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Exeter grad Allard climbs into top 10 at Seacoast Am at Cocheco CC
DOVER – Connor Allard, a 2023 graduate of Exeter High School, is already making his third appearance in the annual Seacoast Amateur Golf Championship.
Allard, who won the individual high school golf championship last year and also led the Blue Hawks to a Division I team state title, didn’t make the cut in his first year, and then tied for 13th last year.
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With one of the better rounds in Saturday’s second round in this year’s tournament at Cocheco Country Club, Allard has a shot at a top-10 finish.
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Allard carded a 2-over-par 72 on Saturday to bring his two-day total to 149, which has him in ninth place entering Sunday’s final round at the Golf Club of New England in Stratham.
“I thought I had a great round today,” Allard said. “The rain stayed away for the most part. It drizzled a little bit, but, all in all, I thought the course played pretty tough around the greens. It was definitely scoreable out there. I thought I left a few shots out there, but, all in all, I recovered pretty well after a tough hole in the front and finished alright.”
Allard shot a 5-over-par 77 in Friday’s first round at Rochester Country Club and entered Saturday’s round tied for 16th before he made his way into the top-10 entering Sunday’s third-and-final round. He shot a 5-over-par 40 through the first nine on Saturday, and was a 3-under 35 on the back.
“I missed a couple birdie putts on the back nine that I would’ve liked to go in,” Allard said. “I hit one (tee shot) out of bounds and made a big number on the front; a couple of swings I’d like to have back, but other than that, it was pretty solid.”
Allard had played Cocheco numerous times through different high school and other tournaments.
“It’s good to kind of know some of the holes, where you should be and where you shouldn’t be,” Allard said. “That helps you kind of plot around and put (the ball) in better spots.”
After the first two rounds, Allard described his collective performance as “not terrible.” He has a great chance to further up the leaderboard on Sunday, playing at his home course in Stratham.
“I definitely wish I played a little bit better (the first two rounds),” he said. “I didn’t totally have it, but we’re playing at (Golf Club of New England) tomorrow, so hopefully that’ll help me get a little bit of a home-course advantage, and I can go out there and put up a low number.”
Allard called the Golf Club of New England a “tough course.”
“I think it’s good to know the in’s and out’s of that place,” he said. “I think that could give me a little bit of an advantage, but we’ll have to see.”
Only four golfers – leader Jamie Ferullo of Rochester Country Club (68), Will Delano (70) of York Golf and Tennis Club, Scott Rolph (70) of Pease Golf Course and Derek Dinwoodie (70) of Links at Outlook had a better score than Allard on Saturday.
“I thought I hit some pretty good putts, even the ones that didn’t go in the hole,” Allard said. “I liked the stroke that I put on (the shots). So, I just have to see more of them fall.”
The biggest takeaway from Allard’s first two Seacoast Amateur tournament runs is that “you just have to stay with it.”
“Last year, I played really well in the first round and then just kind of fell off down the stretch,” he said. “Down the stretch I just kind of ran out of gas and lost focus. I think keeping focus and staying with it through all 54 holes is something I wanted to focus on coming into this (year).”
