Henley Has Record-Setting Day; Leads New Hampshire Amateur Stroke Play Qualifying By Three
Rye Beach, NH – With the opening round of the 119th New Hampshire Amateur Championship presented by Smuttynose in the books, the common sentiment among the players is being able to navigate the Abenaqui greens successfully will lead to low scores. One player who found success in the first round is Rob Henley (Lake Sunapee CC) who turned some heads with nine birdies on his card, finishing up with a 65 (-7). Henley currently leads the stroke play qualifying by three strokes.
Abenaqui Country Club, playing at around 6,500 yards, is known for its impeccable conditions and challenging greens and it did not disappoint in the first round of the championship. Henley’s round did not start the way someone who shoots a 65 might start; he carded a bogey on the opening hole but more than made up for it when he made three-straight birdies to get himself to two-under par thru four holes.
“I started off with a bogey and then I made a bunch of birdies from there”, stated Henley following the round. “I made a lot of long putts actually; the greens were really nice.”
While he did bogey the par-3, 9th hole at Abenaqui, he once again made up for that blemish with two more birdies back-to-back. He ended up making five birdies on the back nine to shoot 31 (-5) on his second nine. Those five birdies paired up with his four on the front and two bogeys added up to a 65 (-7).
What was the key to success for Henley? He modestly commented, “I kept it in play, and I made a bunch of putts. I hit most of the greens and I was lucky enough to make a few.”
Henley, a Lake Sunapee Country Club member, who qualified for the New Hampshire Amateur at Beaver Meadow Golf Course with a 75 (+3), came out and played Abenaqui in the first round without having seen it before. He played a simple game, only pulling driver on one hole. He stated, “It’s not a super long course, so I hit the greens and made some putts. The greens are tricky if you miss it in the wrong spots.”
With his 65 (-7), Henley now claims the Abenaqui Country Club amateur course record. While he comfortably sits at the top of the leaderboard, he has his sights set on replicating his first round into round two. He leads the field by three strokes, with Ryan Kohler (Hooper GC) trailing as he shot a 68 (-4).
Kohler, who comes off a third-place finish in the Vermont Amateur the week before, has been playing great golf for awhile now. He won the New Hampshire Mid-Amateur last season and has continued to display solid golf since. Among the 156 players in the field, only three players were able to record under par rounds, Kohler being one of them.
“I’m hitting it good and I’m being a little more patient than I normally am” commented Kohler about his game recently. “I played good last week in Vermont so coming here I have a little bit of momentum going.”
Beginning his round on the back nine at Abenaqui, Kohler got off to the ideal start with a birdie on his first hole, giving him even more confidence in his game. With a little hiccup on the 12th hole where he made bogey, he recovered well and even made a birdie on the 18th hole at Abenaqui to turn at one-under par.
He found even more success on his second nine with the highlight of his round coming when he eagled the par-5, 5th hole. That combined with two birdies and one bogey left him at four-under par for the day and in the second-place position on the leaderboard.
“It was a good round, I hit it good pretty much all day”, stated Kohler. “Only one three putt which most people out here would call a success. This course is really built around these greens, its in perfect shape. They’re fast and just trying to get speed is going to be key all week.”
With 18 holes left to play, the main goal is just to make match play. Kohler said, “The goal is match play, just to get there and then its one match at a time.”
Bryce Zimmerman was the only other player to finish with red numbers as he shot one-under par in his round to finish the day with a smile as he finds himself among the leaders of the stroke play qualifying rounds of the New Hampshire Amateur. His round was the epitome of steady and consistent, with three birdies and two bogeys throughout the day, the rest were pars.
Following the round, Zimmerman talked about how his approach shots were the key to his own success. He stated, “On the back nine I was hitting it stiff pretty much the entire way. I had inside 10 feet for the first four holes to start the back nine.”
While he came out with par on most of the holes on the back nine, Zimmerman admits to needing some work on his putting. Had he drained a few of those birdie putts that were inside 10 feet of the hole, he might have been closer to the lead. He commented, “I feel like I could have been a whole lot more under par today and if I can steady that putting, I feel like I can do the same thing again tomorrow, if not a little better.”
Not to be overlooked are the eight players who shot even-par in their opening round of the championship, including three former State Amateur Champions. Two-time defending champion, James Pleat (Nashua CC) had a respectable even-par round and put himself in a good position heading into the second round of the competition. Mark Stevens (Beaver Meadow CC) and Craig Steckowych (Portsmouth CC) are the two other past champions at even-par, all knowing what it takes to make it to the end of this six-day championship.
All 156 players will tee it up again on Tuesday, July 12th for 18 more holes. Following the completion of Round 2, the field will be cut to 64 as match play is set to begin on Wednesday, July 12 with the Round of 64.
Abenaqui Country Club, playing at around 6,500 yards, is known for its impeccable conditions and challenging greens and it did not disappoint in the first round of the championship. Henley’s round did not start the way someone who shoots a 65 might start; he carded a bogey on the opening hole but more than made up for it when he made three-straight birdies to get himself to two-under par thru four holes.
“I started off with a bogey and then I made a bunch of birdies from there”, stated Henley following the round. “I made a lot of long putts actually; the greens were really nice.”
While he did bogey the par-3, 9th hole at Abenaqui, he once again made up for that blemish with two more birdies back-to-back. He ended up making five birdies on the back nine to shoot 31 (-5) on his second nine. Those five birdies paired up with his four on the front and two bogeys added up to a 65 (-7).
What was the key to success for Henley? He modestly commented, “I kept it in play, and I made a bunch of putts. I hit most of the greens and I was lucky enough to make a few.”
Henley, a Lake Sunapee Country Club member, who qualified for the New Hampshire Amateur at Beaver Meadow Golf Course with a 75 (+3), came out and played Abenaqui in the first round without having seen it before. He played a simple game, only pulling driver on one hole. He stated, “It’s not a super long course, so I hit the greens and made some putts. The greens are tricky if you miss it in the wrong spots.”
With his 65 (-7), Henley now claims the Abenaqui Country Club amateur course record. While he comfortably sits at the top of the leaderboard, he has his sights set on replicating his first round into round two. He leads the field by three strokes, with Ryan Kohler (Hooper GC) trailing as he shot a 68 (-4).
Kohler, who comes off a third-place finish in the Vermont Amateur the week before, has been playing great golf for awhile now. He won the New Hampshire Mid-Amateur last season and has continued to display solid golf since. Among the 156 players in the field, only three players were able to record under par rounds, Kohler being one of them.
“I’m hitting it good and I’m being a little more patient than I normally am” commented Kohler about his game recently. “I played good last week in Vermont so coming here I have a little bit of momentum going.”
Beginning his round on the back nine at Abenaqui, Kohler got off to the ideal start with a birdie on his first hole, giving him even more confidence in his game. With a little hiccup on the 12th hole where he made bogey, he recovered well and even made a birdie on the 18th hole at Abenaqui to turn at one-under par.
He found even more success on his second nine with the highlight of his round coming when he eagled the par-5, 5th hole. That combined with two birdies and one bogey left him at four-under par for the day and in the second-place position on the leaderboard.
“It was a good round, I hit it good pretty much all day”, stated Kohler. “Only one three putt which most people out here would call a success. This course is really built around these greens, its in perfect shape. They’re fast and just trying to get speed is going to be key all week.”
With 18 holes left to play, the main goal is just to make match play. Kohler said, “The goal is match play, just to get there and then its one match at a time.”
Bryce Zimmerman was the only other player to finish with red numbers as he shot one-under par in his round to finish the day with a smile as he finds himself among the leaders of the stroke play qualifying rounds of the New Hampshire Amateur. His round was the epitome of steady and consistent, with three birdies and two bogeys throughout the day, the rest were pars.
Following the round, Zimmerman talked about how his approach shots were the key to his own success. He stated, “On the back nine I was hitting it stiff pretty much the entire way. I had inside 10 feet for the first four holes to start the back nine.”
While he came out with par on most of the holes on the back nine, Zimmerman admits to needing some work on his putting. Had he drained a few of those birdie putts that were inside 10 feet of the hole, he might have been closer to the lead. He commented, “I feel like I could have been a whole lot more under par today and if I can steady that putting, I feel like I can do the same thing again tomorrow, if not a little better.”
Not to be overlooked are the eight players who shot even-par in their opening round of the championship, including three former State Amateur Champions. Two-time defending champion, James Pleat (Nashua CC) had a respectable even-par round and put himself in a good position heading into the second round of the competition. Mark Stevens (Beaver Meadow CC) and Craig Steckowych (Portsmouth CC) are the two other past champions at even-par, all knowing what it takes to make it to the end of this six-day championship.
All 156 players will tee it up again on Tuesday, July 12th for 18 more holes. Following the completion of Round 2, the field will be cut to 64 as match play is set to begin on Wednesday, July 12 with the Round of 64.