Goshen, Connecticut (June 24, 2021) – After four days of golf the 15th Senior Match Play will come down to 18 holes between Bob Murphy and Craig Platt. The title match will begin at 7:30 a.m. on the first tee at Torrington Country Club.
Platt, the five-seed, advanced to the championship match with a 3&2 win over Peter Davison (Rockledge CC) in the semifinals. Davison reached the semifinals after he rallied to defeat Vin Capece (Watertown GC) 1 up in the quarterfinals.
After besting Paul Stancs (Lichfield CC) in the quarterfinals 2&1 Platt (Mill River CC) jumped out to a quick 2 up lead against Davison. The lead was short lived however as Davison won the third and fifth holes to square the match. That tie didn’t last long as Platt won the par-3 sixth hole to take a lead he would never relinquish.
“Six has been my turn around hole all week,” Platt said. “I made birdie this morning, par this afternoon, and won it both times.”
The lead would be extended to 3 up with a hole winning birdie on the par-4 ninth and then closed out with a 15-foot birdie on the par-5 16th. On what proved to be the final hole of the match Platt found the green with his second shot but left his eagle putt well short. Needing a birdie to win the hole Platt rolled the putt in and let out an emphatic fist pump.
“I am excited to play tomorrow. It has been a good week. I have had my ups and downs but it has been a good week,” said Platt. “For a guy that hasn’t played in a lot of events it is good for me to get this far. I have been hitting the ball really well and I got a putting lesson about two or three weeks ago that changed my whole dynamic around the greens and I was hoping to get here at the beginning of the week.”
Platt is playing in just his second Senior Match Play and third overall CSGA senior event. Last year Platt played late in the final round of the Senior Amateur but struggled and then missed the cut at the Senior Match Play. The 56-year-old received a new lease on his golf career three years ago when he had sports hernia surgery that relieved the back pressure he had been playing through for years.
Murphy (Brownson CC) has been knocking on the door but had never reached the championship match until Thursday. The three-seed began his day with a hard fought 3&1 win over Dave Jones (Mohegan Sun GC) in the morning and then turned around and bested Rich Feldman (Golf Performance Center) by a comfortable 5&3 margin in the afternoon.
A semifinalist two years ago, a quarterfinalist last year, and also a medalist during his Senior Match Play career Murphy came out of the gates blazing in the semifinals winning the first two holes to take a 2 up advantage.
“I felt like I was in control of the semifinal match most of the day. I got off to a good start. I birdied one, I won two and then thankfully got it to 4 up at the turn,” Murphy said of his start. “I figured if I played my game and stayed patient and just kept hitting greens and made [Rich] force the issue more than me I stood a pretty good chance.”
Feldman, a 4&3 winner over Rick Malafronte (Indian Hill CC) in the quarterfinals, won the third and fifth holes to stay in contact but Murphy was too much to handle. Beginning on the sixth hole Murphy won three of the next four holes to surge to a 4 up lead that all but put the match away. A win on the par-4 13th by Feldman extended the match only long enough for Murphy to stuff his second shot into the par-4 15th setting up a conceded birdie that clinched the match.
“Tomorrow I pretty much want to do the same thing. I have been playing Torrington CC for a long time. I know the course and I like it a lot. I just want to drive it well and keep the ball under the hole and give myself as many simple looks at birdie as possible,” said Murphy. “Craig is a good player, he is a nice guy and I have known him for a long time. We are going to have a good match.”
The 15th Senior Match Play will conclude on Friday with the 18 hole championship match beginning at 7:30 a.m.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Senior Match Play 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.
