New Hampshire Golf: Seacoast legend Loch to be honored at tourney he loved
Jun. 17—ALTHOUGH Tony Loch never played in the Seacoast Amateur Golf Championship, many consider him to be the face of that tournament.
Loch, the golf pro at Portsmouth Country Club for 35 years, spearheaded a group that formed the Seacoast Am, a 54-hole event that brings together the top amateur golfers on the Seacoast each June.
Loch, who died last October, ran the Seacoast Am for many years. After moving out of that role, he remained involved in the tournament, and was always considered the "tournament historian." This year's tournament, which will be played June 23-25, will be held in Loch's memory.
"We thought about naming it the Tony Loch Invitational, but that's not something he would want," Seacoast Am committee chairman Troy Joncas said. "He would want to keep it as the Seacoast Am. So we decided to play this year in the memory of Tony Loch. Players will be wearing ribbons and everyone is going to wear blue (Loch's favorite color) for the second round at Cochecho. There will be some other things honoring him on the golf course.
"The board is dedicated to carrying on this legacy and keeping his name involved in it. There's a lot of respect from the board and the players in the tournament that Tony has created for himself."
The Seacoast Am was first played in 1981. As the tournament grew, it added a team champion and a senior champion for golfers 55 and older. The senior division championship is named after Loch.
This year, the tournament will introduce the Tony Loch Exemption, which will allow one person age 19 or under to enter the tournament at no cost each year.
"He has to have the same qualities Tony had ... love, truth and honor," Joncas said.
This year's exemption went to Loch's grandson, Thomas Loch. Two of Loch's other grandchildren, Tony Truax and Pat Hanscom, will also play in this year's tournament, which will begin at Rochester CC, move to Cochecho for the second round and conclude at the Golf Club of New England in Stratham.
Derek Dinwoodie was last year's overall winner, and Mark Cartier finished first in the senior division. Dinwoodie trailed the leader by six strokes entering last year's final round.
"My dad was immensely proud of that tournament throughout his career," said Loch's son Tim, who is the head professional at Cochecho Country Club. "He talked about it all the time. Never missed a tournament. He was always present."
Loch, who attended Exeter High School, also served as the head professional at Claremont Country Club, and, after retiring from Portsmouth CC in 1991, he spent four years as the general manager at Pease Golf Course.
Loch won the New Hampshire Chapter of the NEPGA championship in 1977 and 1984. He was among the first class inducted into the New Hampshire Golf Hall of Fame in 2018.
"He put together this tournament when he was 50 years old, and 43 years later we're as strong as ever," Joncas said. "Some of the best golfers in the state and maybe one or two of the best in New England are here on the Seacoast. A lot of people say it's their favorite three days of the summer.
"Tony was someone special in the golf community here on the Seacoast."
Smith edges Smith
Morgan Smith, 19, defended her New England Women's Amateur championship by beating her younger sister, Molly, by one shot this week at Manchester (Connecticut) Country Club.
Morgan, a recent Phillips Exeter Academy graduate, posted a 3-under-par 213 in the 54-hole tournament, which concluded Wednesday. Morgan is a member at Vesper Country Club in Tyngsborough, Mass.
Cochecho's Cary Fennessy shot a 3-over-par 219 (75-73-71) to finish in fourth place. Fennessy had the lowest score among New Hampshire golfers.
New Hampshire residents who have won the New England's Women's Am: Portsmouth's Jane Blalock (1968), Bedford's Tina Tombs (1983), Manchester's Louise Billy (2000), Hampton's Laura Shanahan (2002), North Hampton's Dana Harrity (2014) and Portsmouth's Dree Fausnaugh (2021).
Stevens-Bowker team wins Four Ball
Mark Stevens and Joe Bowker teamed up to win the 2023 NHGA Four Ball Championship held Monday at Owl's Nest Resort in Thornton. The team of Ryan Kohler and Josh Chamberlain finished second, three strokes back. ...
Julianna Megan (Hoodkroft CC) prevailed in a playoff against Fennessy at Baker Hill Golf Club to win the NHGA Players Invitational Women's Division championship earlier this month. Bill Everett (Laconia CC) finished first in the Senior Division, and Jeremy Duhamel (Manchester CC) won the Regular Division. It was Duhame's first NHGA victory.
Rules question
Question: True or False? If a player begins the round with 14 clubs and loses a club during the round, they may add one club to their total.
Correct Answer: False.
Source: Rule 4.1b (3).
New Hampshire Golf Calendar
June 20: State Am Qualifier (Passaconaway)
June 22-24: New Hampshire Open (Bretwood)
June 24: State Am Qualifier (Bretwood South)
June 25: State Am Qualifier (Beaver Meadow)
June 26: State Am Qualifier (Maplewood)
June 26: Live Free Golf Event (Bretwood)
June 27: Women's Weekly Combined (Breakfast Hill)
June 28: Women's Weekly Combined (Blackmount/North Haverhill)
June 28: State Am Qualifier (Breakfast Hill)
June 30: State Am Qualifier (Concord)
July 6-7: Women's Team Championship (Canterbury Woods)
July 9: Live Free Golf Event (Loudon)
July 10-15: 120th NH Amateur Championship (Manchester CC)
July 16: Mixed (Loudon)
July 16: Live Free Golf Event (Candia Woods)
July 17: Parent-Child Championship (Stonebridge)
July 18-20: NEGA Amateur (The Woodlands, Falmouth, Maine)
July 19-21: Junior Championship (Beaver Meadow)
July 19: Senior Legend Classic (Lochmere)
July 21: Women's Weekly Combined (Newport)
July 23-24: Senior Team (Mount Washington)
July 30: Live Free Golf Event (Nippo Lake)
July 31-Aug. 2: Women's Amateur Championship (Montcalm)
Aug. 7-9: NEGA Junior Amateur (Mt. Washington Resort)
Aug. 8: Women's Weekly Combined (Pease)
Aug. 8-10: Stroke Play Championship (Ridgewood/Atkinson Resort)
Aug. 12: Live Free Golf Event (Souhegan Woods)
Aug. 15-16: Women's Mid-Amateur (Ridgewood)
Aug. 20-21: Mid-Amateur Team (Mount Washington)
Aug. 20: Mixed (Mount Washington)
Aug. 22: Women's Weekly "B' (Bretwood)
Aug. 24: Stoke Play Series (Hoodkroft)
Aug. 27: Live Free Golf Event (CC of NH)
Aug. 29: Women's Weekly "A" (Derryfield)
Sept. 5: Women's Weekly Combined (Den Brae)
Sept. 6-7: Senior Championship (Canterbury Woods)
Sept. 11-12: NEGA Senior Amateur (Fox Hopyard/East Haddam, Conn.)
Sept. 21: Stoke Play Series (Kingswood Gold)
Sept. 26: Fall Classic (Keene)
Oct. 2-4: Mid-Amateur Championship (Rochester)
Oct. 8: Mixed (Kingswood Golf)
Oct. 16: Tournament Series (Cochecho)
Oct. 18: Stroke Play Series (Newport)
Oct. 23: Corporate Challenge (Concord)
Oct. 30: Tournament Series (Laconia)
