Watertown, Connecticut (July 10, 2026) – In the title match of the 85th Connecticut Junior Amateur presented by Chris Cote’s Golf Shop, Austin Perkins birdied the first hole to take a 1-up lead, then never looked back.
Facing Justin Renda (Highfield Club), Perkins quickly pushed his advantage to 2 up with a hole-winning par on No. 2. The match would never get any closer.
“I had never made it this far before at the Connecticut Junior Amateur,” Austin Perkins said. “I was just happy to have a spot in the finals, and I wanted to let the final round come to me. Luckily, I made some early birdies (and got the early momentum).”
Still 2 up, Perkins (Hartford GC) extended his lead to 3 up with a par to win No. 5. Meanwhile, Renda was battling, and on the par-5 seventh he got a shot of life.
Perkins pushed his drive left. Just in play and with a shot, he looked to lay up. He hit his target in the fairway, but his ball clipped an electrical wire that hangs over the fairway. Forced to replay the shot (with no penalty), Perkins hit his next attempt into a hazard, and when all was said and done, he walked away with a double bogey.
While all this was not happening, Renda plodded his way up the hole, eventually making bogey to win the hole and get to within 2 down.
That would be as close as Renda would get. Perkins rebounded quickly, winning Nos. 8 and 9 with pars to take a 4-up lead into the back nine.
“The seventh hole was kind of a crossroads in the round,” the 2024 Connecticut Amateur winner explained. “I just tried to forget about it quickly. I took probably five or six deep breaths and just tried to commit to my target on the next tee shot and luckily hit it down the middle. Then I kept building from there.”
After a tie on the par-4 10th, Renda won No. 11 to cut into the lead, but once again Perkins rebounded.
Utilizing a rarely used tee box that stretched the par-4 12th by roughly 30 yards to 371 yards, Perkins took six iron off the tee and found the fairway. His second shot from 143 yards landed on the green, coming to rest 25 feet away.
Speaking about the putt that all but sealed the victory, Perkins said, “I liked how (the putt) looked. I put good speed on it and (the ball) just dropped in the hole. That putt kind of shut the door on my opponent, and it gave me a lot of confidence moving into the final holes.”
Now leading 4 up, Perkins won the next hole, the par-4 13th, to push his advantage to 5 up with five holes remaining. With Renda now on the ropes, Perkins provided the knockout blow as he closed out the match with a hole-tying bogey on the par-3 14th.
With the 5&4 win, Perkins not only hoisted the Connecticut Junior Amateur trophy, but he also earned an exemption into the 78th U.S. Junior Amateur set to be played at Saucon Valley Country Club in Pennsylvania from July 20-25. Additionally, he made Connecticut golf history, becoming just the seventh player to win both the Connecticut Amateur and Connecticut Junior Amateur.
“It just feels like so long ago that I won the Connecticut Amateur,” said the University of Florida commit. “Even though it was only about two years ago. But to raise another CSGA title really means a lot to me.”
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut Junior Amateur presented by Chris Cote’s Golf Shop 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.
