BOSTON, Mass – Joey Lenane continued his remarkable streak of top finishes this summer with a dominating performance at the 94th annual New England Amateur Championship at The Woodlands Club in Falmouth, Maine July 18-20.
In recent weeks, he had gotten off to great starts only to be overtaken later in the tournament. But in New England’s premier amateur event, the 19-year old Dedham resident and 2022 graduate of Xaverian Brothers High School, beat some demons and a strong field of 150 players to claim the prestigious New England Amateur title. Posting a 7-under 209 for three rounds (70,67,72) on the 6,719-yard course, he beat rival (and good friend) John Broderick by two strokes. Ryan Scollins of Wrentham, Massachusetts, and Connor Goode of Glastonbury, Connecticut, tied for third at 2-under.
The North Carolina State standout established himself as the guy to beat from the get-go. He took a four-shot lead into the final round and told himself after the second round that he wouldn’t dwell on having a big lead. And when the rest of the field turned up the heat, he answered despite some nervy moments down the stretch, including a tee shot on the 18th that nearly hooked into a water hazard.
“You try to keep it out of your mind as much as possible,” said Lenane. “But last night, I was definitely thinking about it. And I was still thinking about it on the course.”
The rising sophomore at North Carolina State, where he is a member of the men’s golf team, was ready for the pressure. Anchored by a hot putter that produced two lengthy birdies, Lenane shot even-par 72 to finish the three-day event at 7-under. He kept himself in front with some early highlights. He rolled in a 35-foot putt for birdie on the fourth hole – the hardest on the course – after a good shot to the uphill green. On the ninth, he hit his drive right, but recovered with a hard-cutting shot around trees to find the green. On the 10th, he pulled his drive left near the cart path, but he found the green with his next shot and rolled in a 20-footer for birdie.
“It’s definitely a big sigh of relief,” said Lenane. “I was able to hit good shots going into the greens, and I felt I was still hitting good putts going into the back nine. All you can do is execute good shots and hope for the best. It was a good week, it makes me really happy, and it gets me into a few good tournaments, which is definitely a big benefit and exciting.”
Lenane’s biggest threat ended up being Broderick, the 2020 champion and a Vanderbilt golfer who entered the day at even par. The 19-year-old birdied the second and fifth holes and then had birdies on the ninth through 12th, cutting Lenane’s advantage from seven shots to three.
“I gave it a good try,” Broderick said. “I went out thinking I could still win. The past three weeks, I’ve shot the course record three times at three different courses. I’m playing the best golf of my life. There was just no reason for me not to play well if I was mentally there.”
Connor Goode, the third player in the final group, birdied five holes to leapfrog Maine State Amateur champion Caleb Manuel into a tie for third.
“I made enough birdies this week, I just gave too many shots back with just sloppy mistakes,” he said. “I didn’t exactly have a number in mind, I just wanted to stay patient and keep giving myself chances and putting pressure on them early.”
Ryan Scollins, Lenane’s high school teammate at Xaverian Brothers, threatened on the back nine, pulling into a tie with Broderick at 5-under before he bogeyed the last three holes enroute to a 1-under 71. Still, as an alternate who didn’t know until Monday that he would be playing, the incoming freshman at Holy Cross was satisfied.
“I was striking it great. Down the stretch, (I got) a little nervy. Just trying to hang in there,” he said. “It’s huge, these are all the best college players from New England. To be able to compete against them, to be hanging with them, is massive.”
Joey Lenane’s summer to remember continues. He qualified for the U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Village, Colorado August 14-20 earning medalist status at a 36-hole qualifier at Nashawtuc CC in July. His freshman year resume at the collegiate level shows him with the seventh lowest scoring average per round on the North Carolina State team at 74.96, which included his best day of 67 as well as seven other rounds under par.
After tapping in for par on the 54th hole at The Woodlands, Lenane shared a hug with his father and caddie Tim Lenane as the gallery applauded the biggest victory of his life.
The low 20 and ties from this year’s championship are exempt into the 2024 New England Amateur Championship, which will take place at Laconia Country Club in the Lake Winnipesaukee region of New Hampshire.
http://www.negagolf.org/amateur.html
(PHOTO Credit: David Colt Photography)
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