CHATHAM, Mass. – It was a rainy day on the seaside courses of The Club at New Seabury and Eastward Ho! for the first round of the 102nd NEPGA Section Championship. Jake Kramer (Bass Rocks GC) prevailed through the trying conditions, shooting his way to the top of the leaderboard with a four-under 68 at the Club of New Seabury. Jake played a tactical game to remain consistent amidst the variable weather conditions. He racked up an outstanding five birdies and one eagle in his first 18-holes of the Championship. His eagle on hole five, a par 5, set the tone for his play and provided the necessary momentum to finish in first place. Here’s what Jake had to say about his first-round performance at the Club of New Seabury: Ocean Course:
“I would say my iron game was very good today. I didn’t miss any putts that I should have made so I also happened to putt pretty well which was a big part of shooting low.”
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Following closely behind Kramer was the 2017 Section Champion, Liam Friedman (Wollaston Golf Club), who locked in second place after Tuesday’s round. Friedman finished three under with a score of 69. He accumulated an impressive five birdies and had a single eagle on hole 1, a par 5, that set him up for a successful front nine. Friedman played his first round at The Club at New Seabury and sits one stroke back with a three-under 69 for second place.
Two more past NEPGA Section Champions finished in the top four after round one. The 2013, 2019, and 2020 Champion, Shawn Warren (Falmouth CC – ME), who also played at The Club at New Seabury, shot two-under 70 for third place. The 2012 Section Champion, Ed Kirby (The Aquidneck Club) sits in solo fourth place, shooting one-under 71 at The Club at New Seabury.
Two players from the first round at The Club at New Seabury shot even-par, 72, to hold a share of fifth place: Robert Bruso (Blackstone National GC) and David Jankowski (Golf Garage VT). Brian Spitz posted the best score of the day at Eastward Ho! as he claimed a share of fifth place shooting an even-par 71. Here is what Spitz had to saw about the round at Eastward Ho!:
“It was tough because the course has so many blind tee shots and second shots, so you have to be really confident in your lines. I didn’t start out very well…but I settled down on the sixth hole with a birdie and then made four birdies in a row starting on the par-5 11th hole to finish the back strong”.
On the Women’s side, Shawn Durocher (Cyprian Keyes Golf Club) is the front-runner after day one of the tournament. Shawn is the defending Champion from the inaugural NEPGA Women’s Section Championship. She finished two-over at the Club at New Seabury: Ocean Course. Shawn made three birdies to finish on top after the first round of the second ever NEPGA Women’s Championship. Her birdie on hole 17, a par-4, to clinch her placement amongst the group. Defying the weather conditions, Shawn utilized precision and accuracy in her play to ensure her notable score of 81.
Placing second after the completion of the first round, was Jen Hudson (Sankaty Head Golf Club). Jen came in after a great round with a score of 81, finishing nine over. Jen tallied a single birdie on hole 5, a par-5, to lock in second place in the NEPGA Women’s Championship after day one.
The top-60 players plus ties following tomorrow’s round will play in the final round at Eastward Ho! on Wednesday, September 8th.