SOUTH HADLEY — Two important putts kept Mikey Corduff and Kyle Maynard under par at the PVIAC Boys Invitational Two-Ball.
The Frontier Regional duo had back-to-back bogeys twice during their round at Ledges Golf Club on Friday. Each instance dropped the pair to even par on a day when windy conditions made low scores challenging.
But the juniors had answers for their bogeys. Corduff dropped a 50-foot putt for eagle on the par-5 fifth, and Maynard had a 10-footer for birdie on the par-5 10th.
Their 1-under score of 71 was three shots better than runner-up Ware and secured the championship for the classmates.
“We did pretty well,” Corduff said. “We kind of grinded; had a lot of par putts, short par putts that we made. We putted well.”
South Hadley senior twins Logan and Jared Waite finished tied for third with Ludlow at 3 over. Only eight of the 32 teams broke 80, including Amherst Regional. The team of Evan Rutherford and Eli Kayser-Hirsh finished ninth with a 79.
“I felt if we played good we could put up a good fight,” Jared Waite said. “I knew there were a lot of good teams here, good players.”
Corduff and Maynard started on the par-3 14th. Corduff had a par and Maynard followed with a par on No. 15. In a two-ball, best-ball format, each player plays their ball, but only the best score counts for the team.
“We watch over each other’s shots,” Maynard said. “There is definitely teamwork involved.”
Maynard birdied the par-4 16th and Corduff birdied the par-4 first to put the pair at 2 under for the first time. However, bogeys at holes 2 and 3 dropped them back to even. On the fourth hole, Corduff picked his ball up as the team settled for Maynard’s par.
Momentum swung on the 456-yard par-5 fifth. Corduff’s drive found the fairway and his iron dropped on the front of the green, leaving him a difficult 50-foot putt for eagle.
“It went uphill then left, right, left, right, downhill,” Corduff said. “It took a little bit of time to read it. I was just trying to make birdie because I don’t think Kyle was in position to make par at that point. Not three putt it was my initial goal.”
Both players parred holes 6 and 7, but bogeys at 8 and 9 dropped them to even again. They didn’t stay there very long. Maynard found the green in three shots on the 561-yard par-5 10th and he buried the 10-foot putt for birdie.
“I hit driver 250 (yards) then I tried laying up with a 4-iron but the wind was behind me so it really took the ball,” Maynard said. “It bounced over the bunker and went on the fringe. I chipped it past then made the 10 foot putt.”
Three straight pars closed their winning round of 71.
“After we birdied 10 we were on a good roll,” Corduff said. “Kyle birdied it and then he made a good putt on 11 and 12, then 13, which was our last hole, I made a 12-footer for par because I really wanted to shoot under par.”
South Hadley started strong. Logan Waite opened with a birdie on No. 4, and both brothers birdied No. 5 to start 2 under. However, back-to-back bogeys followed on holes 6 and 7.
“It felt good,” Jared Waite said of the start. “Then the next hole … that brought us back to reality.”
The pair entered the par-4 13th in good shape at even par, but a double bogey followed by a bogey on No. 14 dropped the Tigers to 3 over.
Jared Waite then birdied No. 15 and Logan Waite made a 20-foot putt for eagle on 16 to get the team back to even par.
Logan Waite drove the green on the 273-yard par-4 hole before the putt.
Three straight bogeys followed the eagle as the twins closed with a 75.
“Not a lot of pars out there,” Logan Waite said. “We bounced between birdies and bogeys. I wish we could have eliminated a little bit more of the bogeys that were just from careless putts.”
Pope Francis finished 10th as Ben Zaranek, of South Deerfield, and Matt Burke shot an 80.
Smith Academy’s team of Daniel Cavanaugh and Colin Ferrara shot an 81 to finish 11th.
Hampshire Regional duo Levi Zielinski and Nick Elias-Gillette tied for 16th with an 85.
Tyler Cortis and Tyler Colby of Easthampton were 19th with an 87. Alvin Li and Connor Asselin of Hopkins Academy were one shot back and tied for 20th.
Belchertown’s Ryan O’Neil and Dan Chrzanowski combined for a 96 and finished 26th. Nathan Canata and Cameron Cartwright of Holyoke were 27th (97), while Northampton’s Evan Yurko and Nathan Kelleher-Mochak were 29th (100).