(May 5th, 2026) They came from all over the world. From Ireland and Scotland. New Zealand and Germany. Nicaragua and Canada. Argentina and Guam. The Peoples Republic of China and Chinese Taipei. They came from twelve of the fifty states; from Seattle, Washington to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to Falmouth, Maine.
Eighty-seven competitors in all vying for five spots, they descended upon Great River Golf Club in Milford on Tuesday, each with a hope and a dream of advancing to the final qualifying stage for the 126th playing of the United States Open Championship.
In the end, after 18 grueling holes on Great River’s spectacular golf course, whipped at times by a three-club wind, it was five men from Connecticut who topped the leaderboard and clawed their way closer to Shinnecock Hills in June.
Jackson Roman of Kensington, Shane Bacon of Westport, Tyler Vitolo of Sandy Hook, Andrew Stock of Danbury and Cody Paladino of West Hartford, all at 2-under par 70. The only players in a field loaded with national and international talent to break par.
Roman was a steady soldier throughout with three birdies, and but one bogey coming at the 9th when his perfect tee shot came to rest in a not-so-perfect divot, resulting in a rare missed green, then a chip and two putts.
After a bogey at 2, Bacon sizzled with a birdie at 3, then a 60-foot bomb for eagle at 6. Two-under with a dozen to play, Bacon ham and egged his way over the final twelve with two bogeys, two birdies and eight pars.
Vitolo and Paladino followed a Stock script with strong finishes on the back. Stock, even through 12, played his last six holes in 2-under, while Vitolo and Paladino, both 1-over through 12, played their final six in 3-under.
The “Connecticut Five” will move on to Final Qualifying on June 8th at sites to be determined, most likely at Canoe Brook in New Jersey.
There were two alternate spots also at stake, with the first going to Pablo Lacayo of Nicaragua who stood alone in 6th place overall after an even-par 72. A playoff for second alternate among three at 73 was reduced to two when Caden Piselli of Milford bogeyed the first sudden death hole. Two holes later it was Kai Jun Huang of Chinese Taipei victorious over Leesburg, Virginia’s Liam Howard.
And what a long, strange trip it’s been for Huang, a sophomore at UCONN known to his teammates as “Wolf.” After the Big East Championship ended Monday in South Carolina with the Huskies finishing 4th and Wolf 20th, a long trip back to Storrs and an early morning drive to Milford, Wolf estimated he had “maybe 30 minutes of sleep.” Just enough to earn 2nd alternate, and a glimmer of hope for a spot in the U.S. Open.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut Senior Amateur 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.
