Darien, Connecticut (August 15, 2022) – On a picture perfect day one of the 53rd Borck Junior at Woodway Country Club Connor Goode and Kenna Roman earned medalist honors.
Goode, playing in his final junior event before heading to UConn to join the golf team, turned in the only under-par round of the day firing a 4-under 67 to secure the top spot heading into match play.
“I was getting off the tee so I was able to give myself a lot of really good looks,” the 2021 Connecticut Junior Amateur winner said. “It isn’t a super long golf course so I had a lot of wedges into greens. When you are putting good and have wedges in you are going to make a lot of birdies so that helped a lot.”
Goode (Glastonbury Hills CC) started slowly with bogeys on the first two holes but turned his day around when he chipped in for eagle on the par-5 fifth hole. Short sided after his second shot, Goode lofted a perfect flop shot that landed on the green and rolled into the cup for eagle returning Goode to even-par.
Still level-par as he made the turn Goode jarred a 35-footer for birdie on No. 10 sparking a stellar back nine 4-under 32. His birdie on the 10th was the first of three consecutive to start the side.
Goode will now look to carry that momentum into match play beginning tomorrow morning. “I don’t like to play my opponent,” Goode said of his match play strategy. “I like to stick to my game plan. I might be a little more aggressive on some tee shots but other than that just keep playing how I did today.”
Andrew Beauton (Pine Orchard CC) was second with a 1-over 72, Daniel Casanta (Ridgewood CC) finished 2-over in third place, while Cameron Besaw (EClub of Connecticut), Andrew Flynn (The Patterson Club), Brett Chodos (New Haven CC), Marc Degaetano (CC of New Canaan), and Charles Schrohe (Burning Tree CC) all tied for fourth at 3-over.
The top 16 players in the Boys Division advanced to match play scheduled to begin tomorrow morning with the Round of 16 followed by the quarterfinals in the afternoon. Following the completion of play tomorrow four players will advance to Wednesday’s semifinals before the championship match is contested in the afternoon.
In the Girls Division Kenna Roman (Shuttle Meadow CC) shot a 3-over 74 to earn the top spot in match play finishing five clear of runner-up Kate Hong (Greenwich CC) who carded an 8-over 79.
Roman, who celebrated her 17th birthday on Monday, set the tone for her round with a 15-footer for birdie on the par-3 third hole, the first of her two birdies on the day. Her second came on the par-5 14th when she stuck a wedge to three feet.
“My putting was pretty good today,” Roman, the ninth place finisher at the Connecticut Women’s Open in June, said. “It was better than it has been all summer. It was a smooth simple round. I hit the fairway, then the green, and then two-putted.”
Up next for Roman is the beginning of match play with the quarterfinals slated for Tuesday afternoon. “I approach match play like any other round,” said Roman who had her brother Jackson a past Borck Junior winner on her bag. “I just play my own game and let my opponent do whatever they want and I try to play my own game.”
If Roman wins tomorrow afternoon she will advance to the semifinals on Wednesday morning with the finals to follow that afternoon.
The top five was rounded out by Meredith Norton (Rockledge CC) at 12-over in third place, defending champion Mia Holbrook (Silver Spring CC) took third place at 13-over while Paige McKenna (Tashua Knolls GC) and Isabella Hassan (Rolling Hills CC) shared fifth place at 15-over.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Borck Junior 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.
