Old Lyme, Connecticut (July 28, 2025) – On a sunny, windless day at Black Hall Club Jared Nelson and Max Theodorakis rose to the top of the first round leaderboard at the 91st Connecticut Open presented by Ascend Bank.
With conditions prime for scoring both Nelson and Theodorakis fired 6-under 65s to tie the Black Hall Club course record.
Results I Photo Gallery I First Round Featured Hole Coverage
Playing in the morning wave Nelson, a former UConn standout, set the early pace putting together a flawless round of golf.
“I was pretty good from the start,” Jared Nelson said. “I (had some early birdies) and I think that I had a good scrambling day. Then I was able to hold it together and make no bogeys, which obviously helps the scorecard.”
Beginning his round on No. 10 Nelson (Rutland, VT) parred his opening hole before recording back-to-back birdies on Nos. 11 and 12 to move into the red. Another birdie on the par-3 17th helped Nelson make the turn in 3-under 33.
Locked in, Nelson continued to surge on his second nine, the front nine. A birdie on the par-4 first jumped Nelson to 4-under and a birdie on the ensuing par-5 pushed him to 5-under. Nelson would then record his sixth and final birdie of his round on the par-4 third before parring his way to the house.
2020 champion Max Theodorakis played his way to the top of the leaderboard with a bogey-free round of his own. Playing in the afternoon wave, Theodorakis (Ridgewood CC) stuffed his approach shot into the opening par-4 and after he rolled in the birdie putt he was off and running.
His first hole birdie was the first of three in a row for Theodorakis as he stormed up the leaderboard. Following a string of pars, Theodorakis rolled in a five-foot birdie putt on the par-3 ninth to make the turn in 4-under 31.
“I played good all day,” Max Theodorakis stated. “After I birdied the first three I had some nice par saves that kept the momentum going.”
Two more birdies on Nos. 12 and 14 followed before Theodorakis got up and down for par from short of the green on the challenging par-4 18th to conclude his day.
“I had a great par save on the last hole,” Theodorakis explained. “I hit a really bad tee shot and then hit my second up to the front of the green. Then after a chip up I made a great putt to save par. I was really happy with the finish.”
One shot further back in a tie for third place are Bradley Sawka (Ellington Ridge CC) and Mike Ballo, Jr. (Tamarack CC) at 5-under.
Shawn Warren (Falmoth, ME) rounded out the top five with a 4-under 67 and he will begin day two alone in fifth place.
Play at the 91st Connecticut Open presented by Ascend Bank will continue with the second round on Tuesday morning at 7:30 a.m. before concluding on Wednesday with the final round. Following play on Tuesday the field will be cut to the top 50 and ties.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut Open presented by Ascend Bank 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.
