Old Lyme, Connecticut (May 8, 2023) – In a dominant performance the team of Anthony Guerrera and AJ Ouimet ran away with the title at the 2023 Two Man Championship hosted by the Black Hall Club. Guerrera and Ouimet fired a stellar 10-under 61 in the morning four-ball to take a six-stroke lead and never looked back finishing 9-under and the winners by five strokes.
For Guerrera (Watertown GC) and Ouimet (CC of Waterbury), the victory marked their first CSGA titles after both players had come close a handful of times. Last year the duo lost in a playoff at the Connecticut Four-Ball and at the Russell C. Palmer Cup Ouimet led deep into the second round before finishing tied for fourth.
“It is a great feeling to break through and get a win,” said Guerrera who played college golf at Post University. “We have been out here the last six or seven years competing and haven’t been able to have many high finishes so it feels really good. A win feels amazing.”
Beginning on the par-3 17th hole Guerrera stuffed his first shot of the day to three feet and moments later when he rolled in the birdie putt the tone for the day had been set.
“I will give credit where credit is do,” Ouimet, the former Central Connecticut State University and Valdosta State University golfer said. “I was playing with Ben Day at the CC of Waterbury over the weekend where we are both members and he told me that the only thing Tiger Woods preaches to his son Charlie is that execution is more important than breathing. When I first heard it I thought this is so serious and intense and I kind of laughed about it. Then Ben got all serious and stared me in the eyes and said if you hit every shot like your life depends on it you will win your next tournament. So I tried to incorporate that a little bit and once it started working that is what we kept saying all day.”
After a par on the par-4 18th three birdies followed to jump the tandem to 4-under through five holes. With the ball now rolling downhill the 24-year-old duo kept the momentum going with birdies on Nos. 5 and 7. They did slip up with a bogey on the challenging par-4 8th but that proved to be only a minor speed bump on their way to an 11 birdie opening round.
In the afternoon foursomes, Guerrera and Ouimet played a solid round of golf carding a 1-over 72 and maintained a comfortable lead throughout the round. Their scorecard included two birdies and three bogeys.
“It takes a lot to win,” Ouimet said. “But winning validates the work that we put in together over the winter. I think there is a lot of chemistry between us and in four-ball it really shows. We feed off each other. Breaking through is the feeling that you need to start making a run. Both of us I think have professional ambitions and winning now is great. It is a great way to start the year.”
Second place was shared by Brad Tilley (Brooklawn CC) and Conor McGovern (Brooklawn CC); Eric Bleile (Sterling Farms GC) and Jason Longo (Brooklawn CC) at 4-under, Kyle Bilodeau (Blackledge CC) and Drew Brennan (Ellington Ridge CC) were fourth at 3-under while Cody Paladino (Hartford GC) and Kevin Josephson (Timberlin GC) were fifth with a 1-under tally.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Two Man Championship 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.
