Exeter resident, Pease Golf Course member advances to N.H. State Am quarterfinal round

Ryan Zetterholm is a survivor.

In winning both of his matches Thursday the Exeter resident had to come from behind and in doing so earned a spot in the quarterfinals of the 121st New Hampshire Amateur Championship.

Zetterholm, a member of Pease Golf Course, was one hole from elimination in the Round of 16 when he registered back-to-back pars to pull out the match in 19 holes over Ryan Blossom.

He also rallied from a two-hole deficit through 12 holes in Thursday morning’s Round of 32. Zetterholm won three consecutive holes and four of five during one stretch on the back nine including a birdie at 17 to clinch that match, 2-and-1 over Ryan Brown.

The original field of 156 has been whittled down to the final eight.

Zetterholm will face Stephen Goodridge in a quarterfinal match Friday morning with a tee time of 7:38. Of the nearly two dozen players with ties to the Seacoast who qualified for the State Am golf tournament Zetterholm is the only one still standing.

Goodridge defeated Exeter High rising senior Jascha Johnston, 1-up, in the Round of 16 to advance. The quarterfinals and semis will be played on Friday with a 36-hole final scheduled for Saturday at Concord Country Club.

Zetterholm was one of six golfers from the Seacoast to reach the second day of match play with two losing in the Round of 32 and three more casualties falling in the Round of 16.

In other Round of 16 action Farmington’s Derek Dinwoodie lost to Rob Henley, 7-and-5, while two-time State Am winner and No. 3 seed James Pleat (2020, 2021) downed No. 14 Harvin Groft of The Oaks, 3-and-2.

Johnston defeated No. 5 Matt Paradis, 3-and-2, in the Round of 32 earlier Thursday morning to advance. Paradis won the 2018 State Am. It took 20 holes for Groft to eliminate 2006 State Am winner Matt Burroughs in the Round of 32, and Dinwoodie moved on with a 3-and-2 victory over Marty McCormick.

In other Thursday morning matches No. 23 Connor Allard lost to No. 10 Cameron Salo in 21 holes and Pleat defeated Dover’s Brett Wilson, 6-and-5.