ATKINSON — Almost two months ago, Dan McCarthy was struggling on the links so he decided to put the clubs away and take a break.

Once he got back on the course, it didn't take him long to get into the swing of things.

McCarthy shot a 10-under par 206 over three rounds in two days to win the New Hampshire Open by five strokes at Atkinson Resort & Country Club.

“It feels great,” McCarthy said Thursday. “It's nice to come back out with a win.”

Two players tied for second place at 5-under. They were Mike Furci of Sayville, N.Y., and Geoffrey Sisk of Marshfield, Mass. Joe Leavitt, the reigning NHGA State Am champ, of Atkinson Resort & Country Club had the low amateur score, 4-under. He was one of three players tied for fourth place.

McCarthy took home $5,700 for winning and Leavitt earned $550 for being the low amateur.

► NH Open results

In his last tournament before the Open, the Syracuse, N.Y., resident missed the cut at a sectional qualifier for the U.S. Open. He then focused on one thing, something that helped him immensely.

“I spent the last month working on my putting,” said McCarthy, 26. “I've been striking the ball well, but unfortunately my putting hasn't been on par.”

It was this week. He strung together two 4-under 68s and then shot 70 in his last round Thursday to wrap things up.

McCarthy led by one stroke after the first round and then opened up a 3-stroke lead heading into the last round. Furci led at one point in the afternoon, but McCarthy tore it up over his final nine holes of the tournament to pull away.

He was 4-under on the back nine with birdies at 12, 14, 16 and 17. Next up for McCarthy are some stops on the National Golf Association Hooters Pro Golf Tour.

Furci was 3-under in his afternoon round when he made the turn, which temporarily put him in the lead at 7-under for the tournament. He then finished even on the back nine as McCarthy made his charge.

“I took advantage of the par 5s,” said Furci, 22, a recent graduate of the University of Florida. “You really have to do that here.”

Sisk, 47, was 2-under on the front nine in the afternoon to pull within a stroke of McCarthy, and was then even on the back nine to finish tied for second.

Leavitt, who will play at Florida Southern College in the fall, followed up rounds of 71 and 73 with a 68 on Thursday afternoon, when scores were much lower than they were on Day 1 of the tournament.

The lowest score of the tournament came on Thursday afternoon, a 6-under 66 by Scott Hawley of Shrewsbury, Mass.

“It was soft and there's no wind out there today,” Leavitt said. “There were some tough pins, but you could get at them.”

Kirk Hanefeld, a PGA vet who was tied for third place after the first round, fell apart in the afternoon with a 73 to put him in a tie for seventh place at minus-3.

“I haven't played 36 holes in a day in a long time,” said Hanefeld, who grew up in Somersworth. “I think I got tired.”

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Mark Quirk may be reached at mquirk@unionleader.com.