Kensington, Connecticut (September 26, 2022) – On the first playoff hole at Shuttle Meadow Country Club the Connecticut duo of Tim Bickford and Christopher Sica rolled in a birdie putt to qualify for the 8th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball. They will be joined next May 20-24 at the Kiawah Island Club by medalist winners Bobby Leopold and Tyler Cooke.
Bickford (Meriden, Connecticut) and Sica (Cheshire, Connecticut) were part of the fourth group off on a gorgeous late September day and they set the tone early carding a 9-under 62. On this day Sica did most of the heavy lifting recording six birdies and an eagle on the closing 492 yard par-5 18th. Bickford, the 2021 Connecticut Four-Ball winner, contributed a birdie on the long par-5 eighth.
With this birdie putt on the first playoff hole by Christopher Sica he and teammate Tim Bickford are headed the 2023 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball #csga #csgalinks pic.twitter.com/62wPr0GCzg
— CSGA (@CSGALinks) September 27, 2022
Once Bickford and Sica posted their score the waiting game was on. Nine groups later their score was matched by the Naples, Florida tandem of Eric Grimes and Nicholas Solimene. For Grimes and Solimene it was a roller coaster of a round that included a double bogey, an eagle, and seven birdies.
Now the question was would somebody top 9-under or would the score stand? Well, it proved to be good enough to earn a spot in a playoff for the final of two qualifying spots but not good enough to top medalist winners Bobby Leopold and Tyler Cooke who fired a 10-under 61. Combined Leopold (six birdies) and Cooke (eight birdies) recorded 14 birdies.
In the playoff, Bickford and Sica didn’t wait long to punch their ticket. On the 401 yard par-4 first hole Sica knocked his approach shot close and rolled in the birdie putt to secure their spot in the 2023 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball.
Grimes and Solimene ended up settling for the first alternate spot while Jeffrey Cole and Brian Bilodeau earned the second alternate spot on the fifth playoff hole.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut State Golf Association 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.
