Alvirne's Noah LeClair is all smiles after capturing the NHIAA Division II Boys Individual Golf championship on Saturday in Concord. (NHIAA Twitter photo)

Alvirne High School junior Noah LeClair has been knocking on the door of an NHIAA Division II Boys Golf Individual title the last couple of years.

On Saturday, he knocked it down, capturing the championship at Concord’s Beaver Meadow Golf Club with the biggest putt of his high school career, a four-footer for birdie on the 18th hole that gave him a one-shot victory over Trinity’s Sam Maurice.

LeClair, who went into the day tied for first after an even par round on Thursday at Rochester Country Club, shot a four-over 76 yesterday but that was good enough to beat a very tough field for a one-shot win over Trinity’s Sam Maurice.

He and Maurice were paired together, and after LeClair lipped a putt on 17, were deadlocked going onto the par four final hole. Both put their tee shots about 100 yards away, and Maurice’s approach shot put him just a few more feet away from the hole than LeClair, and he wasn’t able to make birdie.

“I just waited for the wind to die down, focused, squared up and put it right in the center of the hole,” LeClair said. “This was my main goal all season. It feels awesome to be able to bring the trophy back home.”

LeClair finished with a two-day total of 148, while Maurice finished with a 149. Right on the heels of both were third place finishers Jack Poitras of Oyster River and Keene’s Ben Dougherty, tied three shots back at 151. Oyster River’s Josh Phillips finished four shots back in fifth at 152.

LeClair survived five bogeys and one double bogey on the day, thanks in part to three birdies, including the last one, for a four-over finish.

“It was the same putt he had missed the hole before,” Broncos coach Sy Tebbetts said. “But he didn’t let that affect him. I always told him not to have a rear view mirror. It came down to the final hole, each with a putt. One missed it, one made it. So cool. He was really focused.”

LeClair said he was a little nervous the firs few holes, but then settled down, feeling the turning point was his recovery for a birdie on the eighth hole after he hooked his tee shot. “After that I played my game,” he said. “It was a good battle, but it started off a little slow.”

LeClair was fifth in the event as a freshman and tied for third (then awarded fourth after a scorecard playoff) as a sophomore.

He used all that experience to make a difference this year, as he averaged close to 36 for all the Broncos’ regular season matches, one of the lowest averages in the state this fall.

“Experience was one of the key factors,” he said. “And I tightened up my iron shots to go with more distance.”

Newsletter