(July 5, 2022) – Last year eventual champion Connor Goode survived a 9-for-3 playoff to reach match play at the Connecticut Junior Amateur. Fast forward one year and Goode, a UConn commit, enters the 81st Connecticut Junior Amateur at Watertown Golf Course as one of the favorites.
Goode’s performance at the Connecticut Junior Amateur last summer was part of a fantastic stretch of golf that also saw the recent Glastonbury High School graduate win the Connecticut Junior PGA and the CIAC Division I State Championship in the fall.
“The Connecticut Junior Amateur has meant a lot to my career,” Connor Goode said. “This will only be my third time playing in it but it has been huge for learning to play in high pressure situations that normal stroke play events can’t simulate. Match play is a different type of golf and this tournament has taught me how to be a good match play player. I also don’t think I would’ve had the opportunity to play for UConn had I not won this tournament.”
When Goode tees it up at Watertown GC from July 11-15 he will be looking to become the first repeat champion since Geoffrey Walker in 1993 and 1994.
“I am very excited to defend my title,” said Goode. “It isn’t often that you get a chance to defend in golf tournaments so I think it will be a fun opportunity.”
However, in order to repeat Goode will once again have to conquer Watertown GC, the host course for the 69th time. Watertown GC hosted the Connecticut Junior Amateur for the first time in 1951 and has hosted the event every year since 1979.
“Watertown is a course where you need a game plan heading in,” Goode said. “It’s not a course you can overpower so having good strategy off the tee and taking less than driver is key for some of the tighter holes.”
For the event Watertown GC, a par-71 layout, will play at roughly 6,400 yards. “Most of the holes are fairly straightforward,” head professional Peter Seaman said. “But there are a few risk reward holes.”
The first being the par-4 eighth. If players take enough off the corner they will be left with just 100 yards into the green. Similarly on the par-4 11th players can play to the middle of the fairway or they can try to fly the trees along the right side of the fairway. If successful they will have a pitch shot into the green. Players will also be able to make a move on the course’s three gettable par-5s.
With distance not too much of a factor the course’s main defense comes around the greens. “I would say probably the course’s best defense is its green complexes. Some of them have unusual undulations and depending on where the hole locations are they can be difficult,” said Seaman.
The 81st Connecticut Junior Amateur will begin on Monday with one day of stroke play qualifying. The top 32 players will advance to match play set to begin Wednesday after a day off on Tuesday. Wednesday will feature the Round of 32 in the morning and the Round of 16 in the afternoon before the quarterfinals and semifinals are played on Thursday. The week will conclude with the 18-hole championship match on Friday morning.
Notes on the Field:
Number of Players: 99
Past Champions (1): Connor Goode (2021)
Players to Watch:
Sebastian Beaver (EClub of Connecticut): In 2021 Beaver reached the quarterfinals of the Connecticut Junior Amateur.
Cody Brew (Tumble Brook CC): Each of the last two years Brew has reached match play making a run to the quarterfinals in 2020.
Daniel Casanta (Ridgewood CC): Last month at the Connecticut Amateur played on his home course Casanta earned the 14-seed and made match play.
Jack Chung (Greenwich CC): At the end of June Chung qualified for the 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. A year ago Chung earned the three-seed at the Connecticut Junior Amateur before falling in the Round of 32.
Charlie Duffy (Brooklawn CC): In 2019 Duffy won the Borck Junior. Last year Duffy reached the Round of 32 at the Connecticut Junior Amateur.
Alex Elia (Silver Spring CC): Elia, who made two hole-in-ones during a Connecticut Amateur practice round, reached the Round of 32 at the Connecticut Amateur this year. Last year he won the Borck Junior.
Connor Goode (Glastonbury Hills CC): Last year Goode survived a 9-for-3 playoff just to reach match play and then went on to win the Connecticut Junior Amateur. Goode has committed to UConn to continue his golf career.
Elias Kennon (Golf Performance Center): Each of the last two years Kennon has reached match play making a run to the quarterfinals in 2021.
Will Lodge (CT PGA Junior Golf Association): A Yale commit, Lodge qualified for match play at this year’s Connecticut Amateur and last year he made it to the Round of 32 at the Connecticut Junior Amateur.
Will Lord (Suffield CC): Last year as a 12-year-old Lord reached the Round of 16.
Bradley Sawka (Ellington Ridge CC): Sawka last qualified for match play at the Connecticut Junior Amateur in 2020 but he is still a threat. In May Sawka played in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball.
Kyle St. Pierre (Newtown CC): In 2020 St. Pierre nearly won the Connecticut Junior Amateur finishing as the runner-up.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut Junior 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.
