Vt. golfers beat N.H. three years running
Toolbox
By CARLETON LAIRD Staff Writer - Published: June 26, 2009
WOODSTOCK — Vermont is on a roll.
For the third time in a row and fourth time in five years, the Green Mountain State won the Julian Cup, a golf contest between graduated high school seniors from Vermont and New Hampshire, taking a 19-11 victory.
Savoring the near-perfect weather at Woodstock Country Club on Thursday, Vermont built an early lead and clinched the title before the final group finished. Needing 15-1/2 points to earn the victory, Vermont was leading 10-7 when Dale Lee of Essex and Josh Briere of North Country both came in with 3-0 victories to put the hosts over the top.
The Julian Cup is scored Ryder Cup style, with one point awarded for winning the front nine, one for the back nine and one for the overall match.
"It was great watching the kids play, kids we've competed against all year. It was nice to have them play on the same team," said Roy Hathorn, who, with his brother Mike, coached the Hartford High School golf team as well as the Vermont squad.
"The beauty of Vermont, being a small state, is that we all know each other. These kids have competed against each other all season. It's nice they got to play with their friends."
There was a learning curve, though, as most of the players had limited match-play experience.
"I made some choices I would have made in stroke play that I probably shouldn't have," said Keely Levins of Rutland, who halved her match with Timberlane's Courtney Tilley. "That's part of learning match play.
"This is a great event. You get to play with a bunch of kids you're used to playing against."
Levins and Tilley battled back and forth the entire 18 holes, with neither enjoying more than a 1-shot advantage. They were even on the front, and it came down to a three-footer for Levins on the final hole to earn the halve.
Brittany Brasseur of North Country gutted out a 3-0 victory over Molly Williams of Kearsarge as the pair fought each other and the difficult Woodstock layout.
Matt Chick of Spaulding (N.H.) took two points from Troy Goliber of Essex in the first boys' foursome but Rutland's Tyler Moore earned 2-1/2 points against Ian Landry of Merrimack Valley.
"I started pretty poorly; I was down three after four," Moore said. "But I made a 20-foot birdie on five and won six and seven."
After halving the front nine, Moore fell two down with three to play but won the final three holes to take the back nine and the match.
Andrew Jankowski of Phillips Exeter and Middlebury's Walker Allen traded the front and the back and split the match.
"I was happy to come out with a halve; I was down four with seven to go," said Allen, who won 12, 13, 16 and 17. "I hit it really well on the front but didn't make any putts."
In the other half of that foursome, Greg Poggi of Pinkerton beat Mike Sundstrom of Mount Abraham, 2-1/2-1/2.
Lee and Briere played in the same group and both dispatched their Granite State opponents easily.
"I won some holes with bogeys early but in the end, I picked up the pace," said Lee, who recently won the New England high school title.
That left just the No. 1s and No. 2s for both states to come in but, uncharacteristically, their scores weren't needed. So the fact that Thomas Sennett of Mount Anthony and Steve Mone of Essex halved with their opponents, James Pleat of Nashua South and Steve Morette Lebanon, respectively, was just icing on the cake.
carleton.laird@rutlandherald.com
Golf
The Julian Cup
At Woodstock Country Club
Vermont 19, New Hampshire 11
(1 point for winning the front nine, one for the back nine and one for the overall match)
Keeley Levins, Rutland (1/2-1/2-1/2 –1-1/2) vs. Courtney Tilley, Timberlane (1/2-1/2-1/2 –1-1/2)
Brittany Brasseur, North Country (1-1-1–3) vs. Molly Williams, Kearsarge (0-0-0–0)
Troy Goliber, Essex (0-1-0–1) vs. Matt Chick, Spaulding (1-0-1–2)
Tyler Moore, Rutland (1/2-1-1–2-1/2) vs. Ian Landry, Merrimack Valley (1/2-0-0–1/2)
Walker Allen, Middlebury (0-1-1/2–1-1/2) vs. Andrew Jankowski, Phillips Exeter (1-0-1/2–1-1/2)
Mike Sundstrom, Mount Abraham (1/2-0-0–1/2) vs. Greg Poggi, Pinkerton (1/2-1-1–1-1/2)
Dale Lee, Essex (1-1-1–3) vs. Ethan Gage, Lebanon (0-0-0–0)
Josh Briere, North Country (1-1-1–3) vs. Justin Stafford, Dover (0-0-0–0)
Thomas Sennett, Mount Anthony (1-0-1/2–1-1/2) vs. James Pleat, Nashua South (0-1-1/2–1-1/2)
Steve Mone, Essex (1-0-1/2–1-1/2) vs. Steve Morette, Lebanon (0-1-1/2–1-1/2)
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