There's a great article about Noah in the Lowell Sun today. Noah is a BRPhoto 2023 Senior. We captured his senior photos as well as golf photos at the Nashua Country Club this summer.
Check out the original article and photo creds HERE!!
~B
Lowell Sun Newspaper
By James Albert
October 7, 2022
Noah’s arc: Golfer out to regain form
LeClair hoping to defend state championship
HUDSON, N.H. — State golf champion Noah LeClair knows his way around the greens. Now he’s trying to bounce back from a case of the blues.
“The season has been up and down and it’s probably the roughest season of my high school career,” the Alvirne High School senior said. “I didn’t really play good. I don’t know where anything came from, but I have a week or so to really grind and get my game back into tip-top shape. I haven’t played well at all. My scoring average has been the highest it’s ever been.”
This Thursday, he will have a chance to repeat as the New Hampshire Division 2 state champion even if his game has hit a few rough patches.
Last year, LeClair had an average score of 36 (for nine holes) and this year it’s bumped up to 37.8. He has still been the medalist in a number of matches with a season low of 34 and he can still drive the ball 320 yards or so. His coach, Sy Tebbetts, believes LeClair has a great chance of being a repeat champion.
“To go along with being a tremendous golfer, the confidence that you need in golf can obviously (quickly turn into) a cockiness and Noah doesn’t have that,” said Tebbetts. “You have to have confidence in any sport, golf especially because it’s an individual sport, so he treks on the line of confidence and being humble, which is a great combination to have.”
LeClair first swung a club at age 3, started playing competitively and took lessons at 6.
In 2015 and 2016, he was part of the NEPGA Jr. League, which included being named Player of the Year in 2015, while he combined to win 21 tournaments and finished second four times.
He carried that success into high school as a member of the Broncos.
As a freshman, he finished fifth at the New Hampshire Division 1 state individuals. As a sophomore, he finished in a tie for second at the Division 2 Meet, as the school dropped down a division. Last year, as a junior, he pulled out the dramatics, winning the title on the final hole.
“When we moved down to Division 2, Noah was still facing the top kids in the state. The only difference was in Division 1, those teams had more depth. Noah still faced a number one golfer from every team we faced, so it didn’t matter as much as we thought it would to drop down to Division 2, the competition that he was facing was still very, very good,” Tebbetts said.
“His strengths are both driving and his short game. Shots off the tees are his strength and approach shots are a strength. There really isn’t too much of a weakness. In years past, maybe the (putter) was a little bit better than it has been this year and maybe that has accounted for his average going up a bit.”
LeClair’s father, Derek, was the one who introduced him to the sport, and even though his father owns his a construction company, they still find time to get in a round or two three or four times a week. For LeClair, getting out on different courses allows him to decompress.
“You can escape and it’s just really peaceful when you’re on a course. No one is bothering you. You are just out there doing your own thing,” he said.
His own thing has been really impressive, especially winning last year’s title.
“It got a little rough toward the (last few holes), and I kept giving it back, giving it back,” said LeClair. “It got down to the last hole and I hit a four-iron off the tee just for placement. Sam (Maurice of Trinity High School) had already hit his shots and I knew he was in for par. I needed to birdie the hole to win it. (On my second shot) I hit it three feet from the pin from about 100 yards out. I got the birdie and won it by one stroke.
“Winning it was awesome. It was my goal going into high school. That was really big for me and my dad. We had been talking about it and it was really good for the entire family and my golf career.”
Tebbetts said knowing LeClair has already placed in the top five three straight years is certainly an impressive feat, regardless of Thursday’s outcome.
“He definitely has a shot to win it again. He was medalist many times this year. The competition is very, very good, but he is a definite frontrunner to win it again this year, no doubt,” said the coach.
Added LeClair, “I’m going to try to not put too much pressure on myself. I obviously want to get the title back, but I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself and just see what happens.”
