Kensington, Connecticut (June 11, 2025) – With the sun finally shining, the top amateurs in the state put on a show throughout the first day of match play at the 123rd Connecticut Amateur presented by Middlesex Health.
On a day when seed lines meant little the story of the day was Jackson Roman. Playing as the two-seed on his home course, Roman had to dig deep in both his matches to advance.
In the morning Round of 32, Roman got the better of Maryland commit Robby Rosati (Mill River CC), emerging with a 2&1 victory. For Roman, who finished second in the Maryland Amateur over the weekend, things didn’t get any easier in the Round of 16.
Squaring off against Thomas Labbe (Watertown GC), a 4&3 winner against William Giaquinto (New Haven CC), in the morning, Roman trailed for much of the match and was still 1 down after 14 holes.
However, Roman had another gear. A par won No. 15 to tie the match with three holes to play. Roman and Labbe then traded pars on the next two holes, setting the stage for the short par-5 closing hole.
Off the tee, both players pushed their drives to the right, finding the rough. Labbe, impacted by an overhanging branch, punched out and found the right green side bunker.
Roman, a few feet ahead of Labbe, caught a break and had a clear swing from 210 yards out. With an 8-iron in hand, Roman struck it pure and stuffed his approach shot to eight feet. After Labbe couldn’t get up and down for birdie, all Roman had to do was two-putt for birdie to seal a 1-up victory and advance to the quarterfinals. And Roman did just that.
After his victory, the 2024 Connecticut Open winner said, “Tomorrow I’m going to try and keep everything going the same way. It’s my home course, so I’ve got to keep telling myself I know this place like the back of my hand and just go out there, find the fairway, find the green, and hope the putter keeps staying hot.”
Roman will now face Justin Beal (Timbelin GC) in the quarterfinals after Mike Kennedy (Tashua Knolls GC) conceded his Round of 16 match.
The winner of the Roman and Beal match will square off in the semifinals against either 30-seed Cody Paladino (Hartford GC) or six-seed Bradley Sawka (Ellington Ridge CC).
2013 champion Cody Paladino, after struggling in the first round of stroke play qualifying, fought his way into the bracket and then handled UConn standout Connor Goode (Glastonbury Hills CC) 1 up in the Round of 32 before sealing his 2 up Round of 16 victory against Rhode Island star Luke Stennett (Tallwood CC) with an eagle on the par-5 18th.
Sawka, a rising junior at UConn, also needed all 18 holes to get the better of Vanderbilt’s Ben Loomis (CC of New Canaan).
In a match that was tight throughout, Sawka birdied the par-4 14th to tie the match and then took his first lead with a par on the ensuing par-3. After both players parred Nos. 16 and 17 Sawka was in the rough short and right of the 18th green. Knowing that he likely needed to get up and down for birdie to ensure victory, Sawka hit a brilliant chip that caught the slope and nestled to within two feet of the hole.
Moments later, when the birdie bid by Loomis slipped by the match belonged to Sawaka.
Swinging back to the top of the bracket, the first quarterfinal match will feature 32-seed Ashton Lewis (H. Smith Richardson GC) and 25-seed Steve Wagner (CC of Farmington).
Lewis, a semifinalist in 2024, survived a 6-for-1 playoff to reach match play and then on Wednesday he easily handled both top-seed Rick Dowling (Golf Performance Center) and 16-seed Rick Hayes (Silver Spring CC).
The former Eastern Connecticut standout bested three-time champion Rick Dowling 4&3 in the Round of 32 before getting the better of Rick Hayes 3&2 in the Round of 16.
Wagner, after being 4 down early on the back nine of his Round of 32 match, earned his way into the quarterfinals with a 19 hole win over Zachary Munno (The Stanwich Club) and then sealed a 6&4 win against Alex Elia (Silver Spring CC) in the Round of 16 with a 40 foot birdie putt on the par-4 14th.
In the final quarterfinal match, four-seed Adam Friedman (Great River GC) will take on 21-seed Chris Kono (Greenwich CC).
Friedman, a winner last year at the Connecticut Public Links, was challenged in the Round of 32, surviving 2&1 against Anthony Guerrera (Watertown GC). During his Round of 16 match Friedman kept the pedal to the metal, sprinting out to an early advantage and then never looked back on the way to a 5&4 triumph over 13-seed Joe Ensign (TPC River Highlands).
Meanwhile, Kono, a former college pitcher for Holy Cross and Duke, took down 12-seed Matthew Downes (Shuttle Meadow CC) 2&1 in the Round of 32 and 28-seed Ryan Burrill (Indian Hill CC) 3&2 in the Round of 16.
Play at the 123rd Connecticut Amateur presented by Middlesex Health will continue on Thursday morning with the quarterfinals set to begin at 7:30 a.m. The semifinals will follow in the afternoon, with the 36-hole championship match set to follow on Friday.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut Amateur presented by Middlesex Health 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.
