QUECHEE, Vermont – Wednesday was cut day at the 90th playing of the New England Golf Association’s Amateur Championship at the Highlands Course at Vermont’s Quechee Club, and following the second 18-hole round of competition, 44 competitors advanced to Thursday’s 36-hole finale. Of the 44 competitors who remain, 21 are Bay State residents, 6 are from the host state, 6 are from Rhode Island, 5 are from Connecticut, 4 are from New Hampshire and 2 are from Maine, respectively.
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Vermont junior golfer Bryson Richards (CC of Barre), who will begin his collegiate golf career at the University of Rhode Island beginning this fall, bettered Tuesday’s first round 2-under 70 mark by carding a 3-under 69 on Wednesday – with a total of four birdies, to take over sole possession of the top-spot on the leaderboard
Playing in the final pairing of the day off the 10th tee start, along with day one leader Charlie Dubiel of Massachusetts, the Plainview resident Richards opened up play by birdying the par-10th hole and added his second birdie on the par-5 14th hole to begin his ascension up the leaderboard. After making par on each of the remaining holes on his front-nine, Richards added birdies on the par-5 second and fourth holes to move to as low as 4-under for the day, and despite a bogey on his 17th hole, Highland’s par-3 8th, Richards was able to par the ninth hole to still remain at 3-under for the day and move to 5-under for the tournament.
The recent U-32 Junior Senior High School graduate, Richards holds a one-stroke lead over Cornell University junior Dubiel, who carded a 1-over for the day and is ahead of a trio of competitors who sit T3 on the leaderboard, including Concord, Mass. resident Xavier Marcoux, who will compete at Rutgers University beginning this fall, as well as the Rhode Island duo of Bobby Leopold and Jeffrey Giguere. All three are two strokes off the lead at 3-under 141 for the tournament thus far.
Thursday’s 36-hole finale will begin at 8:00 a.m. off both the first and 10th tees and following the completion of the morning round, tee times will be redistributed based on order of finish.
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