel.
At the turn, Manuel was one-over for his second round but he avoided the bogeys on the back nine and finished up the day at one-under par, 70 and eight-under par across the 36 holes. That score puts him in a tie for third place, four shots back of Thresher and O’Rourke, but he knows the birdies are out there as he prepares for the final round. Commenting on his thoughts for the final round, he said, “I’ll just be playing my own game and playing against the golf course.”
Manuel is not alone at eight-under par as Ryan Celano (Naples, FL) finished his second round with a 65 (-6) to climb the leaderboard in a hurry. After a two-under par, 69 in the opening round, he can be happy with the 65 he followed it up with, especially given the weather conditions he faced in his second round. His second-round highlights came from five birdies and an eagle on the par-5, 14th hole. He can head into the final round with confidence on his side and his name high on the leaderboard in a tie for third place.
As the second round of action finished just before dark, the field is officially cut for the final round. Golfers shooting 144 (+2) or better are moving on to the final round, 18 more holes at Montcalm Golf Club to determine this year’s champion.
NH Open | Leaderboard
Jason Thresher (West Suffield, CT), past New Hampshire and Mass Open champion, has had two solid days of golf. His first round consisted of five birdies, one eagle and a lone bogey to seal the deal on his first 65 (-6) which concluded this morning. Continuing that momentum into the second round he carded six additional birdies, an eagle and two bogeys for his second 65 (-7) to put himself at the top of the leaderboard, a place his is no stranger to.
Joining Thresher at the top is Daniel O’Rourke (Milford, NJ) who finished his first round bogey-free, rolling in six birdie putts throughout the round. Even across the 36 holes, O’Rourke only carded one bogey which happened on the challenging, downhill 10th hole. Despite that, he made seven birdies in his second round for a 12-under par total and a share of the lead. O’Rourke and Thresher will have targets on their backs as they hold a four-shot lead over the next competitors on the leaderboard.
Impressively, the lowest round of tournament so far has come from Caleb Manuel (Topsham, ME) who finished his first round at seven-under par, 64. Manuel stated, “Yesterday my wedges were working really well. I hit a lot to tap in range and I got a little momentum going late in the round.”
Manuel’s first round was bogey-free and he was five-under par on Montcalm’s front nine alone. He wanted to take that momentum he gained with him has prepared for the second round. Starting on the front nine for his second round, the side he found success on in Round 1, he admittedly had a slower start. He said, “I started off slow. It started to rain and I was getting kind of miserable but I stayed positive.”
“I saw a 20 or 30-footer go in on 7 and then I stayed patient and made good up and downs on 10 and 11 and I made two birdies coming in,e so I put myself in a good spot going into tomorrow”, continued Manuel.
At the turn, Manuel was one-over for his second round but he avoided the bogeys on the back nine and finished up the day at one-under par, 70 and eight-under par across the 36 holes. That score puts him in a tie for third place, four shots back of Thresher and O’Rourke, but he knows the birdies are out there as he prepares for the final round. Commenting on his thoughts for the final round, he said, “I’ll just be playing my own game and playing against the golf course.”
Manuel is not alone at eight-under par as Ryan Celano (Naples, FL) finished his second round with a 65 (-6) to climb the leaderboard in a hurry. After a two-under par, 69 in the opening round, he can be happy with the 65 he followed it up with, especially given the weather conditions he faced in his second round. His second-round highlights came from five birdies and an eagle on the par-5, 14th hole. He can head into the final round with confidence on his side and his name high on the leaderboard in a tie for third place.
As the second round of action finished just before dark, the field is officially cut for the final round. Golfers shooting 144 (+2) or better are moving on to the final round, 18 more holes at Montcalm Golf Club to determine this year’s champion.
NH Open | Leaderboard