CONCORD – Exeter’s Ryan Zetterholm has a habit of falling behind early in matches; he also has a knack for coming back.
Zetterholm followed that script all week at Concord Country Club until a three-putt from 12 feet for bogey on the first extra hole Friday morning left him with a deficit he didn’t have a chance to erase.
“I hit a great wedge shot so it couldn’t have been more than 10 or 12 feet,” he said. “I wanted to make birdie. I knew a birdie was going to win the hole. I didn’t expect to miss from maybe three or four feet coming back.”
Zetterholm’s deep run in the 121st New Hampshire Amateur Championship golf tournament ended abruptly in the quarterfinals where he was eliminated on the 19th hole by Stephen Goodridge.
“I’d say it’s typical of my golfing life to get behind early,” said Zetterholm, 28. “For some reason it takes me a few holes to get warmed up. It’s not unfamiliar territory. I’ve been in positions where you’re two or three (holes) down with two or three to go and come back. Anything can happen in match play.”
Despite the disappointment it was an improvement over last year when Zetterholm went out in the Round of 16. He rallied twice from two-hole deficits on Friday and another from one late in the round to force the extra hole and a sudden-death situation.
Zetterholm and Goodridge combined for just one birdie Friday. Goodridge won his semifinal match and will face Rob Henley in a 36-hole final on Saturday.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself last year,” Zetterholm said. “It was very frustrating golf. I just wanted to have fun this year. That was my mentality going into it. Whether I win or lose I’m out here playing golf. I just tried to have a positive outlook and just enjoy my time out there.”
Zetterholm had to come from behind at some point this week in winning his first three matches after two days and 36 holes of qualifying as the No. 20 seed.
“There’s a lot of good players,” he said. “I don’t think I had my best golf this week, but I think I did well with what I had and was able to fight my way back. I had a really challenging route to get where I was and I was really happy to fight my way through them.”
A native of Enfield, Conn., Zetterholm was a multi-sport athlete in high school and won two state titles in golf. He was also on the golf team at Methodist University in North Carolina, a Division III power.
The week-long State Am is a physical and mental grind. Zetterholm defeated Evan Rollins in the Round of 64, Ryan Brown in the Round of 32 and Ryan Blossom in the Round of 16 en route to the quarterfinals.
“It’s really grueling,” Zetterholm said. “I made it a round further than last year. Leading up to this (year) I’m playing five rounds in a row just to get prepared. I tried not to set my sights on anything too far in the future, I just wanted to win the match that was ahead of me and just have fun doing it.”
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