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Thursday, July 16th – Bristol, Conn.
Austin Rupp of Suffield Country Club and Thomas Durkin of the Eclub of River Valley teamed up for a two under-par round of 67 to capture the inaugural CSGA Junior Four-Ball Championship. The first of its kind in Connecticut, the Junior Four-Ball was contested on the 6,015 yard par-69 layout at Pequabuck Golf Club in Bristol, Connecticut.
Both Rupp and Durkin began the day in search of their first CSGA title, and after making two birdies and a bogey on their first nine, they had put themselves in prime position to take advantage of the scoring opportunities on the back nine. However, a bogey on the par-4 12th hole and pars on #13 and 14 meant that time was running out for the pair of sixteen year-olds. Knowing they needed at least one birdies on the final stretch, the duo bounced back with birdies on holes #15 and 16, catapulting them to two under-par for the tournament. A pair of closing pars was all that was needed for a matching one under-par back nine, sealing a two shot victory.
The team of Zach Coderre of Watertown Golf Club and Anthony Guerrera of Crestbrook Park Golf Course shot a round 69 to claim runner-up honors. The pair bounced back strong after suffering from an early double-bogey six on the par-4 second hole, making three birdies in the final fifteen holes to finish at even-par. The teams of Pat Murphy (Wethersfield CC) & Andrew Sanzaro, Jr. (Ellington Ridge CC), and Joe Gauthier (Glastonbury Hills CC) & Alexander Dahlem (Lyman Orchards GC) both shot rounds of one over-par 70 to finish in a tie for third.
The Junior Four-Ball Championship became the first new CSGA championship since the establishment of the Senior Match Play Championship in 2007. Four-ball has become an increasingly popular format at state and regional golf associations across the U.S, with more than 150 Four-Ball championships conducted across the country. The USGA recently conducted its first Men’s and Women’s U.S. Four-Ball Championships earlier this spring at The Olympic Club and Bandon Dunes. Eligibility for the Junior Four-Ball was limited to amateur golfers who have not reached their 18th birthday on or before July 16th.
In addition to the Junior Four-Ball, the CSGA will conduct three other upcoming Four-Ball events – The Four-Ball Championship at Yale (August 6th), the Senior Four-Ball at Indian Hill CC (August 25th), and a One Day Tournament Four-Ball Event (September 1st at Skungamaug River).
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Junior Four-Ball Championship is one of 19 championship tournaments conducted by the Connecticut State Golf Association in 2015. 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 50 Championships, Qualifiers and One-Day Tournaments throughout the year.
