West Hartford, Connecticut (August 26, 2024) – Rick Dowling will have a chance to make history on Tuesday at the 37th Connecticut Mid-Amateur hosted by Wampanoag Country Club.
Dowling, the three-time defending Connecticut Mid-Amateur champion, opened with a bogey-free 5 under 67 and he will carry a one-shot lead into the final round over Cody Paladino and Ben Day. With a victory, Dowling would join Bill Hermanson (1990-1993) as the only other player to win four consecutive Connecticut Mid-Amateur titles.
After plodding along early in his round Dowling stepped to the tee of the 483-yard par-5 sixth hole sitting at level par. However, if past results are any indication of the future it was only a matter of time until his name rose to the top of the leaderboard.
For Dowling (Golf Performance Center) his rise began on No. 6. Following a bombed drive that caught the downslope, Dowling only had a pitching wedge into the green and a solid strike left him 25 feet for eagle. The result was a tidy two-putt that moved Dowling into the red for the first time all day.
A birdie on the ensuing hole pushed Dowling to 2 under which is where he sat as he made the turn. Looking for more Dowling birdied the par-4 12th, chipped in for a birdie on the par-3 13th, and then capped a run of three straight birdies on the par-4 14th.
A string of pars concluded a strong first day that once again has Dowling in the driver’s seat at the Connecticut Mid-Amateur.
“I’m going to try and come out hot and make a lot of birdies,” said Rick Dowling of his approach to the 36-hole final day. “(There will be) a lot of scoring opportunities on Tuesday so I am going to have to come out aggressive to keep up with everybody.”
Ben Day (New Haven CC) rose to the top of the leaderboard with a six-birdie, two-bogey day that resulted in a 4 under 68. The 2019 winner came out of the gates hot birdieing four of his first six holes.
“I was hitting it pretty good and kept the ball in play,” Ben Day said. “I didn’t really make a lot of mistakes today, so it was a good run.”
Cody Paladino (Hartford GC) put together a strong performance recording seven birdies against three bogeys on his way to a 4 under 68. All seven of Paladino’s birdies came between Nos. 4-12.
Rounding out the top five in a tie for fourth are Brian Kehoe (Broowlawn CC), Tim Murphy (The Stanwich Club), and Kyle Bilodeau (Blackledge CC) at 3-under.
The 37th Connecticut Mid-Amateur will resume on Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. with the second round followed by the final round in the afternoon. After the completion of the first round, the field was cut to the top 36 and ties.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut Mid-Amateur 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.
