SPORTS

After recent misses, Smith captures Vermont Amateur

Austin Danforth
Free Press Staff Writer
Bryan Smith reacts after sinking a birdie putt on the 18th hole to win the 2016 Vermont Amateur at Ekwanok Country Club on Thursday in Manchester.

MANCHESTER - The past two years came full circle for Bryan Smith in the span of a few precious seconds.

First, the little white ball did its part, tumbling into the cup for a birdie on the 72nd hole that he rightfully punctuated with a fist-pump and a triumphant yell. Then Smith’s daughter Delaney, born the day after her dad’s haunting finish to the 2014 Vermont Amateur at Burlington Country Club, scampered across the 18th green for a hug to remember.

The championship was his. Finally.

“It’s been a long couple years,” Smith said. “It feels good.”

The 31-year-old buried those lingering demons with an unshakable 36-hole performance Thursday to end the week at 1-over and capture the 110th Vermont Amateur crown by eight strokes at Ekwanok Country Club.

No morning meltdown this time, not even a whiff. No doubt on the finishing hole and definitely no playoff.

Only payoff.

“I was just happy that even though I didn’t have my best stuff this afternoon I kept sticking to the right thing to do,” said Jay Peak’s Smith. “That’s what I was so proud of because that didn’t happen at Burlington.”

St. Johnsbury’s Alex Rainville, the defending champion, claimed runner-up honors at 9-over. Barre’s Eric Lajeunesse (11-over), Rutland’s Drake Hull (13-over) and Green Mountain National’s Logan Broyles (15-over) rounded out the top five.

2016 Vermont Amateur final leaderboard

After a 2-under 68 in the morning round, Hull was eight shots adrift of Smith and in better position than any to try to reel him in — but that wasn’t in the cards.

“If you’re going to run a guy down like that you can’t make mistakes,” Hull said. “He didn’t falter.”

The 15-year-old Broyles tried in the third round, starting the day six back of Smith. Rainville provided a charge midway through the afternoon, getting as close as five strokes after a birdie at the par-5 10th hole.

But the target never budged.

Smith’s birdie at the last was more want than need — he had a seven-shot edge before he sized up and drained the 15-footer — but an apt conclusion to a tournament he led wire-to-wire.

“I would have been happy with a six,” Smith said. “But at that point I saw everybody around, I saw a lot of people from my family made the drive, and I was just taking in the moment. I knew I was in good shape.”

When it looked like Smith could’ve coasted to victory as Broyles fell off the pace, Hull, the former Rutland star now playing at Kansas University, injected drama into the day with his morning round. He rattled off five birdies in eight holes to get to 5-under for the round by the time he walked to the 15th tee.

“Before you know it we had it to 3-under on 13, which is a pretty tough hole, and I just striped a 6-iron up there to eight feet and made that,” Hull said. “Made birdie on the next hole to get to 5 and then I just made a bad swing at a bad time on 15.”

Hull’s tee shot found the hazard to the left of the fairway. His third shot, after taking a drop, landed on playing partner Garren Poirier’s ball on the green and skidded into the rough behind the surface.

A double-bogey followed, as did bogeys at 17 and 18 that killed his momentum.

“Three-putting the last two holes just kind of took the air out of my sails,” Hull said.

“I figured 65 would put me in a pretty good spot, even 66,” he said. “With a 68, I was still eight back and I knew I was going to need some help even if I went out and shot 65 again.”

But every time it looked like Smith could have provided that help he steered out of the skid.

Jay Peak's Bryan Smith hits his second shot on the par-5 seventh hole at Ekwanok Country Club during the final round of the Vermont Amateur on Thursday in Manchester.

Front-nine bogeys at Nos. 2, 3 and 9 where uncharacteristic. A bad chip to the back of the 10th green could’ve been a red flag, but Smith coolly two-putted for par.

“I was in a real weird place at the time mentally,” Smith said. “I just saw that Rainville was creeping and I wasn’t exactly executing on the front nine.”

But a Rainville double-bogey at 14 combined with Smith’s clutch 25-foot birdie roll up the hill gave the two-time runner-up ample insurance to navigate Ekwanok’s stern final four holes.

Indeed, knowing what spots to play to around the historic private track proved crucial for Smith, as did limiting the bleeding when he failed to find them.

Smith suffered just one double bogey over 72 holes and that was on Tuesday.

“I bet I was above six to eight holes out of 72, so that’s pretty good,” Smith said. “That and my putting was probably the difference why I won. I don’t do anything flashy.”

• Caddie’s notebook: Smith’s second-round 68 was the only round of par or better during the first two days of the tournament. Thursday saw four rounds of even-par 70, one 68 (Hull) and a 69 from Rutland teen Jared Nelson. … Dorset Field Club is set to host next year’s Amateur, making it just the second visit to the private course eight miles from Ekwanok — the first since 1912.

Contact Austin Danforth at 651-4851 or edanforth@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/eadanforth

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