While his competitors’ scores fluctuated throughout the first day of the New Hampshire stroke play championship, Nate Choukas clung to a plan of rhythm and consistency.
No mistakes. And as it turned out, no problem.
The Hanover Country Club golfer took command out of the gate, firing a 3-under 69 to take the first-round lead at Beaver Meadow Golf Course. The four-round tournament continues today and concludes with 36 holes Wednesday.
Choukas was the only player to break 70 at the old Concord course. Nashua’s Michael Martel and Green Meadow’s Josh Kibbe are tied for second after 70s, and Nashua’s Tommy Ethier was the only other player under par with a 71 that has him alone in fourth.
Jim Cilley, playing out of Ridgewood Country Club, is the leading local player after an even-par 72 that has him tied for fifth. Pembroke Pines’s Josh LaCasse is one stroke back in ninth, Beaver Meadow’s Eric Saucier is tied for 11th after a 3-over 75 and Loudon’s Bob and Travis Landry are tied for 15th at 76.
Bogeys were commonplace Monday, but Choukas seized the advantage by steering clear of trouble. He bogeyed only one hole, the par-3 sixth, and birdied the par-5 second and par-4 ninth holes to make the turn at 1 under.
His back nine was even better. Choukas went par or better the rest of the way, notching birdie 3s on the 11th and 14th holes.
Martel had more highlights, birdieing six holes, including three in a row to close out the front nine. But four bogeys, three of which came on the back, cost him a chance to take the outright lead.
Ditto for Kibbe, who notched five birdies, including an eagle 3 on the course’s 583-yard 16th hole, but that feat was nestled in between three bogeys in the final four holes that muted his score.
Cilley, a semifinalist in the State Am, notched five birdies and five pars. Saucier started with a birdie on 10 and then birdied the sixth to stay close.
State Am runner-up Matt Paradis, playing out of Concord Country Club, is tied for 46th after posting an 81. Paradis was only 3-over after 12 holes, but a double bogey on the 13th and quadruple bogey on the 14th caused him to slide down the leaderboard.
Rounding out the players from local clubs are Ricky Bergevin (Pembroke Pines, 77, tied for 22nd), Tyler Cole (Concord, 79, tied for 36th), Alex Thompson (Concord, 79), Griffin Connor (Concord, 80, tied for 42nd), Matthew Paradis (Concord, 81, tied for 46th), Doug Champagne (Concord, 82, tied for 50th), Matt LaTourette (Concord, 86, tied for 63rd), Cole Anderson (Pembroke Pines, 88, tied for 69th) and Corey LaRoche (Beaver Meadow, 90, tied for 76th).
Cuts will take place after today’s second round. Players in the top 40 (with ties) will advance to the third and final day.
(Drew Bonifant can be reached at 369-3340, abonifant@cmonitor.com or on Twitter at @dbonifant.)