Josh Yan wins OCIAA boys golf title at Powelton Club
Josh Yan defended his OCIAA crown at the Powelton Club, shooting 72 and reinforcing Newburgh’s hold on county golf. Goshen’s depth behind him showed how thin the margin is at the top.
Josh Yan kept Orange County golf in his grip at the Powelton Club, shooting a 2-over-par 72 to defend his Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association boys championship and extend the standard he has set for Newburgh Free Academy.
The senior’s round on May 12 held off a tight county chase. Matthew Tondini of Goshen finished second at 79, Keegan Smith of Goshen was third at 80, and Austin Hand of Kingston took fourth at 82, a leaderboard that showed how competitive the OCIAA remains and how often Goshen players have been able to pressure the top spot. Yan’s win also underscored how hard it is to repeat in a field where a handful of strokes separated the county’s best.
This was not a one-off surge. Yan won last year’s OCIAA title by one stroke over Chris Rickard of Minisink Valley, then kept building on that resume across the postseason. He won the two-round Section 9 tournament by three strokes over Ike Rothman of Roosevelt, placed fourth at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association public-school championships at 1-under par, and won the New York Federation tournament by three strokes. In a county and section filled with capable golfers, that run has made Yan the benchmark others are chasing.
His success has also been measured in consistency. A Mid Hudson News feature said Yan has won the last three Section 9 boys golf championships and has finished in the top five at the state tournament three times. The same feature said he has committed to play golf at St. John’s University next season, with Newburgh coach Dave Doulin describing him as a mature player and a role model for younger golfers. Yan said he has sharpened his putting and now drives the ball about 300 yards, a combination that has helped him separate from the field.
The county title also sent Yan back into the Section 9 postseason as one of the region’s headliners. Section IX’s schedule listed the first round for May 18 at West Point Golf Course, with the top 20 and ties advancing to the final round on May 20 and the top nine after that moving on to the NYSPHSAA boys golf championship. The state tournament is scheduled for June 5-8 at Mill Creek Golf Club in Churchville.
For Newburgh, the result fit a larger pattern. The district noted that Josh Yan and his brother Mark Yan both qualified for states in 2023, another sign that the program’s top players have helped keep Orange County golf on a high level. Yan’s latest county title was another reminder that in Orange County, he is still the player everyone has to go through.
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