BRANDON — New Haven resident and Mount Abraham Union High School graduate Gregory Scott finished tied for second place the 2011 Vermont Amateur Golf Tournament played at the Neshobe Golf Course in Brandon last week.
Devin Komline of the Dorset Field Club was the overall champion in the tournament, which wrapped up on July 14, shooting a 276.
Scott and Mike Stackus of Northfield were second with each shooting 284. Several others in the top 20 also have ties to Addison County.
The three-day event was held at Neshobe Golf Club for the first time in tournament history.
Scott, who now plays golf at Hamilton College, was tied for fifth place heading into the final two rounds of the tournament, which were both played on Thursday. He shot a 73 and 69 in the first two rounds, putting him two under par and six strokes back from the leaders, Stackus and Brian Hopkins of St. Johnsbury, who both shot 66 and 70 in the first two rounds.
In the final two rounds, he matched his first-half performance, shooting a 72 and 70 for a final score of 284, four shots under par. He vaulted up to a second-place tie with Stackus after the former All-American golfer at St. John Fisher College shot two 74s in the final two rounds. Hopkins, who finished the first two rounds 8 under par, shot a 76 and 73 in the second half to drop to three under par and fourth place overall.
“I feel like I played really well,” said Scott. “I wanted to be in contention, that was my goal coming into the week.”
Scott knew that playing 36 holes on Thursday would be tough, but settled into a groove and ultimately played well enough for a top-three finish.
“It exceeded all my expectations,” Scott said. “I just wanted to make the cut and finish top 20 … but I just played four solid rounds of golf and I was right there. Couldn’t ask for more, I guess.”
The overall winner, Komline, finished the first two rounds in third place after firing a 71 and 68. He caught fire in the third and fourth rounds, however, shooting a 69 and another 68. He notched 14 birdies in the final 36 holes, and finished 12 under par overall — 8 strokes better than Stackus and Scott in second place.
Komline, Stackus, Scott and Hopkins were the only golfers to go under par in the tournament.
The field was narrowed on Thursday, as only the top 40 golfers through the first two rounds qualified to play the final two rounds. The cut-off score was 154, ten over par. Scott’s younger brother, Jona, a Mount Abe standout headed to a national tournament this week, failed to make the cut.
Brian Cady, a 2011 Middlebury College graduate, barely made the cut, shooting a 75 and 77 for a score of 152. He fired back in the second half, however, shooting a 74 and 69 to jump into an 11th-place tie with Neshobe golfer Bruce Hier (73-74-74-74).
Ripton resident and Neshobe golfer Walker Allen, who graduated from Middlebury Union High School in 2009, finished just behind Cady and Hier in a three-way tie for 13th place after shooting a 74, 76, 70 and 76 to go eight above par.
Matt Brush (71-79-77-72) and Andre King (74-74-75-77), both Neshobe golfers, finished 20th and 21st respectively.
Nathanial Dyer (73-76-76-83), another Neshobe golfer, finished 20 strokes above par, good for a 30th-place tie.
A final Neshobe golfer, William Banfield, finished in the top 40. He shot a 323, going 35 over par and finishing in a tie for 38th place.
Reporter Ian Trombulak is at [email protected].