Watertown, Connecticut (July 13, 2022) – Following a day off on Tuesday the 81st Connecticut Junior Amateur hosted by Watertown Golf Club resumed on Wednesday with the Rounds of 32 and 16.
The most impressive win on Wednesday was turned in by Robby Rosati (Great River CC) who defeated Trevor Hislop (Rock Ridge CC) 9&8 in the Round of 16. Rosati won the opening par-5 with a birdie and never looked back winning the first nine holes of the match.
“I have never played individual match play before and I thought that I would have to change my game plan but you don’t really have to,” 13-year-old Robby Rosati said. “You just have to play against the course and see what happens.”
Rosati, a 2&1 winner over Tyler Bauer (H. Smith Richardson GC) in the Round of 32, will now take on two-seed Austin Perkins in the quarterfinals. Perkins (Hartford GC) advanced with a 19 hole victory in the Round of 32 against Mike Rothberg (Mill River CC) before handling Ryan Coffey (TPC River Highlands) 3&2 in the Round of 16. The match against Coffey was tied through three holes but Perkins won four of the next five holes to take a 4 up lead and he never looked back.
Top-seed Will Lodge (CC of Darien) had a strong first day of match play comfortably winning his two matches. In the morning Lodge won the 16th and 17th holes to get the better of 32-seed Andrew Lewis (Farmington Woods GC) 3&1 and then in the Round of 16 he bested Scott Petrosky (Pequabuck GC) 6&5.
In the Round of 16 Lodge took control of the match early with an eagle to win the opening par-5 and then won the par-4 second to quickly go 2 up. From there the Yale commit steadily increased his lead until he closed out the match with a birdie on No. 13.
“I am looking forward to the opportunity [to play in the quarterfinals tomorrow],” Will Lodge said. “It is exciting to be a part of this tournament and tomorrow will be a good chance to move on so hopefully I can do that.”
In order to advance to the semifinals, Lodge will have to go through Ethan Cramer (Hop Meadow CC). Cramer began his day with an upset win over nine-seed Luke Stennett (EClub of Connecticut). The match was tied with three holes to play but a birdie on the par-5 16th for Cramer proved to be the difference in a 1 up victory. In the Round of 32 Cramer defeated Caden Piselli (Great River CC) 3&1 to punch his ticket into the quarterfinals.
The second quarterfinal match will feature Will Gregware (Farmington Woods GC) and Andrew Beauton (Madison CC).
Gregware made his way through the bracket with an extra hole win over Reece Scott (Clinton CC) in the Round of 32 and then handled Charlie Duffy (Brooklawn CC) 4&3 in the Round of 16. In his first match Gregware was 3 up at the turn only to watch as Scott turned the tide and stormed back to take the lead briefly. Trailing with four holes remaining Gregware won the 16th to square the match and then captured the first playoff hole to close out the tilt.
Beauton was able to advance with a 3&2 win over Cameron St. Pierre (Newton CC) in the Round of 32 and then inched out a 1 up victory over Daniel Casanta (Ridgewood CC) in the Round of 16.
A tight match throughout with neither player leading by more than a 1 up margin, Beauton tied the match with a birdie on the par-3 15th and then won the match with a birdie on the closing par-4.
In the final quarterfinal match Elias Kennon (Golf Performance Center) will square off against 2020 runner-up Kyle St. Pierre (Newton CC).
Kennon, the three-seed, advanced to the quarterfinals with two impressive wins. First, he bested Jack Chung (Greenwich CC), who recently qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur, 3&2 and then he defeated AJ Depaolo (Farms CC) 4&3. Holding a slim 1 up lead in the Round of 16 after Depaolo won the 11th hole, Kennon found another gear down the stretch winning three of the next four holes to close out the match.
St. Pierre, a sophomore on the University of Hartford golf team, started his day with a 4&3 victory over Will Huntington (CC of Fairfield) and then closed out his day with a hard fought 1 up triumph against John Guerrera (CC of Farmington).
Playing in the final Round of 16 match St. Pierre won three of the first four holes take a 3 up lead and then spent the rest of the match holding on. The lead was still 3 up as play went to the par-4 14th following nine consecutive ties and it looked like St. Pierre was in cruise control. However, Guerrera had other ideas winning No. 14 and then the par-5 16th with a birdie to draw within 1 down. Looking to continue the rally Guerrera was able to stretch the match to the par-4 18th but in the end, St. Pierre was able to hang on and advance.
The 81st Connecticut Junior Amateur will continue on Thursday morning at 9:15 a.m. with the quarterfinals and the semifinals to follow in the afternoon. The 18-hole championship match will be contested on Friday morning.
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.
