Nashua's Bryce Zimmerman was one of several locals who advanced to the Round of 32 Wednesday in the NH State Am at Cocheco CC in Dover. (File photo)

DOVER – Match play officially arrived Wednesday at the 123rd New Hampshire Amateur Championship and while the format is known for producing surprises, the opening round largely belonged to the favorites at Cochecho Country Club.

Before the Round of 64 could begin, the final spots in the match play bracket had to be decided in the championship’s annual playoff, known as “The March.” Ten players who finished stroke play qualifying at 9-over-par 149 returned Wednesday morning to battle for the final five spots in the bracket. After five playoff holes, using Cochecho’s 7th and 8th holes in a continuous loop, Ben Knott, Ryan Martel, Craig Moran, Cooper Ladd, and Matt Gifford earned the final spots into match play.

With the 64-player bracket finally set, the championship shifted to single-elimination match play, where several of the tournament’s top seeds advanced comfortably to the Round of 32. Medalist Rob Henley continued his strong play, defeating Matt Gifford, 3 & 2. After building an early lead, Henley maintained control throughout the afternoon to secure his place in Thursday morning’s Round of 32.

Defending champion Josiah Hakala also moved on in convincing fashion, defeating Cody Stevens, 7 & 6. Hakala played steady golf throughout the match, consistently finding fairways and greens while limiting mistakes.

Nashua’s James Pleat downed Baker Hill’s Ben Knott 4 and 2 and will take on Portsmouth CC’s Myles O’Quinn in the Round of 32 this morning.

In an all-Nashua battle of former State Am champions, John Devito downed Phil Pleat 7 and 5. And another Nashua/all NCC matchup featured Bryce Zimmerman besting Noah Leclair 3 and 1.

Other local winners included Nashua’s and the 2020 runnerup Cam Sheedy 2 and 1, Tommy Ethier 2 and 1, Nashua’s Austin Baker 3 and 1, Sky Meadow’s Harry Garland of Pelham, 4 and 3, and Kevin Gaynor of Souhegan Woods/Amherst 1 up. Gaynor will take on Zimmerman in an all-local Round of 32 match this morning.

“The course was nice and playable today,” Hakala said. “It was surprisingly not as soft as I thought it would be after all the rain. I just played solid golf and hit a lot of greens. I had a couple three putts, but the putter was better. I’ll keep working on that and get it better for the rest of the week.”

While Hakala was pleased with his ball striking, he knows success in match play often comes down to performance on the greens. He said, “In match play putting is huge. I made a couple today and I just have to keep working on it for the rest of the week.”

His approach remains straightforward as the competition intensifies stating, “The biggest thing is to hit as many greens and fairways as I can and don’t make any silly mistakes.”

Another notable Round of 64 victory came from Matt Gover, who had to overcome more than just his opponent. Facing Cochecho Country Club member Owen Himmer, Gower knew the home-course advantage would present an added challenge before eventually prevailing, 2 & 1.

“It was a battle,” Gover said. “With him being a member here, he knew some spots where you can miss it and also some of the putts that break a different way than you would first see.”

Despite being one of the longer hitters in the field, Gover has adjusted his strategy to fit Cochecho’s tight, strategic layout. He said, “You have to pick and choose spots where you can be aggressive out here. It plays really short so I’m not hitting a lot of drivers, so it can be helpful but also takes away my one advantage of being a longer hitter out here.”

Gover won’t get a break from the local knowledge on Thursday. In the Round of 32, he’ll face another Cochecho Country Club member, Brett Wilson. Gover commented, “He’s a great guy and a great golfer and I know it’s going to be a really tough test.”

With few upsets on opening day, many of the championship’s highest seeds remain alive heading into Thursday’s Round of 32 and Round of 16. As the bracket narrows, the margin for error only gets smaller in the pursuit of the 123rd New Hampshire Amateur Championship title.

(Telegraph Staff Writer Tom King contributed to this report.)