Newburgh's Josh Yan rolls to Section 9 boys golf championship
Josh Yan wasn’t about to let early success go to his head.
The Newburgh Free Academy golfer finished second to his older brother, Mark, at the 2022 Section 9 championships, and they both continue to work hard on their respective games.
Josh says his putting game has improved, as well as his length off the tee due to added strength. Both facets served him well this week as Yan rolled to the Section 9 championship.
Yan, a 15-year-old freshman at NFA, seized a sizable first-round lead on Tuesday on his “home” course at the Powelton Club in Newburgh, shooting 71. “After the first day, I thought I could win,’’ he said.
Photo gallery: Round 1 of the Section 9 boys golf championship at the Powelton Club
Everyone’s scores went up on a windy Thursday at McCann Memorial Golf Course in Poughkeepsie but Yan was able to be one of five golfers to keep their second-round scores under 80 (he shot 79). Yan won with a score of 150, far ahead of Minisink Valley’s Chris Rickard (157) and Cornwall’s Andrew Hahn (158).
“I did not play good today,’’ said Yan, who has a familiarity with the McCann course. “I couldn’t believe the scores were so elevated for everyone … the wind made it really tough for everyone today.’’
Given the conditions, Yan said he never felt comfortable about winning the event. “I thought it was going to be very close,’’ he said, “because I didn’t know how everyone was doing.’’
The rest of the nine-man team headed to states includes Tri-Valley’s Gavin Clarke, New Paltz’s Oliver Watson, Kingston’s Vlademir Olenski, Cornwall’s Aman Patel, New Paltz’s Loyal Goodermote and Newburgh’s Mark Yan.
The state tournament is June 4-5 at the Mark Twain Golf Course in Elmira. Josh placed third overall at the 2022 finals held on the same course, five strokes off from champion Thomas Finn of Locust Valley, and Mark tied for ninth. Watson (17th), Patel (42nd) and Olenski (87th) also played.
“I’m going to go there and try to win it,’’ Yan said. “You have to stay positive and believe you can do good.’’
Twitter: @KenMcMillanTHR
Section 9 championships
(Day two at McCann Memorial Golf Course, Poughkeepsie; day one was Tuesday at Powelton Club, Newburgh)
Top 9 qualify for states: 1. Josh Yan (Newburgh) 71-79--150; 2. Chris Rickard (Minisink Valley) 75-82--157; 3. Andrew Hahn (Cornwall) 80-78--158; 4. Gavin Clarke (Tri-Valley) 81-78--159; 5. Oliver Watson (New Paltz) 77-83--160; 5. Vlademir Olenski (Kingston) 79-81--160; 5. Aman Patel (Cornwall) 82-78--160; 8. Loyal Goodermote (New Paltz) 74-87-161; 9, Mark Yan (Newburgh) 78-84--162; 10. (first alternate) Ike Rothman (Roosevelt) 84-79--163; 11. Hokai Liu (Rondout Valley) 81-87--168; 12. Joseph Russo (Monticello) 84-87--171; 12. Brendan Boudreau (Warwick) 84-87--171; 14. Domenico Mazzella (New Paltz) 84-88--172; 15. Jamison Birkenstock (Marlboro) 86-89--175; 16. Ryan Shust (Burke Catholic) 81-95--176; 17. Carter Hines (Rhinebeck) 86-91--177; 17. Brayden Scali (Monroe-Woodbury) 82-95--177; 19. Ryan Holbrook (Burke Catholic) 84-94--178; 20. Matt Rickard (Minisink Valley) 83-98--181; 21. Trevor Strano (Wallkill) 84-98--182; 22. Kaiden Lothrop (Pine Bush) 86-98--184
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Newburgh's Josh Yan wins Section 9 boys golf championship
