Nick Cummings knows a thing or two about performing in big spots on the golf course.

Last year, as a sophomore, Cummings shot a tournament-low 69 at Cummaquid Golf Club to help Weston claim its third consecutive Division 3 state title. The round helped earn him Globe Division 3 Player of the Year honors.

Months before the state title, he qualified for the US Amateur championship, playing against 312 competitors at Olympia Fields in Cook County, Ill. Just 15 years old at the time, he was the fifth youngest in the entire field.

“He is the only player that I have had to be that accomplished at his age,’’ said Weston coach Mary O’Brien, a three-time Division 3 Coach of the Year, including 2015. “He is very focused, on and off the course.’’

Over Columbus Day weekend, Cummings was tackling the Blue Course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, N.Y, at the Northeast Junior Classic, part of the US Challenge Cup.

The key to Cummings’s success: the short game.

Cummings views each putt from front and back, looking for the right line. Then he looks from the side to judge its speed. For bigger putts, he’ll take a good 30 to 45 seconds before making his shot.

“Putting makes up half of the shots in a round,’’ said Cummings. “You can shave down your score by putting well. When you are chipping and putting well, you are posting low scores.’’

As Weston preps for the Division 3 North sectionals at Hillview in North Reading on Oct. 24, O’Brien is stressing the importance of each putt.

“No putt or chip is not worth 100 percent of your focus,’’ said O’Brien. “There is no difference between a miss on a one-foot putt and a 20-foot putt. It is all one stroke; nothing is unimportant.’’

Cummings and classmate Noah Cate, who shot an 82 at states last year, provide Weston with a one-two punch that expects to keep scores down on the greens.

With the weather quickly getting colder and conditions on the course getting harsher, the short game becomes even more emphasized as tournaments approach.

“I tell my players all the time,’’ said O’Brien. “No tournament is won from the tees. It is always won on the greens.’’

Players like Cummings and Cate will only turn to the driver five to 10 times in an 18-hole round, focusing on making the fairway to set up an approach shot that will lead to the easiest putt possible.

“The short game is the most important aspect,’’ said Cate. “It’s late October, and you’re not hitting the ball as well off the tee as you might have been in the summer. You have to find ways to get up and down. Those 30- to 40-foot putts for birdie are key; you want to get close enough to make par. That makes the difference.’’

With sectionals and states often held at courses unfamiliar to a lot of players, as is the case with the Division 3 tournament being held at Shining Rock in Northbridge, O’Brien makes sure her players can adjust quickly to the course.

“You are going to play courses where the greens run like lightning. You are going to play courses where the greens run like cow pastures,’’ said O’Brien. “You can’t wait six or seven holes to figure that out.’’

At Algonquin Regional High School in Northborough, coach Bob Cullen also recognizes the need for his players to learn the lay of the land before getting out there for a tournament round.

Like O’Brien will do with her players at Weston, Cullen will schedule practice rounds for his golfers at the sites of the sectional and state tournaments.

On Wednesday, a handful of Algonquin golfers went out on their own to play a round at Kettle Brook Golf Course in Paxton, the site of the Division 1 Central sectional tournament on Oct. 24.

Players like sophomore Jack Tobin paid close attention to the greens.

“Reading greens comes very naturally for me,’’ said Tobin. “Reading them section by section, picking spots, reading the difference types of grass and how that may affect the speed of the putt.’’

Last season, the Tomahawks surprised some by coming in third in the Division 1 tournament, the top public school finisher. This season, Algonquin is off to a 12-1 start and has already notched a victory over Central Mass. and Division 1 rival St. John’s High.

With senior Kevin Reale (37) and sophomores Matt Umphrey (36.9) and Tobin (37) with average rounds well below 40, Cullen said he is confident that his team is not one to look past in the Division 1 tournament.

To no surprise, Algonquin’s top trio has thrived on sinking putts.

“They are great at sinking those three- and four-foot putts,’’ said Cullen. “Those are often the most important putts to sink, because they are often for par.’’

For Reale, he uses his feet to read the break of each putt.

“The eye can deceive you sometimes,’’ said Reale. “I try not to think too much. The last thing you want to do is follow up a bad shot with a stupid shot.’’

Michael McMahon can be reached at mike.mcmahon@ globe.com.