GOFFSTOWN, N.H. (July 15, 2014) -- Ryan Kohler of Hooper GC shot a second round 66 to take medalist honors after 36-holes of the New Hampshire State Amateur.
Kohler will be the number 1 seeded player amongst the 64 players that qualified for match play. First round matches will take place tomorrow with second round and third round matches on Thursday. Quarterfinal and semi-final matches will be contested on Friday and the 36-hole Championship Match will be on Saturday.
Kohler's 6-under round began on the back nine where he birdied holes #11 & #12 and also birdied holes #15 through #17. While he only made a single birdie on his back-nine, he felt it was a complete round. "I made everything on my first nine. I think I hit it better on my second nine but couldn't make as many putts," he said.
The 2012 NHGA Stroke Play Champion knows that the match play portion of the event presents a unique challenge, but it won't change the way he approaches each round. "I'm just going to try to keep shooting under par and be aggressive off the tee, which is what I've been doing," said Kohler.
Kohler previously reached the semi-finals in 2011 at Nashua CC, where he lost to eventual champion Jim Cilley. Earning medalist honors is an accomplishment, but Kohler remains focused on being the last man standing on Saturday afternoon. "Being medalist is a nice bonus, but I'm just happy I was able to put two solid rounds together before match play starts."
Matt Paradis shot 68 to claim the #2 seed and Damon Salo and 2013 champion Mike Martel both finished right behind him at 2-under par (140). Monday's leader Nick Pandelena shot 77 today and finished at 1-under after 36-holes.
The field of 64 was rounded out after an 8-man playoff for the 3 final spots. Players that shot +12 (156) or better made the final match play field of 64.
View results for New Hampshire Amateur
ABOUT THE New Hampshire Amateur
Competition will be held at ten pre-qualifying
sites and will be 18 holes at Stroke Play.
The
low qualifiers and ties from all the sites
along
with the players exempt from
prequalifying, will
be eligible for the 36-hole qualifying on
the
first two days of the tournament proper.
Sixty-four players will begin match play the
following day. Entries are open to males
who
are members in good standing of member
NHGA
Clubs who are legal residents of New
Hampshire. An eligible non-resident can
play in
NHGA Championships if he has been a
member
in good standing of an NHGA member club
for
the last three complete golf seasons and
has
played a minimum of 25 rounds of golf at
this
club in each of the three seasons. A letter
signed by the President of the member
club
must accompany his first entry, stating
that
the player complies with NHGA eligibility
requirements.
View Complete Tournament Information