(August 13, 2024) – The 2024 New England Junior Amateur will be contested from August 18-20 at GreatHorse in Massachusetts. On the boy’s side, Connecticut will be represented by North Chery, Will Gregware, Zach Munno, Austin Perkins, Caden Pisselli, Robby Rosati, and defending champion Luke Stennett. On the girls’ side Shawna Aurora, Cindy Cao, and CC Kaplan will represent Connecticut.
Last year at the Mount Washington Golf Club in New Hampshire Luke Stennett highlighted Team Connecticut’s performance by capturing the individual title. In the overall competition, both the boy’s and girl’s teams finished in second place.
Connecticut Boys Team:
North Chery (Great River GC): A finalist at the Connecticut Junior Amateur in July, Chery also competed in the U.S. Junior Amateur this year.
Will Gregware (Farmington Woods GC): Set to begin his Maryland career at the end of the month Gregware won the Connecticut Junior Amateur in 2023. In his title defense, Gregware reached the Round of 16.
Zach Munno (The Stanwich Club): A semifinalist at the Connecticut Junior Amateur in July, Munno also made the cut at the Russell C. Palmer Cup in May. Munno is committed to Brown.
Austin Perkins (Hartford GC): In June at 16-years-old Perkins became the youngest player to win the Connecticut Amateur. At the end of July Perkins competed in his first professional event, the Connecticut Open, and made the cut. Perkins made his first USGA appearance this week at the U.S. Amateur.
Caden Pisselli (Great River GC): This year Piselli reached match play at the Connecticut Junior Amateur and qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur. In June Piselli won the Connecticut Junior PGA Championship.
Robby Rosati (Mill River CC): A two-time semifinalist at the Connecticut Junior Amateur, Rosati finished in 11th place at the Russell C. Palmer Cup in May.
Luke Stennett (Tallwood CC): The defending champion and URI commit has had a banner year winning both the Connecticut Junior Amateur and the Borck Junior.
Connecticut Girls Team:
Shawna Aurora (EClub of Connecticut): This year Aurora has finished T12 at the Connecticut Girls’ Junior while also recording a top 20 finish at the Connecticut Women’s Amateur. Last year Aurora reached the semifinals of the Borck Junior.
Cindy Cao (USGA/CSGA GC): It has been a strong year for Cao in CSGA events. She began her season with a top-25 showing at the Connecticut Women’s Open and then continued her strong play with an eighth-place finish at the Connecticut Girls’ Junior and a T9 showing at the Connecticut Women’s Amateur.
CC Kaplan (Burning Tree CC): Playing in her second New England Junior Amateur, Kaplan made the cut at the 3rd Connecticut Girls’ Junior.
About the New England Junior Amateur
Format: Seven boy golfers and three girl golfers from each of the New England state golf associations are selected to compete in a 54-hole team and individual stroke play competition. Boys and girls will compete for separate team and individual titles. Team scores are calculated by taking the best five out of seven scores each day for the Boys’ Division and the best two out of three scores for the Girls’ Division. The low 54-hole team score will be named the team champion(s) while the low 54-hole individual will be named the individual champion(s).
Schedule:
Day 1 – Practice round and dinner
Day 2 – Morning shotgun, lunch, afternoon shotgun, followed by dinner
Day 3 – Morning shotgun, followed by lunch and awards
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut State Golf Association 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.
