Links: Match Play Bracket | Stroke Play Results
ohn Flaherty of TPC River Highlands shot rounds of 74-66 for a two round total of two under-par 140 to claim the R.M Grant Medalist honor and overall number one seed at the 113th Connecticut Amateur. The state’s most prestigious amateur championship is being conducted June 15th – 19th at Black Hall Club in Old Lyme, Conn.
After opening with a round of three over-par 74, Flaherty knew that he needed a solid day to ensure his spot as one of the thirty-two to advance to match play. And the 2011 Connecticut Junior Amateur Champion did just that, shooingt a blistering round of five under-par 66 to earn the number one seed. After making the turn in even par 36, he proceeded to record five birdies on his front nine, good enough for a intense second nine of 30 and a round of 66.
On a course where birdies were tough to find, he recorded a total of eight on his round, the most by any competitor in the stroke play portion of the championship. His round of 66 was just one shy of the competitive course record of 65, set by Black Hall’s own Assistant Professional, Adam Rainaud.
“Overall, I would say I played very well, besides on the second hole where I three putted for par and on 18 I three putted for bogey. Besides those couple of holes, it was almost a perfect round,” said Flaherty.
All in all, Flaherty compiled an amazing ten birdies in two days, something he surely hopes he will be able to take with him into match play. He began the week looking to avenge a near miss at the Russell C. Palmer Cup from earlier this year, where he fired a final round score of four under-par to charge up the leaderboard only to fall to Ben Day of New Haven CC on the first playoff hole. He also advanced to the semifinals in last year’s Connecticut Amateur at Lake of Isles, and that experience will no doubt bode well for the rising senior at the University of Connecticut.
“The thing I like about match play is how every hole is basically a new match,” said Flaherty. “Every year, I get a hair further. The first time I played in the Amateur, I lost in the round of sixteen, the second year I played, I lost in the quarterfinals, and last year I made it to the semi-finals so I know what it needs to take to get there.”
Flaherty will begin his match on Wednesday hoping to be the thirteenth player in the one hundred-twelve year history of the championship to claim medalist honors and then go on to win the title. The last player to do so was in 2003, where Justin Goodhue, of Glastonbury Hills CC, dominated Wampanoag CC on his way to victory. He will begin his quest against the number 32 seed and 2006 Russell C. Palmer Cup champion Philip Perry of Black Hall Club, who birdied the first playoff hole to earn the final spot in match play.
“Hopefully I can keep hitting good iron shots and just putt well because putting well in match play will win you the match,” said Flaherty.
On the other side of the bracket, Paul Pastore, of Eclub of Fairfield, shot rounds of 72-70-142 to claim the number two overall seed, and will face Geoff Vartelas of Lyman Orchards Golf Course in his first round match tomorrow morning. He recorded five birdies on his round, including three birdies on his final nine, and finished just two strokes shy of the lead.
“The course definitely played a little easier than yesterday. I made a couple of bogies early but I really just hung in there all day,” said Pastore. “I knew I was playing well so I just tried to stay in the moment. I’ve been hitting a lot of 3-wood’s off the tee, so going into tomorrow, I’m just going to try to keep the same game plan and do the best I can.”
Tied with Pastore, defending champion and first round leader, Zach Zaback of TPC River Highlands, shot rounds of 69-73 for a two-round total of 142. The 2014 CSGA Player of the Year was on track to earn the number one seed, but suffered a triple bogey 7 on his final hole to fall to even-par for the championship. He will face Clark Robinson of Ellington Ridge Country Club in his opening match.
“Overall I played really well both days and made some really good birdies, so it just hurts to finish the last hole with a triple bogey,” said Zaback. “Fortunately it doesn’t matter too much now and I’m just really excited for match play. I love match play and I think my game is really well suited for it.”
In somewhat unique fashion, three of the top four seeds are current or recent graduates of the University of Connecticut. They include, Flaherty, Zaback, and Chris Wiatr of the CC of Waterbury. With Flaherty and Zaback on opposite sides of the bracket, there is certainly potential for the two to meet in the finals on Friday morning.
“To play against John [Flaherty] in the finals would be very exciting for both of us I think,” said Zaback. “John and I have known each other for almost ten years. We’re very good friends, roommates, and teammates, so we have a good rivalry between us.”
The Round of 32 and Round of 16 will be played on Wednesday beginning at 7:30 a.m., and the championship will conclude on Friday with a 36-hole final. For more information and live scoring, visit CTAmateur.com.
Making “The Cut”
This year’s starting field of 121 players began the stroke play qualifying portion of the championship with hopes of earning one of the coveted thirty-two spots in match play. At the conclusion of Tuesday’s play, the cut fell at 152 (+10), with an eight person playoff needed to determine the final spot. Philip Perry of Black Hall Club made birdie on the first playoff hole to earn the final spot in match play, and will face #1 seed John Flaherty in the first match on Wednesday morning.
Amateur Team Championship
The Connecticut Amateur Team Championship is conducted concurrently with the Connecticut Amateur Championship and dates back to the founding of the CSGA in 1899. Any golf club represented by three or more contestants in the Amateur Championship is automatically entered into the team championship with the lowest three lowest 18-hole scores per club counted toward the team total.
For the second straight year, the team from TPC River Highlands claimed the Connecticut Amateur Team Championship. The club, represented by five players in the field, shot rounds of 218-210–428 to win by seventeen shots. The team was represented by Zach Zaback, John Flaherty, Patrick Hallisey, Evan Grenus, and Monte Mullen, of which four of the five advanced to match play. Ellington Ridge Country Club finished second with a total of 445, represented by John Sawka, Clark Robinson, David Olender, KJ Camera, Drew Brennan, and Steve Robinson.
Social Media
In addition to full championship coverage on our website at csgalinks.org and CTAmateur.com, players and spectators can join the conversation using the hashtag #CTAmateur.
– Like Us on Facebook at Facebook.com/CSGALinks
– Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @CSGALinks
– Championship Photos on our Flickr page – Flickr.com/csgalinks
Schedule of Events
Wednesday, June 17th – Round of 32 Matches (AM)
Wednesday, June 17th – Round of 16 Matches (PM)
Thursday, June 18th – Quarterfinal Matches (AM)
Thursday, June 18th – Semifinal Matches (PM)
Friday, June 19th – Final Match (36-Holes)
About the Connecticut Amateur Championship
The Connecticut Amateur Championship is one of the nation’s oldest state amateur golf championships and is one of 18 championship tournaments conducted by the Connecticut State Golf Association. The challenging format tests the state's best amateur golfers over two rounds of stroke play to determine the low thirty-two match play qualifiers. Two rounds of match play each day culminate in a thirty-six hole final to crown the top amateur player in Connecticut.
