(April 27, 2026) – Gabe Van Ness plays at Shuttle Meadow and lives in West Hartford, but he feels right at home at Wintonbury Hills in Bloomfield.
“When I saw there was going to be a dual qualifier here for the Palmer Cup and the Connecticut Amateur,” said the 29-year-old left hander, “I signed up immediately.”
A good choice for Van Ness who went out in 32 and came in 35 for a three-under par 67 and medalist honors in both the Russell C. Palmer Cup and Connecticut Amateur qualifiers Monday, April 27 at Wintonbury Hills Golf Course.
“I love this course,” said Van Ness “I played here a lot when I was a junior, in all the Challenge Cup tournaments. And then there was that round right after college in the Public Links.”
‘That round’ at Wintonbury came in 2019 when a then 22-year old Van Ness decided to play one more tournament before starting a full-time accounting job. With eight birdies and one double, Van Ness blitzed the Public Links field with an opening round of 64. Peter Tomlinson would go on to win the championship with Van Ness finishing T-2, but ‘that round’ remains Van Ness’ greatest single round, and one of the best in CSGA history.
In Monday’s qualifier it was a bit of rollercoaster early as Van Ness made five birdies, two bogies and only one par in his first eight holes before settling in to record ten consecutive pars on holes 9 through 18. His 67 was 2 shots better than Nate Prague (eClub of Connecticut) and Quinn Susanin (CC New Canaan) who were the only others to break par among 96 competitors.
Players had the opportunity to enter either the Palmer Cup or Amateur qualifiers or both. The cut for the Palmer Cup (15 and ties) came at 74 with 19 players advancing. 21 and ties were available for the Amateur with exactly 21 players at 73 or below.
The Russell C. Palmer Cup will be played May 18-20 at the Country Club of Waterbury, and the Connecticut Amateur will be held at Wampanoag Country Club June 9-13. Dual qualifiers for both championships continue at Wallingford CC on May 4, and at Great Neck CC on May 7. The final qualifier for the Amateur will be held May 11 at Ridgewood CC.
Results for all CSGA qualifiers and championships can be found at csgalinks.org.
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.
