Orange, Connecticut (July 20, 2021) – Kyra Cox (EClub of Connecticut) is in position to win the Connecticut Women’s Amateur once again. The 2018 champion put together a stellar back nine at Race Brook Country Club to finish in 3-under 68 good enough for a three-shot lead heading into Wednesday’s final round.
The rising senior at Furman University started slowly on a cloudy but warm day playing the first 11 holes in 1-over however once she found her grove there was no slowing Cox down.
“On the back nine I was definitely just getting more comfortable, definitely seeing the greens a little more,” Kyra Cox said. “I missed a lot of short birdie putts on the front nine so making that little bit of adjustment there and I was able to get it rolling on the back.”
Cox started her roll with the first birdie of her round on the par-3 12th and then followed that up with another birdie on the par-5 14th. Her birdie on No. 14 moved her into red figures for the first time.
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Playing in the first group of the day Cox continued to press down the stretch. On the 310 yard par-4 17th she rolled in a 22-footer for birdie and then as if that wasn’t enough she jarred an uphill swinging 40-footer for birdie on the closing hole to cap her sprint to the finish. In total Cox made 62 feet worth of putts on her last two holes.
“My mindset with those putts is to just get it close so I have a tap in and if it falls in it falls in,” said Cox who played the final seven holes in 4-under. “But I had [a couple of] good reads and had a good speed on them and they went in.”
As experienced as Cox is with her position at the top of the Connecticut Women’s Amateur leaderboard, Wednesday’s final round will be a day of firsts for Charlotte Wagner. The 15-year-old is playing in her first Connecticut Women’s Amateur yet after an even-par 71 she finds herself alone in second place and three shots clear of the rest of the field.
Wagner (Country Club of Fairfield) had a mixed bag through her first 14 holes before righting the ship late in her round playing the final four holes in 2-under-par.
“I had some trouble on the first couple holes of the back nine but then I just caught a good grove,” Charlotte Wagner said. “After one good shot I just turned it all around so that was good.”
The rising high school sophomore at Greens Farms Academy in Westport birdied the 165 yard par-3 15th and then put an exclamation point on her day with a tap-in birdie on No. 17. Standing just 82 yards out after her tee shot Wagner stuffed her approach to two feet setting up her easy birdie, the fourth of her round offsetting a pair of bogeys and a double-bogey.
Her strong finish now has Wagner in a position that she has never been in before but despite her inexperience she is trying not to look too far ahead, “I just want to keep my head down and do again what I did today and just play par golf. As far as expectations I am trying not to go in with any.”
Kaitlyn Lee (EClub of Connecticut) and Liz Garfield (Tashua Knolls Golf Club) share third at 3-over while Tracy Lee (EClub of Connecticut), Mia Grzywinski (Country Club of Farmington), and Madeleine Hong (EClub of Connecticut) a member of the first Connecticut Junior Girls team are tied for fifth at 4-over. Defending champion Sophia Sarrazin (Paterson Club) is 6-over in eighth place.
The final round of the 56th Connecticut Women’s Amateur will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut Women’s Amateur is one of 19 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.
