Hebron, Connecticut (August 9, 2022) – Mark Eells began the final round of the 37th Connecticut Public Links Championship at Blackledge Country Club with birdies on two of his first four holes to turn a one-shot overnight lead into a three-shot advantage. With the rest of the field on the ropes, Eells then provided an early knockout punch.
Playing the 350 yard par-4 fifth hole Eells found the fairway with his drive. Looking to produce another birdie opportunity Eells selected a 56-degree wedge from 80 yards out and lofted his second shot high into the air. As Eells watched the ball landed just in front of the hole, skipped past the cup, spun back, and then hung on the lip for a moment before dropping into the hole for an eagle two. In a blink, Eells was 4-under for the day and at 8-under for the tournament he was a commanding five strokes ahead of the rest of the field.
“I got off to a really good start and that gave me some good momentum,” Eells said of the importance of his torrid start on his way to a 5-under 67 that matched the low round of the tournament.
Eells would never lead by fewer than four shots the remainder of the day as he cruised to a 9-under finish and a six-stroke victory on his home course.
“It is special to win on my home course,” Eells said. “I grew up playing here, I worked here, I grew up five minutes down the road so playing well and winning this tournament means everything. There is no place I would rather win my first CSGA tournament.”
Following an opening 4-under 68 that saw Eells take the first round lead the assistant coach for the Trinity Men’s Basketball team wasted no time getting his final round started. A par began the proceedings but when he rolled in an 8-footer for birdie on the par-4 second and then another birdie from 17 feet on the par-4 third he sent a message to the rest of the field that they were going to have to come and catch him.
A number of players tried to make a final round charge including Chris Ayers (Goodwin GC) and Bret Lawrence (East Mountain GC) but neither player was able to apply any significant pressure.
After opening in 2-over 74 Ayers fired a 5-under 67 to surge up the leaderboard and finish 3-under in a tie for second place alongside Lawrence who posted a final round 4-under 68.
Ayers picked up an early birdie on No. 3 but he made his big move in the middle portion of his round playing Nos. 7-12 in 4-under. His lone bogey of the round came on the difficult downhill par-3 16th however he was able to quickly rebound with a nifty birdie on the par-5 17th.
“I am thrilled with my performance,” said Ayers the 2020 Connecticut Public Links runner-up. “I have been in a bit of a rut the last month so it was good to post another subpar round and create some momentum. It was definitely a gutty round today. I hit the driver solid so that helps and I got the putter working again. I didn’t miss anything inside 10 feet all day.”
Lawrence made his move up the leaderboard with an impressive back nine. 1-under for the day and even-par for the tournament as he made the turn Lawrence birdied the challenging par-4 11th and then recorded an eagle on the par-5 17th.
Meanwhile playing a few groups behind and after the early fireworks Eells began to plod along. He parred the remaining four holes on the front side and then parred No. 10 to begin the second nine. Still at 8-under Eells dropped a shot with his only bogey of the day on No. 11 but bounced back immediately with a birdie on the par-5 12th.
Firmly in control and with a number of Blackledge men’s league members following the action, including 1994 Public Links winner John Martinchek, Eells converted a number of clutch par saves down the stretch, none more impressive than his chip in on No. 14.
“All of the guys following are friends from my childhood,” Eells said. “We have played together since we started golfing. Some of them introduced me to golf and some are my playing partners. Then to have John Martinchek and [Blackledge CC Director of Operations] Kevin Higgins here was special as well.”
Now with the most difficult stretch of holes behind him Eells put an exclamation point on his tour de force with a tap-in birdie on the par-5 17th and an up and down par from just short of the green on the closing par-4.
“I felt pretty comfortable at the start of the day. I treated it like any other round here, I felt good,” said Eells. “On the back nine things started to go a little bit sideways and I felt the tournament pressure of finishing off something you are winning but I was able to make some putts and chip in on 14 for par so making those types of shots eased the stress.”
Joining Ayers and Lawrence in a tie for second to round out the top-five were last year’s runner-up Peter Tomlinson (Orange Hills CC) and Josh Cameron (EClub of Connecticut).
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut Public Links is one of 20 championships conducted by the Connecticut State Golf Association. The CSGA functions as an extension of the USGA and provides stewardship for amateur golf in Connecticut. Founded in 1899, it is the country’s oldest state golf association and conducts over 60 Championships, Qualifiers, and One Day Tournaments throughout the year.
