By Adam Aucoin
THE RUTLAND HERALD
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — Heading into the fourth round of last year’s Vermont Amateur golf championship, it was a foregone conclusion how the book was going to end. This year’s installment was a completely different story.
There were 43 golfers that teed off on the final day of the 2022 Vermont Amateur on Thursday at Brattleboro Country Club, but when it came down to it, there were three golfers that truly had a shot at lifting the championship trophy.
Brattleboro Country Club’s Ryan Kohler, Rutland Country Club’s Jared Nelson and defending champion Bryson Richards, of Country Club of Barre, were within two strokes of each other heading into the final 18.
The trio battled throughout the concluding 18 holes, trading the lead between them, and down the stretch, it was Nelson who took charge to win his first Vermont Amateur trophy.
Nelson finished his championship round at 15-under, beating out Richards by four strokes and Kohler by six strokes.
Nelson wrapped up the title with a beautiful shot from the fringe of the green that found the hole for a birdie on 18, his ninth birdie of the day.
Early in the round, it didn’t look like the Rutland Country Club golfer was going to be able to keep up with Kohler, who was playing in the final group with him, and Richards, one group ahead on the course.
Nelson had an uncharacteristic three bogeys in a four hole stretch from Hole 2 to 5. He found himself four strokes behind Kohler and Richards and in need of a turnaround.
Luckily for him, there was plenty of golf left to play. Golf is a game where you need to put the last shot behind you to push forward.
Nelson did a great job of that because the rest of the round, he was lights out.
Nelson sank three birdies in a row following the rough early stretch and put himself within striking distance at the turn.
A birdie apiece on 10 and 11 gave Nelson a lead and he wasn’t going to falter from there. Richards kept on Nelson’s tail, but the par-4 17th hole proved to be the final dagger. Nelson birdied and Richards bogeyed, giving Nelson a three-shot lead heading into the final hole.
The big question for Nelson after the round was what changed midway through the front nine?
“I didn’t really think. I knew I fell way behind and I needed to make birdies,” Nelson said. “I tried to go into the mind frame that I was playing at my home course and make as many birdies as possible. I stopped worrying about the consequences of bogeys.”
It was a tough pill for the defending champion Richards to swallow. Richards had played consistent all round with four birdies and the lone bogey was on 17. Like Nelson, he posted three consecutive rounds in the 60s to close the tournament.
There are times you just have tip your cap to your competitor.
“I hit it great. I would have loved for a few more putts to fall,” Richards said. “I felt like I didn’t do anything to lose it. Jared went out and made nine birdies. That’s tough to play against. If there’s anyone I have to lose to, I’m glad it’s him. We’ve been friends forever.”
With the tournament basically coming down to Nelson, Richards and Kohler, the trio saw right in front of them what they needed to do. It’s in those moments where a stroke play tournament can take on a match play feel.
“I didn’t know what Bryson was doing early on, but Ryan got off to an incredible start,” Nelson said. “I knew I needed to make some birdies to catch him. He was playing rock solid. I monitored Bryson’s situation all day.”
“It’s about sticking to your game plan. It was a three-man race, but you still have to go out and make some birdies. Everybody was hitting it well,” Richards said.
It was a special tournament for Richards, as not only was he defending his title, but he also got to share the experience with his younger brother Riley Richards who was playing in his first Vermont Am. Riley Richards is the defending Division II medalist, who attends U-32 High School.
“I was happy for him. We were watching the leaderboard anxiously (on Wednesday) because he made the cut on the number,” Bryson Richards said. “(Riley) has blossomed in the last year and a half.”
Family was also at the heart of Ralph Myhre Golf Course golfer Lucas Politano’s round. The Otter Valley rising sophomore not only had his family watching close by, but he had his older sister Mia Politano as his caddie.
Mia is one heck of a caddie as a multiple-time Division II medalist, a former top-four finisher at the Women’s Amateur and a current collegiate golfer at Middlebury College.
Lucas Politano was making his Vermont Amateur debut and came into the day sitting in fourth place. He wrapped up the tournament at 9-over in a tie for 15th.
“I didn’t execute the way I wanted to do the last day, but I played solid all the way around,” Politano said.
Next month, Politano will be competing in the national Junior PGA Championships held from Aug. 2 to 5 at Cog Hill Golf and Country Club in the Chicago area.
Kohler had a great showing on his home course. While he struggled late in the fourth round, he held a piece of the lead on all three days of the tournament.
Rutland’s Max Major finished fourth at 2-under. He had his best showing in the fourth round, where he shot 68 and had five birdies.
Kwiniaska Golf Club’s Brody Yates, Mountain View Country Club’s Phil Fairbanks and Ekwanok Country Club’s Taylor Bellemare tied for fifth at 3-over.
Two-time Amateur champion Evan Russell, of Champlain Country Club, took eighth at 4-over, and 2020 champion Garren Poirier, of Rutland Country Club, was ninth at 5-over. Burlington Country Club’s Michael Walsh wrapped up the top 10 at 6-over, carding two rounds under-par on Thursday.
At the end of Thursday’s final round, Rutland Country Club was awarded the McCullough Cup trophy, which it earned having the best team score after the second round on Wednesday.
George E. Morse, W.R. Pond Jr., Pierre H. Russell Jr., Thomas M. Pierce, Henry K. Carroll, Richard Smith, Art Bemis, Tony Russo, Barry VanGerbig, Drake Hull and Garren Poirier.
They are all Vermont Amateur champions from Rutland Country Club.
Add Jared Nelson to the list.
“Drake Hull has let me hear it for a while,” Nelson said jokingly about his Pierce Invitational partner. “We have a great group at Rutland. All of those guys I play a lot of golf with. It’s a competitive club and playing at a high level is important.”
Editor’s Note: Due to early deadlines, this story will appear in the Saturday print edition of the Rutland Herald.
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adam.aucoin @rutlandherald.com
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