Kensington, Connecticut (June 12, 2025) – And then there were two. After four days of play at Shuttle Meadow Country Club only Bradley Sawka and Adam Friedman remain standing at the 123rd Connecticut Amateur presented by Middlesex Health. The two first-time finalists will now battle it out across 36 holes to determine the newest Connecticut Amateur champion.
Adam Friedman, the highest remaining seed at No. 4, began his day with a 20-hole quarterfinal victory over Chris Kono (Greenwich CC). His reward was a spot in the semifinals against 32-seed Ashton Lewis (H. Smith Richardson GC).
In the semifinal match, Friedman (Great River GC) left little to doubt as he blitzed Lewis, a 2&1 winner in the morning against Steve Wagner (CC of Farmington), right from the jump.
Following his extra hole victory, Friedman escaped to the locker room and took an ice-cold shower. The shower might have helped Friedman escape the heat temporarily but it did nothing to cool off his game.
“The biggest thing that I focused on this afternoon was getting off to a hot start,” Adam Friedman said. “I went after the flag on the first and second holes and was able to birdie on both of those holes.”
Those birdies helped Friedman jump out to a quick 2-up lead and despite Lewis hanging tough, the 2024 Connecticut Public Links winner led throughout.
Lewis, who lost to Friedman in a playoff at last year’s Connecticut Public Links, did cut the deficit in half with his only victory of the day on the par-5 fifth and for a moment on the par-5 seventh, it looked like he might pull even.
With Lewis in tight for birdie on No. 7, Friedman needed to convert from 20 feet to have hopes of a tie. After taking a lengthy look, Friedman stepped into the putt and drilled it. Moments later, Lewis converted his birdie try as well except instead of winning the hole, the putt ensured Friedman would be just 1-up.
Following the birdie on No. 7, Friedman extended the lead back to 2-up with a win on No. 9 and then all but sealed the match with consecutive birdies on the par-4 12th and par-3 13th to push his advantage to 4-up. Now firmly in control, Friedman closed out the match on the par-3 15th, earning a 4&3 victory.
“It’s very difficult to explain how it feels,” said Friedman when talking about what it means to advance to the title match. “It’s kind of surreal. I honestly didn’t think I was going to make it through this morning. That battle took everything out of me. But I would just say continuing to make mistakes, continuing to learn from them, and just being open-minded at what I can do to improve my game from a physical, skill, and mental level.”
In the final, Friedman will take on the six-seed Bradley Sawka (Ellington Ridge CC). The UConn rising junior began his day by taking out 2013 champion Cody Paladino (Hartford GC) 3&2. His morning victory earned him a date with home course favorite Jackson Roman.
Roman, playing competitive golf for the 12th straight day, needed all 18 holes to best Justin Beal 2-up in the quarterfinals and was now just one step away from getting a chance to play for a Connecticut Amateur title on his home course.
Sawka had other ideas. One year after making a run to the Round of 16, his previous career best, Sawka had his eyes fixed on a spot in the finals.
Tied after three holes, Sawka birdied the par-4 third to take a lead he would never relinquish. Birdies on Nos. 7 and 9 moved the advantage to 3 up at the turn, where it remained until Roman won the par-4 12th with a birdie.
Roman, who had rallied from deficits on the back nine throughout the week, seemed poised to make another back-nine charge however this time it was Sawka who had all the answers.
Still leading 2-up as they reached the long and blind tee shot on the par-3 15th Sawka was seeking the knockout punch. Roman had just missed a chance to cut even further into the deficit and now with a window of opportunity, Sawka stuffed his approach shot to 10 feet and then drilled the birdie putt to take a 3-up lead with three to play.
Roman did birdie the par-4 16th after nearly driving the green to extend the match but his late charge wouldn’t be enough as Sawka closed out the match on the ensuing par-4 to secure a 3&1 triumph.
“Obviously, Cody and Jackson are really good players, both of them, so today was about continuing to apply the pressure,” Bradley Sawka said. “As for tomorrow, I’m just going to stick to what my dad (who has been my caddie) and I have been doing. It’s been fun so far, so hopefully we have a nice sunny day tomorrow and it should be fun.”
All the fun will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Friday morning at Shuttle Meadow Country Club. Tomorrow, for the first time ever don’t miss Live Streaming of the championship match on Instagram Live. The Live Stream will begin at approximately 12:30 pm. and cover the majority of the afternoon round.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut Amateur presented by Middlesex Health 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.
