Danbury, Connecticut (June 21, 2022) – Jack Woods carded his second consecutive subpar round to earn medalist honors at the 120th Connecticut Amateur. Playing on his home course, Ridgewood Country Club, in front of a sizable gallery Woods shot a second round 1-under 70 to finish 3-under after two days of stroke play qualifying. Woods will be the top seed when match play begins on Wednesday morning.
“It is great to earn medalist honors, especially at your home course,” said Woods a rising senior on the Bryant golf team. “It was definitely a good goal to play for today so I am happy to have won it but now it is on to match play.”
Woods, who shot a 2-under 69 in the first round, started slowly on Tuesday with a bogey on No. 2 before quickly rebounding with birdies on Nos. 3 and 4 to reach 3-under. On the tricky uphill 202 yard par-3 eighth Woods maintained his momentum with a delicate up and down from just above the hole. On the ensuing hole, the drivable par-4 ninth, Woods rolled in a 15-footer for birdie to reach 4-under and make the turn in 2-under 34.
Woods cooled off on the back nine with two bogeys and just one birdie but he had done more than enough to earn medalist honors. However, for Woods the celebration was brief as he immediately started focusing on the impending match play portion of the week.
“My mindset changes a little heading into match play but not a whole lot. I am still playing pretty aggressively. I know the course really well so I am hitting a lot of drivers and just trying to hit it as close as I can. For the most part, the only thing that really changes is if you make a big number you forget about it and move on because it is match play.”
Ben Day (New Haven CC), the co-leader at the beginning of the day, finished in second place at even-par and will be the two seed. Two-time Connecticut Amateur winner Rick Dowling (Golf Performance Center), Vanderbilt commit Ben Loomis (CC of New Canaan), and Eastern Connecticut State University rising junior Ashton Lewis (H. Smith Richardson GC) tied for third at 1-over.
Ben Carpenter (CC of Darien) fired the round of the day, a 3-under 68, to finish in a tie for sixth at 2-over.
A 7-for-6 playoff determined the final spots in the Round of 32 with Thomas Arisco (Watertown GC), 1991 Connecticut Amateur winner Bill Hermanson (Black Hall Club), Joseph Ensign (TPC River Highlands), Anthony Guerrera (Watertown GC), Matt Fuller (Great Neck CC), and Jackson Roman (Shuttle Meadow CC) advancing.
The 120th Connecticut Amateur will continue on Wednesday with the Round of 32 and 16. Thursday will feature the quarterfinals and semifinals before the week concludes on Friday with the 36-hole championship match.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut Amateur 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.
