Concord
This season, the squeakers belonged to the Marauders’ rivals.
Hanover’s Phin Choukas rallied over the final three holes to forge a three-way tie for first place during Thursday’s team championship tournament at sun-kissed Beaver Meadow Golf Course, but other Marauders didn’t fare as well and Hanover placed third with a team stroke total of 406, just two shots behind champion Windham and one in back of runner-up Portsmouth.
Both of Hanover’s regular-season losses also came against the Jaguars (33-0) and Clippers (30-5) — each by a single stroke.
It was more of the same in a neck-and-neck final along Beaver Meadow’s tight, fast holes. For Windham, it avenged tiebreaker losses to Hanover in the 2011 and 2014 finals, as well as a seven-stroke setback to the Marauders in a runner-up finish last year.
“We’ve had a lot of close matches with Hanover over the years, usually with them coming out on top,” said Windham coach Ken Bourassa. “It feels good to have it be the other way around, because the kids have worked hard to get here.”
Hanover coach John Donnelly, who doubled as the event’s director, handed out the runner-up medals to Portsmouth and the championship medals and plaque to Windham after the scores were all tallied. He concurred that the Jaguars were a deserving champion but couldn’t mask cringing over coming out on the wrong side of a nailbiter.
“(Hanover and Windham) have been (Nos.) 1-2 for quite a while, and they’ve been very close in the past,” Donnelly said. “I have to say good for them, but at the same time, for us to have (around) 405 strokes and know that we only needed to find one or two more to go our way, that’s hard to swallow. Portsmouth played a great match for them to finish second.”
Choukas, runner-up to Windham’s James McKee at last season’s individual championship, shot 1-under-par 35 on the front nine Thursday to lead McKee by one stroke at the turn.
McKee — a senior who’s committed to play for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., next season — opened the back nine with three straight pars, then nailed three straight birdies to sit at 3 under and lead even-par Choukas by three strokes heading into the 16th.
Beaver Meadow’s longest hole at 560 yards, No. 16 is also Beaver Meadow’s trickiest, flanked by tall pines over a subtle dog leg and finishing on a slanted, hilly green. All four of the golfers in the day’s top group struggled, Portsmouth’s Jeff Barnes (fourth, 75) and Choukas bogeying while McKee and Hollis-Brookline’s Josh Farmer (T-ninth, 80) double-bogeyed.
Visibly annoyed, McKee expressed displeasure at Beaver Meadow’s placement of the pin near the bottom of 16’s angled slope.
McKee’s frustration appeared to carry over to the final two holes as he finished with a pair of bogeys. Choukas took advantage with two straight pars to tie McKee and Kingswood’s Sam Barton for the medal at one over.
“This might have been the first time in my life I put a little extra pressure on myself,” McKee said. “I really wanted to golf well, not only for myself but, as a team captain, for the rest of the guys because I know how much we’ve put into this season. I think I let that 16th hole frustrate me a little bit. It’s my job to shake that off and not focus on the past.”
McKee lipped out a four-foot putt for par on the 17th to allow Choukas within a stroke, then landed a chip shot short of the green from the close-range fairway for his second shot on 18. Choukas, meanwhile, launched over a sand trap and overshot the green slightly to the fringe on his second shot on 18, but pushed his ball just right of the hole on his third shot before sinking a short putt for par and clinching at least a share of the medal. McKee two-putted for bogey to salvage the tie.
“It was a long day of golfing at that point entering those last three holes, and I think we were all pretty tired,” Choukas said. “At that point, you just try to keep going and stay focused.”
Hanover senior Brian Seltzer birdied the second hole and sank 11 pars to place eighth with a 79, while junior Matthew Suriawinata, the Marauders’ No. 8 golfer coming in, shot 84 to tie for 22nd and qualify for Saturday’s individual championship back at Beaver Meadow. Finn Hackett, a senior, missed individuals by one stroke with an 85, while season-long contributors Grant Morhun (87) and Jack Brendel (91) had disappointing days by their own standards.
“I shot 10 on my first hole (No. 16) and never really fully recovered,” said Morhun, who was tied for 35th. “It was kind of one of those days for us, but I know they’ll be back strong next season.”
Chip Shots: It was the first meeting between Windham and Hanover since the Jaguars’ 191-192 win at Hanover Country Club in the season opener Aug. 25. The only other regular season loss for the Marauders (28-4) came at Portsmouth on Sept. 21, 204-205. … Owner of 19 team state crowns, Hanover was trying to capture five titles in six years for the first time since 1981-86. It won nine in 13 overall from 1981-93. … The New Hampshire Golf Association scored all three NHIAA team championships for the first time, posting results under Junior Golf results at www.nhgolfassociation.org. … Suriawinata will tee off at 7:36 a.m., Seltzer at 10:12 and Choukas at 10:30 at Saturday’s individual finals.
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.