The New Hampshire Chapter of The New England PGA welcomed the autumn season with a gorgeous day at Cochecho Country Club in Dover, and Billy Andrews of Portsmouth CC took advantage by shooting below his age and capturing the top Professional honors with a 3 under par 67. Andrews went out in even par 35 on the front, then rallied with 3 straight birdies on the back and a 32 coming in. Rico Riciputi of The Coach Club tied Eric Sandstrum of Keene CC for second with the only other under par rounds at 69. Chapter Champion, Lucas Langelier of host Cochecho, Jay Pollini (The Oaks), Tim Riese (Pease) and Dan Wilkins (Laconia) all tied for fourth at even par 70. With his finish, Wilkins closed the gap in the race for The Davis and Towle Insurance Player of the Year which now has Jason Malcolm with a 6-point lead, followed by Wilkins then Joe Finemore within striking distance.
Billy Andrews and his Team Were Tough to Beat
Mitch Jefferson and his Rochester team captured the Pro-Am Gross competition with a 9 under par 61, edging out his Assistant Professional Brett Smestad’s squad by one stroke. Jefferson was joined by Jim Cilley, Ryan Martel and Brett Wilson, while Stacy Levesque, Troy Johnson, and Dylan Tooch chipped in for Smestad’s group. Bob McGraw’s Eagle Mountain House foursome and Tyler Somer’s Concord CC team tied for third at 63.
Mitch Jefferson’s Team, Low Gross on the Day
The Pro-Am Net division produced a tie for the top spot between Billy Andrews’ and Rico Riciputi’s entries with both firing 12 under par 58’s. Andrews team included Deb Clausson, Patti Horn and Denise Chiota-Allen, while the Riciputi squad featured Michael Pagan, Conor Carrier and Eric Eramo. Three teams tied for third including those captained by Cory Mansfield of Derryfield, Scott DeVito of Pease and Eric Sandstrum of Keene.
Cochecho Host Head Professional Doug Van Wickler and his Home Team
Thanks to Doug Van Wickler, PGA Head Professional, Lucas Langelier, PGA Assistant Professional Tony Perra, Superintendent and all the staff at Cochecho for hosting our event which saw 132 players from all over New Hampshire make the trip to the Seacoast and were treated to a fantastic day under beautiful conditions.
Cochecho Assistant Professional Lucas Langelier and his Group Set the Early Pace
Next week we will be at The Golf Club of New England in Stratham for the Final Four in our Individual Match Play Championship which was resurrected in 2025. Vince Molesky (Apple Hill) will face off against Brett Smestad (Rochester) while Sam Read (Den Brae) will battle with Joe Finemore (Portsmouth) for the chance to play for the title in the afternoon. Good luck to our finalists and thanks to Greg Sandell and Golf Club of New England for hosting these exciting matches.