Locust Valley's Thomas Finn adds state title to impressive resume

Thomas Finn had already won two straight Nassau boys golf championships. A state title was all that was left for the Locust Valley senior to claim.

In his last high school tournament, Finn shot an even-par 72 in the second round of the state championship Monday at Mark Twain Golf Course in Elmira to place first with a two-day total of 138.

Finn entered the final round with a three-stroke lead after shooting a 6-under 66 in Sunday’s first round. He made eight birdies and eagled the par-5 17th hole.

“I was hitting it long enough where the par-5 holes were very scorable for me,” Finn said. “The greens at Mark Twain are very tricky, but I was very pleased with the way I putted. That was the reason I shot six-under.”

Finn wasn’t quite as dominant on day two, but he birdied five holes and did more than enough to maintain his lead.

Manhasset’s Adam Xiao was the last Long Island player to win the state title in 2018. The state tournament was not held in the previous two years due to the pandemic.

“It’s unfortunate that I’m a senior, but to win the tournament my first time here and the first time its been held in years, it’s great,” Finn said.

“Thomas has been on the team with me since seventh grade, so it’s been great to see him mature as a golfer and as a young man,” coach Julie Feltman added. “I’m very excited for him.”

On day two, Finn was paired with Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK’s CJ Merritt, who placed second. Merritt shot a 3-under 69 on Sunday and finished with a 142. Merritt started his first round on hole 10 and double-bogeyed the 18th for a 1-over 37 on the back nine.

“I figured I could get back to even-par or better on the front nine if I just stayed patient,” Merritt said. “I ran with that and ended up going 4-under on the front nine. I was proud of the way I handled myself in that situation.”

Garden City’s Mark Vitels placed sixth (145) and helped Nassau finish first in team scoring with a 1,037 total.

“It’s a really cool component of the tournament,” Plainview coach Mike Ambury said. “We had contributions from everybody on the team.”

Jack Breutsch (Center Moriches) was Suffolk’s top finisher, placing 23rd with a 152. Suffolk placed ninth in team scoring with a 1,117.