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Concord, NH – Low scores, high temperatures and pristine conditions at Concord Country Club describe the opening round of the 121st New Hampshire Amateur Championship presented by Davis & Towle Insurance Group. Hunter Duncan leads the way in stroke play qualifying on his home course as he comfortably fired a six-under par round of 64. He leads by one stroke as he has past New Hampshire Amateur champions James Pleat and Mark Stevens following right behind him. They all have the same goal in mind – make it to match play.
Hunter Duncan, a Concord Country Club member, started out on the back nine and quickly got himself to two-under par after three holes. His one stumble was on the par-4, 14th hole where he carded bogey but from then on, he had a bogey-free day. He closed out his first nine with an eagle on the par-5, 17th hole and followed it up with a birdie on the 18th to make the turn at four-under par, turning some heads.
“I was playing composed golf out there and letting my game just do its thing”, commented Duncan after his round. He continued his composure on his second nine with birdies on the 3rd and 5th holes at Concord Country Club and recorded pars on the rest. His 64 (-6) was good enough to put him in the lead of the stroke play qualifying rounds.
When asked if he had any expectations for himself, he stated, “It’s my home course so I was looking forward to playing here and having some fun, but no expectations.”
Like many, he shares the common goal of advancing to match play. With his 64 (-6), he sets himself up well to earn one of the 64 spots into match play that will begin on Wednesday. Duncan is also well aware of the challenges that match play brings, especially with the strong competitors he could face. Two of those competitors sit just one shot back of him on the leaderboard after the first round, James Pleat and Mark Stevens.
James Pleat (Nashua CC) is certainly no stranger to the New Hampshire Amateur, having claimed two titles (2020 and 2021). He continues his journey looking to claim his third to tie the number of wins his father, Phil, has in his tournament. Pleat is off to a great start as the only golfer in the morning wave to reach five-under par, 65.
Similar to Duncan, Pleat found just one bogey throughout his round and was able to roll in six birdies. He commented on his goals coming into the day, saying, “Take it one shot at a time, stay focused, think my way around the golf course and not get too ahead of myself. I think today was good in those regards.”
With 16 greens hit in regulation, it’s tough to find much trouble on the course. For Pleat, he said, “I hit it well, missed it in the right spots and left my approach shots in the right spots which I think is the key to this golf course because these greens are tricky.”
As a past champion, coupled with a family legacy of winning this tournament, Pleat tends to still feel the nerves as he steps up to his first tee shot of the New Hampshire Amateur. He stated, “There’s always some expectations that I put on myself, but it’s always really fun to be out here, really fun to see all the guys out here and hopefully try to make it a long week.”
Joining James at five-under par is Mark Stevens, a golfer that knows Concord Country Club well and another past champion, having won in 2008. Those able to watch Stevens play in his opening round could tell he felt comfortable out there and it showed with his scores. He rolled in six birdies and carded just one bogey throughout his round to be in a perfect position to capture a match play spot for Wednesday.
The talk of the tournament thus far has been the pristine condition that Concord Country Club is in and the fact that Bob Mielcarz has officially teed it up in his final New Hampshire Amateur Championship. From the fairways to the greens, the course is providing a challenging, yet fair test for the 156 players teeing it up this week. For Mielcarz, he impressively shot his age (74, +4) in the opening round of the tournament and sits at T36 as the field prepares for the second round. He hopes to make match play in his final State Amateur and starts it off strong on his home course.
NH Amateur | Leaderboard
Hunter Duncan, a Concord Country Club member, started out on the back nine and quickly got himself to two-under par after three holes. His one stumble was on the par-4, 14th hole where he carded bogey but from then on, he had a bogey-free day. He closed out his first nine with an eagle on the par-5, 17th hole and followed it up with a birdie on the 18th to make the turn at four-under par, turning some heads.
“I was playing composed golf out there and letting my game just do its thing”, commented Duncan after his round. He continued his composure on his second nine with birdies on the 3rd and 5th holes at Concord Country Club and recorded pars on the rest. His 64 (-6) was good enough to put him in the lead of the stroke play qualifying rounds.
When asked if he had any expectations for himself, he stated, “It’s my home course so I was looking forward to playing here and having some fun, but no expectations.”
Like many, he shares the common goal of advancing to match play. With his 64 (-6), he sets himself up well to earn one of the 64 spots into match play that will begin on Wednesday. Duncan is also well aware of the challenges that match play brings, especially with the strong competitors he could face. Two of those competitors sit just one shot back of him on the leaderboard after the first round, James Pleat and Mark Stevens.
James Pleat (Nashua CC) is certainly no stranger to the New Hampshire Amateur, having claimed two titles (2020 and 2021). He continues his journey looking to claim his third to tie the number of wins his father, Phil, has in his tournament. Pleat is off to a great start as the only golfer in the morning wave to reach five-under par, 65.
Similar to Duncan, Pleat found just one bogey throughout his round and was able to roll in six birdies. He commented on his goals coming into the day, saying, “Take it one shot at a time, stay focused, think my way around the golf course and not get too ahead of myself. I think today was good in those regards.”
With 16 greens hit in regulation, it’s tough to find much trouble on the course. For Pleat, he said, “I hit it well, missed it in the right spots and left my approach shots in the right spots which I think is the key to this golf course because these greens are tricky.”
As a past champion, coupled with a family legacy of winning this tournament, Pleat tends to still feel the nerves as he steps up to his first tee shot of the New Hampshire Amateur. He stated, “There’s always some expectations that I put on myself, but it’s always really fun to be out here, really fun to see all the guys out here and hopefully try to make it a long week.”
Joining James at five-under par is Mark Stevens, a golfer that knows Concord Country Club well and another past champion, having won in 2008. Those able to watch Stevens play in his opening round could tell he felt comfortable out there and it showed with his scores. He rolled in six birdies and carded just one bogey throughout his round to be in a perfect position to capture a match play spot for Wednesday.
The talk of the tournament thus far has been the pristine condition that Concord Country Club is in and the fact that Bob Mielcarz has officially teed it up in his final New Hampshire Amateur Championship. From the fairways to the greens, the course is providing a challenging, yet fair test for the 156 players teeing it up this week. For Mielcarz, he impressively shot his age (74, +4) in the opening round of the tournament and sits at T36 as the field prepares for the second round. He hopes to make match play in his final State Amateur and starts it off strong on his home course.
NH Amateur | Leaderboard