Links: Match Play Bracket
Evan Grenus, 16, of TPC River Highlands and Connor O'Brien, 15, of Heritage Village Country Club each won their semifinal match to advance to the 18-hole final of the 72nd Connecticut Junior Amateur Championship at Watertown Golf Club.
Grenus was able to outlast Nathaniel Dong of Tallwood Country Club after trailing for a majority of the match. Grenus fell down early in the match and after a back-and-forth battle, he found himself 2-down heading to the 13th tee. However, he rallied to win three straight holes with birdies on Holes #13 and #14, coupled with a par on #15. After taking his first lead of the day on the 16th tee, Dong made a courageous birdie on the 17th hole to square the match. Both players made bogey on the 18th hole, but Grenus was able to birdie the first playoff hole for the victory.
Grenus is hoping to add his name to the record books this afternoon and looks to become just the sixth player in the event's extensive history to capture both the Qualifying Medalist trophy and Match Play championship in the same year. Grenus claimed medalist honors earlier this week after firing a round of 3-under par 68.
He will face Connor O'Brien in the finals, who outlasted defending champion John VanDerLaan of Heritage Village Country Club in twenty-one holes. O'Brien was able to break VanDerLaan's impressive win streak of eight consecutive matches at the Connecticut Junior Amateur, dating back to his win in 2012.
O'Brien trailed the entire match and was 3-down through thirteen holes before winning four of the next five holes to square the match, which included making an eight foot birdie putt on the final hole to extend the match. After both players birdied the first playoff hole and bogeyed the second, O'Brien birdied the third playoff hole to advance. Both O'Brien and Grenus are seeking their first Connecticut Junior Amateur title and will face off in what promises to be a drama-filled final match.
The finals of the 72nd Junior Amateur will be broadcast live with shot-by-shot tracking provided by ShowMeGolfers. The shot-by-shot tracking will begin at 12:00 p.m. and will provide spectators with the opportunity to follow the match with tracking of both players on a live map.
The Connecticut Junior Amateur Championship presented by Cobra Puma Golf is open to all Connecticut junior golfers who have not reached their eighteenth birthday by the start of the event. The challenging format tests the state's best junior golfers over a single round of stroke play to determine the low thirty-two match play qualifiers. Two rounds of match play each day culminate in an eighteen-hole final to crown the top junior player in Connecticut.
The final match will begin at approximately 12:00 p.m. Thursday morning and live shot-by-shot broadcast of the final match will be provided by ShowMeGolfers. For more information and live scoring, visit CTJunior.com.
