2018 New England Amateur Championship - Day 2 Highlights (7/18)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 18, 2018
FALMOUTH, Maine -- It has been an unconventional start to the 89th New England Amateur Championship, but that is not keeping the region’s top competitors from shining at Portland Country Club.
After inclement weather and a subsequent suspension of play on Tuesday forced the originally scheduled 72-hole event to be reduced to 54 holes, competitors returned to Falmouth on Wednesday to complete the first round and begin the second round.
Golf was played at Portland Country Club from 7:30 a.m. until play was suspended due to darkness at 8:14 p.m. Those competitors who did not complete the second round – a total of 67 players – will return to Falmouth on Thursday morning and resume play at 7:30 a.m.
Heading into the third and final day of play, Reese McFarlane (Purpoodock Club - ME) - who has completed 27 holes - is the unofficial leader at 6-under par. Patrick Frodigh (Dedham C&PC - MA) stands in second at 4-under par through 27 holes. Leaders in the clubhouse with scores of 2-under par 138 include Matt Paradis (Concord CC - NH), Drake Hull (Rutland CC - VT), and Jack Wyman (Portland CC - ME).
Scores from rounds that have not yet been completed were posted based on information gathered from the scorecards collected at the end of the day. Scores are not considered official until the scorecard has been verified by a New England Golf Association (NEGA) official at the designated scoring tents.
CLICK HERE to view the official scoring page as of 8:14 p.m.
Once the second round has been completed on Thursday, the field will be reduced to the low 40 scorers and ties and repaired by score. The third and final round is scheduled to be begin at approximately 12:30 p.m.
“We can’t thank the host club and competitors enough for their patience as we worked through the challenges posed by Mother Nature this week,” said Laura Nochta, Mass Golf’s manager of NEGA operations & USGA qualifying who is responsible for the operations of the New England Amateur Championship. “Come Thursday, we will crown a champion at this course which has been a true and perfect test of championship golf.”
FEATURED BELOW: Day 2 Highlights | State Amateur Champs March On | Updated Schedule of Events | News & Notes
ADDITIONAL STORY LINKS: Round 1 Highlights | Dan Venezio & Portland CC Create Welcome Home For Amateurs | Jack Wyman Savoring Home-Course Experience
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New Hampshire's Matt Paradis Continues His Dizzying 11 Days of Golf
Following a 11-day stretch in which he has won his state amateur title and secured a spot at the 2018 U.S. Amateur Championship, Matt Paradis (Concord CC - NH) prefers to think more about energy instead of fatigue.
Dating back to Sunday, July 8th – the first day of the New Hampshire Amateur Championship – Paradis has logged a total of 255 competitive holes of golf. Along the way, Paradis captured his first career New Hampshire Amateur Championship title (138 holes), won a Member-Guest Tournament with his friend (45 holes), qualified for the U.S. Amateur Championship at a sectional qualifier held at Taconic Golf Club (36 holes) and completed the first two rounds of play at the New England Amateur Championship (36 holes).
“I slept in my car yesterday for 15 minutes before my tee time and didn’t take a swing or putt I was that tired,” said Paradis, who will turn 23 years old in October. “I just stepped up to the tee and stepped up to the tee again today, and it has kind of just been working for me. I have been confident with my golf swing the past week, so I am just trying to eat and hydrate out here and keep it going.”
While most would have withered or even withdrawn from this week’s event due to exhaustion, Paradis seems to be gaining and not losing momentum. On Tuesday, he managed to play 1-under par golf through 15 holes before play was suspended. Not missing a beat, he returned to Portland Country Club the next morning and made birdie on his first hole of the day – the 510-yard, par 5 15th hole. He finished off that round with two pars for a first-round score of 2-under par 68.
“I am rolling my putter really good,” said Paradis. “I am able to make the 15 to 20 footers that don’t always fall. Sometimes you lip out or you burn the edge on a couple of them, but they have been falling for me. My driver has been very good too so I have been getting it in play and giving myself good looks. Wedges into a lot of greens and have been able to make some birdies here and there.”
When he returned to the course on Wednesday for his second round, Paradis managed to stay within striking distance of the leaders by grinding out an even par 70 on the Donald Ross layout that was playing increasingly more difficult as the course dried out following Tuesday’s rain.
“I have been giving myself good looks and keeping it in play,” said Paradis. “Even if I missed the fairway, I have been inside the tree line and in the rough. The rough is short around here which doesn’t penalize you that much.”
After playing the Portland CC back nine at even par, Paradis made bogey on the 2nd hole and then birdie on the 3rd hole. Two holes later, his drive off the tee found the fairway bunker. Paradis was forced to punch out into the fairway and was left with a third shot from 100 yards out. He found the green with his third shot and sunk a 15 footer for par to remain even.
He then got up and down on the 184-yard, par 3 7th hole by making a 10-foot slider for par.
“The par saves today kept me in it,” said Paradis. “I didn’t hit it that close and missed a few birdies, but I made three or four 10 to 15 footers for par to keep my momentum going.”
Paradis completed his second round before the sun went down which was not the case for a majority of his competitors. With the third round scheduled to start after noon on Thursday, Paradis is looking forward to getting some rest and gearing up for what is a very important day for this warrior.
“I feel good for where I am at,” said Paradis, who finished fourth last year and T2 in 2016 in this event. “This is huge. This is one that I have always wanted. All of the best players from around New England come and play in this. There are a lot of players that I used to look up to as a junior and I am starting to finally catch up to the big guys. I feel great. I have come so close the past couple of years so to win this would be huge.”
With just 18 holes standing between him and another major victory, fatigue for Paradis is simply not an option.
State Amateur Champions Continue to Find Success at Portland CC
Five of the players in the 89th New England Amateur Championship are coming off one of the biggest weeks of their golf careers, having just claimed their respective state’s amateur championship. Apparently, those wins were no fluke, as after two rounds of play at Portland CC four of those five players occupy the top of the leaderboard among the region’s best.
For most competitive amateur golfers, the week of the state amateur championship is traditionally one of the most grueling weeks of the year. The format varies across the six New England states on how the respective championships are conducted, though all share in the fact that it’s a grind for the players competing.
Host state Maine plays 54 holes of stroke play, while others in the region play two days of stroke play followed by 32 or 64 players working one round at a time to advance through the match play bracket. Regardless of the format, these Amateur championships are mentally and physically draining weeks for the players vying for their state’s top honor.
Five of the six New England states conducted their state amateurs just last week, with all five respective champions teeing it up at this week’s New England Amateur. Connecticut’s Ben Conroy is the lone state amateur champion from 2018 who is not in the field.
The other five are coming off of long weeks at home, making the success they’ve had through the first two days at Portland CC a testament to how well they’ve played in the last fortnight.
Below are the scores through two rounds at Portland CC for the recently-crowned state champions in the field. Note that some of the second rounds are incomplete and will finish on Thursday morning.
2 -- Patrick Frodigh (MA): 14 (thru 27)
T3 -- Jack Wyman (ME): -2 (thru 36)
T3 -- Matthew Paradis (NH): -2 (thru 36)
T3 -- Drake Hull (VT): -2 (thru 36)
T64 -- Jack Bauer (RI): +8 (thru 21)
SCHEDULE UPDATE
Due to inclement weather and the subsequent suspension of play on Tuesday, the 89th New England Amateur Championship was reduced to a 54-hole event.
On Wednesday, the entire field completed round one. Those competitors who were not able to complete the second round on Wednesday will return to Portland Country Club on Thursday and resume play at 7:30 a.m.
Following the conclusion of Round 2 on Thursday, the field will be reduced to the LOW 40 scorers and ties and repaired by score. A champion will be crowned following the conclusion of 54 holes. Any tie for first place will be decided immediately by a hole-by-hole play-off.
NEWS & NOTES
Bobby Leopold (Wannamoisett CC - RI) posted a 4-under par 66 during the first round and followed that up with a 3-over par 73. However, during his second 18 holes he suffered an abdominal injury. While the severity of his injury and the status of his availability for Thursday is unknown, Leopold still stands as one of just nine competitors who are under par heading into the final day of competition.
It was a family affair for the Frodighs in Falmouth. In addition to following his son Patrick Frodigh (Dedham C&PC) - the 2018 Massachusetts Amateur Champion - play his way into the top of the leaderboard, Peter Frodigh also had to keep track of two other sons - Will and Dan - who were also in the starting field. Although Will Frodigh (Dedham C&PC) had to withdraw due to illness prior to his starting time, Dan Frodigh (Dedham C&PC) was able to complete nine holes of his second round on Wednesday before play was suspended.
The winner of the New England Amateur Championship will receive the Harry B. McCracken, Jr. Trophy, a gold medal and merchandise certificate. Merchandise certificates are only redeemable at the host club.
Mark Plummer (Augusta CC - ME), who won this event in 1994, is 66 years old and stands as the oldest competitor in the field. After posting a 3-over par 73 during round one, Plummer sits within the cut line with six holes to play on Thursday.
