For Immediate Release: August 18, 2010
Headline: Team Connecticut Wins 2010 New England Junior Championship; Jamison Randall Captures Individual Title
Rye Beach, NH – Under perfect conditions in Rye Beach, the seven-player team from Connecticut prevailed for the sixth time in eight years at the New England Junior Championship. Over the course of three rounds in two days, the junior amateur standouts were simply dominating as every player contributed en route to recording a three-round total of 28-over par 1108.
This annual event sponsored by the New England Golf Association (NEGA) features seven players from each of the six New England states who compete in 54 holes of stroke play. The best five of seven scores for each of the three rounds is counted towards the team’s final score.
- Jamison Randall Captures Individual Title
- Click here for Team Results
- Click here for Individual Results
Following the first 36 holes contested on Tuesday, Connecticut held a slim three-stroke lead over the defending champions from New Hampshire. During the final round of play, the Connecticut players came through as its low five scorers posted scores of 6-over par 78 or better. Pacing the team on day two and posting two of the only three under-par scores recorded on Wednesday were Nick Torrance (Lake of Isles CC) and Andy Mai (e-club of New Haven).
Both Torrance and Mai were already enjoying red-hot summers heading into this week. Torrance qualified for both the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship and the World Junior, while Mai won the Pepsi Junior Connecticut PGA Championship (which earned him a berth into the national championship) and qualified for the 2010 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.
With four returning players from 2009, Connecticut was certainly eyeing a return to the top spot after being upset by a very strong New Hampshire squad one year ago.
Returning for Connecticut this year were Brian Engstrom (Pine Orchard G&YC), a senior at Notre Dame High School in West Haven and the team’s only three-time participant, Brian Tohir (New Canaan CC), the CIAC Division II champion and a semifinalist in the Connecticut State Junior Championship, Alex DiClemente (Timberlin GC), the CIAC Division III champion and also a semifinalist in the Connecticut State Junior Championship, and Mai.
Rounding out the squad and making their New England Junior debut this week were Monte Mullen (CC of Farmington) and Kevin Jud (Timberlin GC), who finished first and second, respectively, at the 2010 Connecticut Junior Amateur Championship.
Eight strokes back of Connecticut was New Hampshire, which was spearheaded on day two by an incredible 3-under par 69 performance by Joe Leavitt (Atkinson R&CC). After making bogey on his first hole of the day (the 560-yard, par 5 5th hole), Leavitt went on to card five birdies and just one bogey.
The rising junior at Central Catholic was the 2009-2010 Merrimack Valley Conference champion and MVP for a second straight year and finished the season tied for fourth at the Division 1 state tournament.
New Hampshire’s low scorer for the championship was Jake Nutter (Manchester CC), who finished with a three-round total of 7-over par 223. Nutter is coming off a season where he captured the 2010 North & South Junior Championship at Pinhurst (NC) Resort. He has also – over the course of his young career – won the Manchester City Tournament and the New Hampshire Junior Amateur Championship.
Finishing third with a score of 49-over par 1129 was Massachusetts (which was looking for its first New England Junior title since 1997). Rhode Island, Maine and Vermont fell in behind Massachusetts.
Jamison Randall Captures Individual Title
Following 54 holes of regulation, Mai, Nutter and Jamison Randall (Cumberland, RI) found themselves tied for the individual lead with scores of 7-over par 223. As a result, a sudden-death playoff was immediately held.
After Nutter was eliminated on the first playoff hole, Mai and Jamison moved on to the second hole where Randall prevailed to claim the honor of being the individual champion of the 2010 New England Junior Championship.
"I played solid the first day, but horrible the second day," said Randall, who has won seven tournaments this season. "I scraped out a 77 (on Wednesday), but then made a great up and down on the first playoff hole... made a couple of pars when I had to. I'm very happy to have pulled it out!"
The 2010 RIGA Junior Amateur Champion and rising senior at Cumberland High School is having a superb summer of golf. After qualifying for and competing in the 2010 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, Randall won the World Series of Junior Golf at Triggs Memorial Golf Course in Providence and competing in the Independent Insurance Agents Amateur Classic in New Jersey.
