(March 27, 2023) – For just the second time in Connecticut Amateur history the championship will be hosted by the Country Club of Darien. Defending champion Ben Carpenter, playing at his home club, will highlight a field that will compete for the title from June 12-16.
“It goes without saying it is a privilege to host the Connecticut Amateur. About 10 years ago we created a long-range plan for hosting major events and part of that plan was making some pretty dramatic improvements to the facility. We have made improvements club-wide,” 13-year head professional Cory Muller said. “This will be the first championship with all of the improvements complete. The final bunkering was sodded in February and I think the master plan is a transformation of the property. It took time. It took years.”
However, before we continue our look forward let’s take a look back at the 1997 Connecticut Amateur won by Brian Hedstrom. His victory at the CC of Darien was the first of his two Connecticut Amateur titles in a four-year stretch.
In the championship match a 28-year-old Hedstrom squared off against Steve Ligi and he never led until he two-putted the final hole from 50 feet to win 1 up.
Ligi, a 19-year-old junior at James Madison University who earned medalist honors to begin the week, was in command for much of the match. He took a 1-up lead on the 17th hole of the morning round and he led by that same margin at the break. Ligi would extend his lead to 3 up after the opening nine holes of the second round.
“Once I was 3 up (with nine holes to play) I figured if I played the back like the front nine, I’d be home free,” Ligi told the Hartford Courant.
Hedstrom had other ideas. He executed great shots on Nos. 10 and 11 to tighten the gap. He then won the par-3 17th with a bogey after Ligi found some trouble in a greenside bunker to tie the match. With everything tied heading to the last Hedstrom found the green in regulation while Ligi, who found a bunker off the tee, was forced to scramble. When Ligi was unable to do so and with the door kicked open Hedstrom two-putted for his par and the victory.
“I wasn’t in awe of facing a medalist,” Hedstrom explained to the Hartford Courant. “I try to play my best no matter who I’m playing. But I’m sure glad we didn’t need extra holes to resolve this. I was going on adrenaline as it was, and I’m not sure how many I had left.”
Note: Information and the hero image for this article were provided courtesy of the Hartford Courant.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut State Golf Association 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.
