Stratford, Connecticut (July 1, 2025) – On a hot and steamy day at Mill River Country Club the field at the 19th Senior Match Play Championship was trimmed to eight.
Quarterfinal #1 (7:30 a.m.): #16 Eric Ashworth (Orange Hills CC) vs. #9 Bob Murphy (Brownson CC)
Eric Ashworth: In both of his Tuesday matches Ashworth needed extra holes to advance. First, he bested Jeff Wise (TPC River Highlands) in the Round of 32 and then in the Round of 16 he needed 19 holes again to defeat 32-seed Jim Abbott (Timberlin GC).
Bob Murphy: A former Senior Match Play runner-up, Murphy defeated five-time champion Dave Szewczul (TPC River Highlands) 3&2 in his opening match of the day. He then bested Jim Patterson (Gillette Ridge GC) 4&3 in the Round of 32.
Quarterfinal #2 (7:38 a.m.): #29 Sean O’Leary (Mill River CC) vs. #28 Rick Malafronte (New Haven CC)
Sean O’Leary: It was two hard-fought matches for O’Leary on Tuesday. In his opening match he got the better of Matthew D’Amico (Mill River CC) 1 up before handling Patrick McGuiness (Keney GC) 2&1 in the Round of 16.
Rick Malafronte: Always a threat at the Senior Match Play Championship, Malafronte bested David Marshall (Quinnatisset CC) 2&1 in the Round of 32 and then defeated Frank Geiger (H. Smith Richardson GC) 3&1 in the Round of 16.
Quarterfinal #3 (7:46 a.m.): #2 D. Scott Mackesy (Bull’s Bridge GC) vs. #7 Michael Halpert (Highfield Club)
D. Scott Mackesy: After cruising 5&4 in the Round of 32 against Jim Ezold (eClub of Connecticut), Mackesy had to dig deep in the Round of 16 to earn a 1-up win over Timothy Murray (Quinnatisset CC).
Michael Halpert: In an impressive showing, Halpert bettered Donal Reilly (H. Smith Richardson) 5&4 in his morning match and then moved past last year’s runner-up Brian Hedstrom (Indian Hill CC) 5&3.
Quarterfinal #4 (7:54 a.m.): #14 Dave Jones (Mohegan Sun GC) vs. #11 Ken Parisi (Indian Hill CC)
Dave Jones: The 2022 champion outlasted Tom Brett (Goodwin GC) in 21 holes in the Round of 32 and then earned a 3&1 triumph over Dave Olender (Ellington Ridge CC) in the Round of 16.
Ken Parisi: In the Round of 32 Parisi cruised to a 7&6 win over Michael Crowley (Fox Hopyard GC) and then needed to go the distance in the Round of 16 earning a 1-up win over Frank Mollica (eClub of Connecticut)
Play at the 19th Senior Match Play Championship will resume on Wednesday morning at 7:30 a.m. with the quarterfinal matches followed by the semifinals in the afternoon. The week will conclude with the 18-hole title match on Thursday.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Senior Match Play 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.
