(June 20, 2023) – Last year Dave Jones won his first CSGA major title when he captured the Connecticut Senior Match Play Championship presented by Middlesex Health. This year he will attempt to defend his title at the 17th edition of the championship set to be played from June 26-29 at the Black Hall Club.
“I am proud to be the defending Senior Match Play champion and I am so excited and thrilled that the tournament this year is being played at the Black Hall Golf Club,” said Dave Jones the two-time reigning Dick Siderowf Player of the Year. “Black Hall is one of my favorite courses in the state and also one of the most challenging. It tests every facet of your golf game.”
This year marks the first time that the Connecticut Senior Match Play Championship will be hosted by the Black Hall Club, a regular host of CSGA events, including the Two Man Championship annually.
“Our long history of supporting the CSGA, PGA Connecticut Section, and other championship golf events is important because we feel it’s our duty as a steward to the game and to golf in Connecticut,” Black Hall Club head professional Andrew Campbell said. “We are proud of our championship layout, its reputation in the state and we want our golf course available to help write the history of golf in Connecticut along the way.”
Known throughout the state as a difficult course the field will face a demanding and exacting test of golf. Those who have success will need to play solid, steady golf.
“I feel like Black Hall is a course where patience pays off in match play,” Campbell explained. “Aggressive play is typically not rewarded as the smaller landing areas off the tee and sloping greens don’t equate to birdies for a risk taker. Bogeys happen and if you are down in a match, just be patient, pars will win many holes.”
The week will begin at 7 a.m. on Monday with one round of stroke play qualifying before the field is cut to 32 for the beginning of match play on Tuesday. Day two will feature the Round of 32 in the morning followed by the Round of 16 in the afternoon. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be contested on Wednesday setting the stage for Thursday mornings 18 hole title match.
“I feel Black Hall sets up perfect for match play,” Jones said. “There are a great variety of holes and the setup can vary drastically depending on where the tees and pins are located each day.”
Once play switches to match play on Tuesday every hole will matter but Campbell believes that Nos. 12-15 will be the key stretch of holes in most matches.
“Those holes can be a real chess match starting on the 12th tee with what your opponent does and how that affects your play and vice versa. The stretch includes two very demanding par-4s (Nos. 12 and 15), then throw in a long par-3 and an opportunistic par-5 in between and you will see matches swinging both ways during that stretch.”
Notes on the Field:
Number of Players: 131
Past Champions (8): Dave Jones (2022), Craig Platt (2021), Dave Szewczul (2010, 2012-2014, 2020), Mark Vasington (2019), Patrick McGuiness (2018), Tom Brett (2017), Bruce Kraczkowsky (2016), Bill Hermanson (2015)
Players to Watch:
Hugh Duffy (Madison CC): Last year Duffy was the 31 seed but still made a run to the championship match where he fell to Dave Jones.
Bill Hermanson (Black Hall Club): The 2015 champion will be competing on his home course where he always seems to have success. Last year Hermanson reached match play at the Connecticut Senior Match Play and finished in a tie for second at the Connecticut Senior Amateur.
Dave Jones (Mohegan Sun GC): The defending champion will once again be a threat to win.
Rick Malafronte (New Haven CC): In recent years Malafronte has been knocking on the door. Last year he reached the semifinals at the Connecticut Senior Match Play and the year before he was a quarterfinalist. In 2020 he nearly won the Connecticut Senior Amateur falling in a playoff.
Patrick McGuiness (Keney GC): The 2018 winner reached the semifinals in 2020 and last year he made it to the Round of 16.
Craig Platt (Mill River CC): The 2021 champion reached match play again last year earning the six-seed.
Richard Stevens (eClub of Connecticut): 2022 was another strong season for Stevens highlighted by earning medalist honors at the Connecticut Senior Match Play Championship and finishing in a tie for second at the Connecticut Senior Amateur.
Dave Szewczul (TPC River Highlands): The five-time champion missed the event last year but this year he returns as a threat once again. Szewczul won his fourth Connecticut Senior Amateur title last October.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut Senior Match Play Championship 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.
