Waterbury, Connecticut (July 12, 2022) – A late birdie and eagle helped Yvette O’Brien pull away at the 1st Connecticut Girls Junior Amateur and win the title in wire-to-wire fashion.
Leading by one shot as she made the turn at the Country Club of Waterbury O’Brien (Greenwich CC ) found another gear. Playing the course for the first time O’Brien began the day with a one-shot lead and despite a disappointing 4-over 40 on the front nine she still held the same advantage as she headed for home.
“I didn’t do as well as I would have liked to on the front nine so I was just trying to keep my cool and stay calm and focus on my end goal,” said O’Brien who opened the tournament with a 5-over 77 on Monday at Watertown Golf Club. “I think I really did that today after a rocky start.”
For a moment it looked as if her rocky start would carry over to the back nine as she bogeyed Nos. 10 and 11 to fall all the way back to 11-over. However, a par on No. 12 steadied O’Brien and set her up for a sprint to the finish as she turned a tight race into a runaway.
O’Brien, a sophomore at Greenwich Academy, started to create separation with a short birdie putt on No. 13 and then following a par on the par-3 14th she took control of the tournament for good when she rolled in a 15-foot eagle putt on the par-5 15th.
“I really didn’t look at the scores but I knew I could do better after the front nine so I really just picked it up and kept focused and tried to finish strong,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien did double-bogey the par-4 16th but by then her lead was insurmountable. Still comfortably in front O’Brien converted a nifty up and down for par after missing the green long on No. 17 and then concluded her week with a tap-in birdie on the par-5 18th to finish 9-over and the winner by four strokes. The birdie on the closing hole was O’Brien’s fourth of the day as she played the last seven holes in 2-under to sign for a final round 4-over 76.
“The win means a lot,” said O’Brien. “It is great for my self confidence. I haven’t won a lot in a little bit of time so it is nice to get that back and get that confidence in me so I can go with a steady mindset and a positive attitude for my next tournament.”
CC Kaplan (Burning Tree CC) had the best chance at catching O’Brien and was just one back with nine holes to play but ultimately settled for a 13-over second place finish. Last year’s Borck Junior Girls winner Mia Holbrook (Silver Spring CC) was 14-over in third while a trio of players shared fourth at 18-over. The group included Kenna Roman (Shuttle Meadow CC), Shawna Aurora (Lyman Orchards GC), and Morgan Peterson (EClub of Connecticut).
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut Girls Junior 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.
