(March 21, 2021) – While the snow fell and the temperatures dipped in Connecticut, a number of golfers from the Nutmeg State ventured south to enjoy warmer temperatures while continuing to chase their professional golfing dreams. Players from Connecticut have been littered across PGA Tour Monday Qualifying, Minor League Golf Tour, Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada, and PGA Winter Championships leaderboards all winter long.
Among recent highlights are former UConn teammates Chris Wiatr and Zach Zaback making it through PGA Tour Monday Qualifying in consecutive weeks. First Wiatr qualified for the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship set to be played from March 25-28, then one week later Zaback played his way into the field at this past weekend's Honda Classic.
Here is a look at how many of the professionals from Connecticut have played over the course of the 2020-2021 winter:
Angela Aulenti – The 2012 Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame inductee and Sterling Farms Golf Course Director of Golf placed 41st at the PGA Winter Championships Women's Stroke Play Championship.
Peter Ballo – A past winner on the PGA Winter Series and an assistant professional at Silvermine Golf Club in Norwalk, Ballo finished T27 at the PGA Winter Championships Stroke Championship.
Jennifer Barnsley – A LPGA Professional at Race Brook Country Club, the host of this year's Connecticut Women's Amateur, Barnsley placed 44th at the PGA Winter Championships Women's Stroke Play Championship.
Liz Janangelo Caron – The four-time Connecticut Women's Open winner finished 22nd at the PGA Winter Championships Women's Stroke Play Championship.
Eric Dietrich – A major part of the story after the second round of the 2020 Connecticut Open, Dietrich has been finding success in Florida this winter playing on the Minor League Golf Tour. In March, Dietrich captured the Jacaranda West Open for his seventh win since joining the tour a little more than three years ago. Dietrich also caddied for former UConn teammate Zach Zaback at the Honda Classic.
Theo Humphrey – The Greenwich native is currently playing on the Korn Ferry Tour and made his second start of the season this past weekend at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open where he made his first cut of 2021 finishing T73.
Jordan Lintz – The 2011 Connecticut Women's Open winner finished T19 at the PGA Winter Championships Women's Stroke Play Championship.
Fran Marrello – A 2009 Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame inductee and a decorated player who has competed in 11 majors, Marrello had a strong PGA Winter Championship campaign with a pair of T7 finishes. His first came at the Senior Stroke Play B Championship while his second was at the Four-Ball Stableford Team Championship.
Kammy Maxfeldt – The 2013 National LPGA Professional of the Year, a Westport resident, Maxfeldt recorded a 47th place finish at the PGA Winter Championships Women's Stroke Play Championship.
Wendy Modic – From Wilton, Modic the winner of the 2020 Met PGA Women’s Championship, finished T28 at the PGA Winter Championships Women's Stroke Play Championship.
Blake Morris – 2014 Palmer Cup winner, Morris has had a strong season on the Minor League Golf Tour. He picked up his seventh career victory on the tour in February at the Puerto Rico Open Pre Q Tune Up. He followed that up in March with a second-place showing at the Corales Puntacana Pre Q Tune Up.
Brett Stegmaier – The 1999 Connecticut Junior Amateur champion is currently playing on the Korn Ferry Tour. Last week he played in the Chitimacha Louisiana Open where he lost in a playoff in 2016.
Max Theodorakis – In August of last year, Theodorakis won his first professional tournament at the Connecticut Open. Since then he has continued his professional career and recently earned conditional membership status on the Mackenzie Tour thanks to his T24 showing at the first event of the season.
Jason Thresher – The 2019 New England Open winner put together a stellar four days at the first Mackenzie Tour-PGA TOUR Canada Q-School event of the season. Thresher finished 15-under and tied for second place. With the finish, Thresher is now exempt through the tour reshuffle, which will occur approximately halfway through the season.
John VanderLaan – The 2018 Connecticut Open champion continues his career on the Korn Ferry Tour. He played in last week's Chitimacha Louisiana Open where he narrowly missed the cut.
Chris Wiatr – At the end of March Wiatr will make his PGA Tour debut at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship after Monday qualifying earlier in the month. The former UConn standout earned a victory at the Minor League Golf Tour's PGA Estate 1-Day in January.
Zach Zaback – The 2016 Connecticut Amateur champion Monday qualified last week for this past weekend's PGA Tour's Honda Classic. Zaback ended up missing the cut but in the second round, he shot a PGA Tour career-best 69 (-1). Over the winter on the Minor League Golf Tour Zaback continued his winning ways increasing his career win total on the tour to 16. His latest win came at the Winter Florida Club Classic in March when he made 10 birdies.
