Past Champions Lead the Way at the New England Women’s Am

​CONCORD, New Hampshire (6/23/26) – Walking the beautiful, lush fairways of Concord Country Club on Tuesday morning, you’d never know of the severe storms that rolled through Monday evening. The only evidence of the torrential rains was a two-hour adjustment to tee times and Local Rule allowing for Lift, Clean and Replace.

In the Championship Division, past champion, Carys Fennessy (Cochecho CC, NH) shook off an early bogey to shoot 68 (-2) and grab the lead after one round of play. And in the Senior Championship, a pair of past champions Tara Joy-Connelly (Bald Peak Colony Club, NH) and Pamela Kuong (Charles River CC, MA) share the lead at +2 after shooting matching 72s.

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Local knowledge was the theme of the day on Tuesday. Leader, Carys Fennessy turned to her uncle, Nathan Fennessy, a Concord CC member, for caddying duties.

“I played a practice round with him earlier last week,” said Fennessy. “He had some good reads out there and knew all the lines off the tee, so that was nice.”
Playing her final hole of the day, Fennessy followed her caddies instructions to a T. A drive aimed down the middle, with a little fade, opened up an angle to attack the left-tucked pin. A perfect approach left just 15 feet, which the two would calculate perfectly, leading to one last birdie.

Fennessy’s nearest chasers are at 2-over-par, led by Madelyn Savary (Concord CC, NH), who, as you can see, has a deep connection to Concord Country Club. Now in her second year of membership at the host club, Savary estimates that she’s played the course 60+ times over the past year and half. Between the course knowledge and local support of friends and professional staff, Savary is feeling right at home, with an eye on her best finish in this event to date.

Also at 2-over are a pair of Massachusetts favorites in Maddie Smith (Vesper CC, MA) and Lillian Guleserian (Blue Hill CC, MA). Smith, the defending champion of this event, played an uneventful round of golf, which isn’t exactly a bad thing, especially during a 54-hole medal-play event. Guleserian also turned in a scorecard of the uneventful type, with one birdie and three bogies. Both will look to make up ground on Wednesday.

In the Senior Championship, you guessed it, local knowledge stole the headline. Co-leader, Pam Kuong turned to Bob Mielcarz, a member of 52 years at Concord and a New Hampshire Golf Hall of Famer, for her caddying duties. Kuong was first introduced to Mielcarz through a work relationship, one that’s now paying dividends.

“I literally, whatever he told me, I did,” said Kuong. “He told me to go to the right side, I went to the right side. He told me this was breaking, so I didn’t have to think.”
Kuong went on to say “I don’t even know how many strokes he saved me, so… Well, probably a lot. You wouldn’t be interviewing me now if I didn’t have him on the bag.”

Also shooting 72, and tied with Kuong atop the Senior Championship leaderboard is the 3-time defending champion of this event, Tara Joy-Connelly, who recently moved to New Hampshire after many years in Massachusetts.

Round 2 will begin at 8 a.m. on Wednesday. Following the second round of play, the field will be cut to the top 31 players and ties in the Championship Division, and 19 players and ties in the Senior Championship.
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Leaderboard | Concord CC (NH) | Par 70:
1 – Carys Fennessy, Cochecho CC (NH); 68 (-2)
T2 – Madelyn Savary, Concord CC (NH); 72 (+2)
T2 – Maddie Smith, Vesper CC (MA); 72 (+2)
T2 – Lillian Guleserian, Blue Hill CC (MA); 72 (+2)
5 – Zorah Williams, Stonington CC (CT); 75 (+5)
 
Senior Championship Leaderboard
T1 – Tara Joy-Connelly, Bald Peak Colony Club (NH); 72 (+2)
T1 – Pam Kuong, Charles River CC (MA); 72 (+2)
3 – Kathleen Bordeau, NH Golf e-Club (NH); 76 (+6)
4 – Amy Dickinson, Breakfast Hill GC (NH); 77 (+7)
5 – Mary Brandes, Woodlands Club (ME); 78 (+8)
 
About the Venue: Concord Country Club (Concord, NH)
Located just off I-93 and not too far from the Merrimack River, Concord Country Club was founded in 1930. This week, the Ralph Barton designed course will be played at 5,800 yards for the Championship Division and 5,200 yards for the Senior Championship, both playing to a par of 70. According to many reports, Barton argued that he deserved more credit than he received for his role in designing two of Seth Raynor’s best courses – Mid Ocean Club and The Course at Yale.
Concord has twice hosted New England Golf Association championships, most recently with the 1985 Amateur. Prior to that, the New England Women’s Am was hosted in 1978, won by Julie Greene of Rhode Island, with a score of 225.