Telegraph photo by TOM KING Nashua Country Club's James Pleat shot a two-day total of 129 to easily grab the top seed going into today's State Am match play round of 64 at NCC.

NASHUA – To the medalist go the spoils.

To the 64th finisher in the two rounds of medal play in the 117th New Hampshire State Amateur Championship, that would be a date with said medalist.

James Pleat, meet fellow Nashua Country Club member D.J. Petropulos. Actually, the two already know each other and they’ll spend the early morning today together as this year’s State Am medalist Pleat begins match play against No. 64 Petropulos.

“James is awesome, he’s such a good guy, it’ll be fun,” Petropulos said Tuesday evening after it was determined his spot was the 64th with a two-day total of 152. “We play a little golf together. It’ll be great.”

Petropulos pared the final hole and that meant no March (playoff) and he’d go up against his fellow member who tore up the NCC course the last two days. Pleat followed up his Monday 65 with a seven-under 64 on Tuesday, for a two-day total of 129, one of the lowest stroke play totals in recent Am memory.

But he’s not taking anything for granted today, recalling when he finished as the medalist in 2013 he lost to a player who had to partake in the March.

“Literally anything can happen,” he said. “You’ve just got to play your game, focus on what you’re doing and throw everything else out. The slate’s clean, and someone who just gets in on the cutline is someone who has new life.”

Pleat, who started on the 10th hole, eagled No. 11 and had six birdies with one bogey. “I rolled in some putts today,” he said. “You never know if you’re in tournament shape yet, but it was good to get those two rounds under your belt. In match play, anything can happen.”

William Huang, the Stanford bound member of Stratham’s Golf Club of New England, finished Tuesday with a three-under 68 for a two-day total of eight under 134. He’ll take on Bretwood’s Bob Kearney beginning at 10:10 a.m.

“Match play, you’re opponent hits it a little closer, it may make you want to be more aggressive,” Huang said after a day of six birdies and two bogeys. “But I think stroke play, match play, my strategy won’t change too much.”

Derryfield’s Dustin Moreault finished third at 137, after firing a four-under 67 Tuesday.

Defending champion John DeVito, who of Passaconaway takes on Carter Country Club’s Pat Pelletier at 8:50 a.m. Pelletier finished fourth with a two-day total of a minus-4 138, while DeVito was in that group at 152. Cameron Salo of The Shattuck was fifth at 140, followed by five golfers headed by NCC’s Jack Brown tied for sixth at 141. Brown will tangle with Concord’s Will McLaughlin at 12:10 p.m.

There was a group of the younger guard who walked away smiling. NCC’s Austin Baker, along with Nashua High School North senior (and two time NHIAA state champion) Bryce Zimmerman finished with a 69 and 68 respectively yesterday after a tough first day. Zimmerman had a two-day total of 145 and will face Derryfield’s Austin Fox at 9:40 a.m. while Baker was at 144 along with Nashua’s Brandon Gillis, now at the University of Rhode Island. Baker takes on Sky Meadow’s Rick Moreau at 12:40 p.m. while Gillis will face Green Meadow’s Griffin Brown at 11:20 a.m.

Zimmerman wore a broad smile after he was done, following a tough 77 on Monday.

“It was probably one of the worst rounds I’ve every played here,” he said. “I got off to a really shaky start (on Monday) and put a lot of pressure on myself because I’m a member here and play here often. The conditions are so much different than I ever played here before. The greens are way faster and the rough is thicker around the green.”

Zimmerman credits a birdie on the third hole that got him untracked after what he called a “sloppy bogey” on the second hole.

Baker, meanwhile, had a 75 on Monday but bounced back nicely yesterday. As he put it, “The cover got taken off the hole today. The putts fell. I played a lot looser today.”

Phil Pleat, James’ father, was a one-over 143 for the two days (71-72) and will take on Amherst Country Club’s Brian Nowak at noon.

There were victims of the low cut score, including NCC member Tommy Ethier of Bentley University. He had a tough 78 on Monday, and shot a 76 yesterday to leave himself two shots short at 154.

Gillis saved his day by with birdies on three of his last five holes, “and I hope to take that into match play.”

And he thinks being the State Am medalist is far from a curse.

“He’s obviously playing really good golf,” Gillis said of Pleat. “But I’m a believer that the one seed is playing the best golf and they have the best chance.”

Pleat hopes he’s right.

“Obviously I played well and I’d like to continue it,” Pleat said. “But basically the tournament starts (today) for real.”

XXXXXX

For complete start times and pairings, go to https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/2564332.

For the two-day medal results, go to https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/2564337

Newsletter