Goshen, Connecticut (June 22, 2021) – On a seasonably cold and rainy day home course advantage played big dividends for medalist John Svetz. Playing on the first day of the 15th Senior Match Play at Torrington Country Club Svetz put together an even-par 72 round to take medalist honors. A birdie on the par-4 closing hole was enough to separate Svetz from the rest of the field.
“I have a lot of experience playing up here in the rain and obviously playing at my home course helped. The ability to know where to miss the shots helped and I also had a great putting day, I couldn’t have putted much better and that made the difference,” Svetz said. “I don’t know how many 10-15 footers I made for par.”
Svetz, playing in the Senior Match Play for the third time, carded five birdies and five bogeys during his round. His first birdie came on the par-5 second hole when he hit the flagstick with his third shot leaving himself a tap-in birdie. Two more birdies on the side followed as Svetz made the turn in 1-under 35. The only player to make the turn in red figures Svetz recorded two more birdies on the back nine including an uphill 25-footer on the par-3 11th.
“I think that the local knowledge on the greens is probably the biggest factor,” Svetz said about his home course advantage during the upcoming match play. “The course is fairly wide open and most of these guys have played here quite a bit. But the nuances around the greens will hopefully be beneficial to me in match play.”
2020 Senior Amateur winner Dick Stevens (Western Hills GC) and Bob Murphy Jr. (Brownson CC) shared second place at 1-over 73.
“I got a really good break on the second hole. I tried to hit a cut, it hit a tree and it came out into the middle of the fairway and the rest is history,” Stevens said. “I have been playing well for quite a while now and I played with rain gloves the entire day except for the first hole which nobody likes to do.”
Stevens carded two birdies during his round, brushing in an 18-inch tap in on the par-5 12th and rolling in a 15-footer on the par-4 14th.
“Today all you do is play the golf course,” Stevens said. “Tomorrow you have to be aware of your opponent. At this level anybody can beat anybody.”
Murphy Jr. posted two birdies during his round. He parred the first eight holes of his round before dropping a shot on the par-4 ninth. His first birdie of the day fell on the par-4 10th with his second coming on the par-5 16th.
The top-five was rounded out by Jim Romaniello (Shorehaven GC) and Craig Platt (Mill River CC) in a tie for fourth at 2-over.
An 11-for-2 playoff determined the final two spots in the match play bracket with Terry Ruzzo (Tallwood CC) and Jim Abbott (Indian Hill CC) advancing.
Match play will begin Wednesday morning at 7:30 a.m. with the Round of 32 in the morning and the Round of 16 in the afternoon. On Thursday play will continue with the quarterfinals and the semifinals followed by the 18 hole title match on Friday morning.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Senior Match Play is one of 19 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.
