Lance Hope makes Troy his first tournament victory

Troy

The climb has been slow, but steady. After all, Lance Hope began playing golf only a dozen years ago, at age 30.

Over the past five years, Hope has moved up the Capital Region Amateur Golf Association standings, from 50th to 13th to 12th to ninth to third. Now, after a weekend at Troy, he has moved to the top.

In only his second appearance, Hope was the wire-to-wire winner of the 75th Troy Invitational, hanging on Sunday for a two-stroke victory over Matt Horton.

Hope, a Schenectady resident who plays out of the city's municipal course, carded a 54-hole score of 215, 2 over par, in the major amateur event for his first individual tournament victory.