Waterbury, Connecticut (May 20, 2026 ) – For the first 16 holes on the final day of the 23rd Russell C. Palmer Cup, Joe Ensign, despite the sweltering heat, was, as the saying goes, “as cool as the other side of the pillow.”
However, one swing changed the temperature in the room instantly. Ensign (CC of Farmington) stepped to the tee of the par-4 17th hole, sitting at 4-under and four shots ahead of Luke Stennett (Tallwood CC). Ensign hit what he thought was a good tee shot, but the ball bounded through the fairway and ended up in the roots of a tree.
Forced to take an unplayable, Ensign hit his third shot from 124 yards through the green, and after a poor chip, Ensign limped his way to a triple bogey.
Suddenly, the lead over Stennett, who parred No. 17, was just one, and as the two headed for the final hole, it was game on.
After being down by as many as five early on the back nine, Stennett now had the momentum. With a sudden surge of adrenaline, Stennett lost his tee shot on the closing par-4 right into some fescue.
Meanwhile, Ensign missed the fairway as well, but while Stennett had to punch out, Ensign had a clear shot at the green coming up just short.
The 23rd Russell C. Palmer Cup would now come down to a chipping contest. Stennett, a rising junior at the University of Rhode Island, played first and left his third shot 12 feet shy of the pin.
Now it was Ensign’s turn. Looking to overcome some short-game woes on the previous hole, Ensign clipped it perfectly, leaving himself three feet for par. And when Stennett left his par putt short, it looked as if the drama had been removed from the proceedings.
Then, to the surprise of everyone, Ensign missed his par putt and watched as it rolled outside of Stennett’s mark. With the hot air thick with tension, Ensign now faced a must make putt for bogey to avoid a playoff.
Sticking to his routine, Ensign stepped over the ball and, in one quick move of the putter, officially put an end to the proceedings as he ended a roller coaster final round as the 23rd Russell C. Palmer Cup champion.
“Words don’t describe how good it feels,” said Joe Ensign, who recently concluded a standout career at Post University. “During the college season, I had two or three tournaments where I lost by one stroke. So to win by one feels great.”
Ensign began the day with a three-shot lead over Stennett and first round co-leader Mike Rothberg (Mill River CC). All three were paired together, and right away, there were fireworks as both Ensign and Stennett birdied the opening par-4. Stennett from 50 feet.
Ensign and Stennett traded blows throughout the front nine, and after a birdie on the par-4 seventh, Stennett was 3-under and just one shot back. However, what played out over the course of the next three holes proved to be the difference in the tournament.
First, Stennett gave a shot back on the par-3 eighth with a bogey, moving the lead for Ensign back to two.
Then on the short par-5 ninth, Stennett was able to take advantage of his length as he found the green with ease on his second shot. Looking to push the envelope, Stennett missed his eagle putt and then the ensuing birdie putt, and he had to settle for par. While Stennett was struggling on the greens, Ensign took full advantage, rolling in his third birdie of the opening nine to make the turn 5-under and once again three shots clear.
One hole later, the difference was five shots. Stennett went long with his second shot on the par-4 10th while Ensign found the green. Stennett did as well as he could with his third shot on the dramatically sloping green, pitching it to 15 feet. Ensign had a birdie look but needed to play 20 feet of break on a 35-foot putt.
From the moment it left the putter, the speed looked good. The only question was the line. After what felt like minutes, that question was answered with an emphatic yes as the ball inched its way into the bottom of the cup. Ensign raised his arms in celebration, and when Stennett came up short with his par try, Ensign was sitting at 6-under and five clear.
“My caddie, Chris, asked me if I wanted to take the stick out,” Ensign said of his improbable putt on No. 10. “I said, ‘it’s not going in, so I don’t really care. Then it went in!”
In the end, Ensign would need every bit of the cushion he built, but none of his late round struggles mattered as he stood in the late afternoon sun talking about what the victory meant to him, “I’ve been playing this event (for years), even before I played the course often while I was at Post. It’s just different winning at the CC of Waterbury. It’s awesome. I love it.”
When all was said and done, Ensign finished the week even-par thanks to rounds of 70-64-73 while Stennett was one back in second place at 1-over. Peter Tomlinson (Orange Hills CC) and three-time winner Cody Paladino (Hartford GC) finished in a tie for third at 3-over, while in a tie for fifth, Brody DiBeneditto (CC of Waterbury), Ben Conroy (New Haven CC), and first round co-leader William Giaquinto (New Haven CC) finished at 6-over.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Russell C. Palmer Cup 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.
