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Patrick McGuiness of Keney Park Golf Course shot rounds of 71-69—140 at Fairview Farm Golf Course and cruised to victory at the 72nd Connecticut Senior Amateur Championship. Presented by the Lincoln Motor Company, the two-day, 36-hole stroke play championship was contested October 4th & 5th at Fairview Farm Golf Course in Harwinton, Conn. and was open to Connecticut senior golfers who are fifty-five years of age and over.
After an opening round of 71, McGuiness entered the final round tied with Richard Stevens of Woodbury, Conn., but the pair were not without chasers. Amazingly, seventeen players began the day within four shots of the lead, so getting off to a good start would prove to be critical for the eventual champion.
McGuiness picked up right where he left off, making birdies on the third and sixth holes to take control of the tournament early in the final round. With Stevens making a pair of bogies on his front nine, McGuiness made the turn with a three shot lead and never looked back. Three more birdies on his back nine matched with just a lone bogey on the thirteenth hole left little room for doubt as to who would be holding the trophy at day’s end. A final round 69, tied with lowest of the day, proved more than enough to secure his first piece of CSGA hardware.
“The course is a little tight off the tee and it’s not a bomber’s course, which suits my game,” said McGuiness. “I had a lot of confidence with my driver, and felt like I could put it in play every hole. I drove it really well both days, and made all the short putts I needed to make to keep the round going.”
The win caps off a spectacular season for McGuiness, who successfully made the cup at both the Connecticut Mid-Amateur and Public Links, finished third at the Tournament of Champions, advanced to the Round of 16 at the Senior Match Play Championship and was second low Connecticut player at the New England Senior Amateur.
“It’s pretty cool to win, I’m still kind of in shock to be honest,” said a smiling McGuiness. “I’m a rookie out here on the senior tour, and I really practiced and worked hard on my game all year, and thankfully it paid off in the end.”
Stevens, the 2007 Connecticut Senior Amateur Champion, made birdies on three of his final six holes to clinch a runner-up finish and an impressive CSGA tournament season. Stevens advanced to the quarterfinals at the Senior Match Play, finished sixth at the Connecticut Public Links, and even made an albatross during a CSGA One Day tournament en-route of one of his victories at Rolling Meadows CC.
For many top senior golfers in the state, the final event of the season will take place next Thursday and Friday as Team Connecticut takes on Massachusetts and Rhode Island in the annual Tri-State Matches. The matches, which are hosted by Connecticut, will be played on Thursday and Friday, October 12th and 13th at Silver Spring Country Club. Foursome matches are played on day one, followed by singles matches on day two, with scoring and results will be available on the CSGA website at csgalinks.org
Home Course: Robert Dimattei and Craig DuBois represented their home club of Fairview Farm GC and both players successfully made the cut. DuBois shot rounds of 76-75—151 to finish in a tie for 19th place, while Dimattei, who holds the course record at Fairview Farm GC (62), shot rounds of 75-71—146 to jump into a tie for 3rd place.
A First: This year’s Connecticut Senior Amateur marked the first time that the event was contested at Fairview Farm Golf Course. The club, which has also previously hosted the Connecticut Mid-Amateur and Public Links Championship, broke ground in October, 1998 when owner Bob Ferrarotti purchased what had been a dairy farm from the Delay family.
Senior Player of the Year Race: Dave Szewczul of Tunxis Plantation CC fell up a bit short in his quest to defend his Senior Amateur title, but a tie for 6th place was more than enough to secure his eight Dick Siderowf Senior Player of the Year award. The 2010 Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame inductee amassed a total of 1,125 points, a staggering 500 points behind McGuiness who finished in second with 625 points.
Low Round: McGuiness’ final round 69 tied for the low round of the tournament, along with Bob Murphy, Jr. of Brownson CC. Murphy’s round, which included an eagle on the par-5 18th, helped move him into a tie for 3rd place.
About the CSGA: The Connecticut Senior Amateur is one of 18 championship tournaments 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 50 Championships, Qualifiers and One-Day Tournaments throughout the year. For more information, visit our website at csgalinks.org.
