Darien, Connecticut (August 17, 2022) – The titles at the 53rd Borck Junior hosted by Woodway Country Club were captured by Cameron Besaw and Laniah Moffett.
In the championship match of the Boys Division Besaw squared off against Robby Rosati (Great River GC). Early on, the match was a back and forth affair and it was tied as the players made the turn.
On the back nine Besaw (EClub of Connecticut) began to make his move. He birdied the par-4 10th to take a 1 up lead and he still held the same advantage as the players made their way to the par-4 13th.
Besaw, a senior at the online Laurel Springs School so he can compete in Florida during the winter, blasted his drive on the 13th hole leaving himself just 45 yards into the elevated green. With a wedge in hand, Besaw knocked his second shot to five feet setting up a birdie that increased his lead to 2 up. The lead swelled to 3 up when Rosati, a 7&6 winner in the semifinals over Andrew Beauton (Pine Orchard CC), found trouble on the long par-5 14th.
“I think the biggest key for me was never getting down so I never really felt like I had to do something crazy to win a hole or multiple holes to get back in the match,” said Cameron Besaw who recently won the Metropolitan Golf Association’s Carter Cup at Baltusrol Golf Club.
With a comfortable lead Besaw, a 3&2 winner over Charles Schrohe (Burning Tree CC) in the semifinals, didn’t waste any extra time in closing out the match. Sitting in the middle of the fairway on the par-4 15th the New Canaan resident struck his approach shot from 77 yards just right and watched as it softly landed three feet from the pin. A few moments later he brushed in the birdie putt to win his third straight hole and earn a 4&3 victory.
“It is a great win. It is always hard to win a tournament that is multiple days,” said Besaw. “You have to beat a lot of people. You have to be in the top 16 in stroke play and then you have to win four matches. It is definitely hard but it is really fun to know that I can beat all those kids.”
In the Girls Division Laniah Moffett, experiencing match play for the first time in her career this week didn’t lead until she won the par-4 17th hole but once she had the lead she didn’t relinquish it.
Leading 1 up in a thrilling match against Kate Hong and standing on the tee of the par-4 18th hole Moffett unleashed one of her best drives of the day splitting the fairway and only leaving herself 123 yards into the green.
Seeing an opportunity to close out a match that saw the last 12 holes won she knocked her approach shot to 15 feet giving herself a look for birdie. Needing two putts to close out the match Moffett (EClub of Connecticut) only took one rolling in the birdie putt and in the process picking up the biggest win of her career.
“I have never won anything this big so this win means so much,” said Laniah Moffett who emotionally embraced her father Kenny behind the 18th green. “My parents [Touch and Kenny] are so supportive and I love them so much. They are out here every single day walking the course, looking for golf balls, and waking up at 5 a.m. to be out here. It means so much that they are there for me.”
Hong (Greenwich CC), a 6&4 victor over Isabella Hassan (Rolling Hills CC) in the semifinals, took an early lead in the match winning three of the first four holes to take a 3 up lead.
Unfazed Moffett battled back squaring the match by the eighth hole. From then on both players traded holes with Hong on four occasions taking a 1 up lead only to have Moffett tie the match each time on the ensuing hole. Hong, set to begin her freshman year at Holy Cross, took her final lead on the par-4 15th hole before Moffett rattled off victories on each of the last three holes to take the match 2 up.
“I played Sunday at TPC River Highlands and it was so bad. I didn’t think I was even going to make the cut this week and I did just barely and it kind of surprised me. I had to work so hard to be where I was today and to beat the medalist [Kenna Roman yesterday] and then to beat the defending champion [Mia Holbrook early today] it just means so much that I can come out and play a course I have never played before that is so challenging and for me to play well means so much.”
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Borck Junior 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.
