TUPPER LAKE — Tupper Lake Coach Hayden Lamere thought for a minute when asked what was the key to his Lumberjacks winning the 2024 Section 10 Golf Team Championship through gusting winds Friday on the Tupper Lake Country Club tract which was carved through the Adirondack Park forest.

“Damage control would be the right word and home course is a very big advantage in golf. It was very tough out there today in the wind. I told the guys that there was going to be a lot of tough holes out there for all the teams,” said Coach LaMere after his Lumberjacks prevailed by one stroke (443-444) over Salmon River which shared the NAC Championship at 10-2 with Massena which placed third at 447.

“We talked about it and I told them that they had put a bad hole behind them and just stay focused and move on. We did a good at that. We knew that it was going to be close. It was really a total team effort led by Ashton Clark’s great round of 80. We have four guys who qualified to come back tomorrow (medalist-state team qualifier round).”

The Lumberjacks managed their scoring between an 80 by Ashton Clark and a 96 by Phil Lindsay. Other increments of the title winning round were: Bauer Callahan 93, Aiden Churco 86 and seventh grader Wyatt Trudeau, a Second Team All-NAC qualifier, who came in at 88.

“Coach Hayden Lamere has done a great job building that program and has done it quickly. Congrats to him and Tupper Lake,” said OFA Coach Mark Henry.

Salmon River was led by the individual first day leader, senior Kahontiio Lazore, who shot a 76 and Carter Johnson at 83. Bronson Bero (87), Casey Jacobs (97) and Brady Connors (101). Colin Patterson with an 82 led the third place finish by Massena which was followed by Malone 452, Malone 457, Canton 467 and OFA at 480.

–

Individual Race

–

Salmon River’s Lazore bookended his first day leader round with birdies on the first and 18th holes and also birdied the 11th and 14th holes to open a three stroke lead over OFA junior Ethan Bouchard, Canton’s Rider University bound senior Ryan Jones and Clifton-Fine junior Matt Daniels at 79.

“I just wanted to play smart and have fun and I got off to a great that start with a birdie. I will play the same way tomorrow” said Lazore who shot matching 38s to fulfill the expectations of his coach Hayden Beaulieu.

“I fully expected it. I knew he could put together a round like that. It was a very tough day so our goal was to break 80 and he did,” said Coach Beaulieu.

Bouchard birdied the third and ninth holes, Jones birdied the 13th and 16th holes and Daniels birdied the first, seventh and 18th holes.

“I was very pleased with the way Ethan played today. Anyone who shot sub 80 had a great rounder those extremely windy conditions,” said OFA Coach Mark Henry.

“I looking forward to see how well Ethan plays tomorrow.”

Fellow OFA junior Michael Myers also advance to the second day round with an 89 The top four first day finishers and Potsdam’s Ian VanWagner who shared fifth place with Tupper Lake’s Clark are all All-NAC selections.

Twenty-six golfers made the first day cut which was set at 94 and will play today for the nine spots on the Section 10 State Championship lineup on June 2-3 at the Mark Twain Golf Club.

–

DAY 2 FIELD

1. Kahontiio Lazore 38-38-76, Ethan Bouchard (O) 39-40-79, Matt Daniels (C-F) 38-41-79, Ryan Jones (C) 39-40-79, Ashton Clark (TL) 80, Ian VanWagner (P) 80, Colin Patterson 82, Jakob Peets (Mass) 83, Carter Johnson (SR) 83, Ben Poupore (Mal) 84, Rylan Patenaude (Mal) 86, Aiden Churco (TL) 86, Bryce Flynn (Mass) 86, Bronson Pero (SR) 87, Wyatt Trudeau (TL) 88, Liam Davis (Mal) 89, Michael Myers (O) 89, Spencer Militech (Mal) 91, Christos Theodore (P) 93, Bruce Callahan (TL) 93, Daniel Richardson (C) 93, Joel Allen (P) 94, Michael Saber (P) 94.