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East Hampton junior Nico Horan-Puglia competing at the New York State Boys Golf Championships. DAVID WILLIAMS/BEYOND THE PRINT
East Hampton senior Trevor Stachecki competing at the New York State Boys Golf Championships. DAVID WILLIAMS/BEYOND THE PRINT
East Hampton boys golf head coach Rich King said the Mark Twain Golf Course in upstate Elmira, New York, was so difficult it was “borderline unplayable,” with his pair of golfers, Nico Horan-Puglia and Trevor Stachecki, playing in the New York State Championships on Sunday and Monday.
“It’s a very tough golf course. The greens were just super quick,” he said. “There were a ton of three putts, even some four putts throughout the field, which is something you just don’t see too much of with these caliber of players. The pin placements were super difficult, borderline unplayable, and it was just an odd layout with some of the holes.”
Horan-Puglia, a junior and two-time state qualifier, after having done so this past November when the Suffolk County boys golf season is played, finished 33rd out of 99 golfers in the state after shooting a combined total of 160. Winds at around 30 mph, combined with extremely difficult greens, forced Horan-Puglia to shoot an 84 on day one of the tournament but he responded nicely with a 76 on Monday.
Stachecki, a senior making his first appearance at states, shot consecutive 81s to finish 45th in the state.
“It was a great experience,” Horan-Puglia said on Monday not long after the tournament wrapped up. “Last year I got to experience it with James [Bradley], so it was nice to play up there with Trevor in his last year.
“The conditions were pretty tough the first day, and I wasn’t leaving myself in good spots to score,” he added. “Today I hit the ball really well, putted much better and missed in better spots. Overall I’m satisfied with how I played and happy with the results compared to last year.”
Stachecki appreciated the fact that he got to play in a state tournament in his final year.
“It was a tremendous experience to play in a tournament with a lot of good competition from all over the state,” he said. “Obviously, just like the other 98 golfers who didn’t win the tournament, I believe that I could’ve played better. But it was a nice way to cap off my fifth and final year on the East Hampton golf team.”
King said that Horan-Puglia really got the worst of the wind on Sunday, having a late tee time when the winds were at their height.
“He didn’t score as well as he would have liked to, or is capable of, but he rallied and put together a real nice plus-4 (76), which is a very good round,” he said. “Trevor was consistent with his two 81s. He didn’t set the world on fire but he also didn’t post too many big numbers. I thought he did a good job and played within himself.”
