(August 19, 2024) – History is on the line at the 37th Connecticut Mid-Amateur from August 26-27 as Rick Dowling will seek to become the second player to win the title four consecutive times. With a victory at Wampanoag Country Club Dowling would join Bill Hermanson (1990-1993) as the only other player to win four consecutive Connecticut Mid-Amateur titles.
“I am really excited for this year’s Connecticut Mid-Amateur,” said Rick Dowling who recently qualified for the 43rd U.S. Mid-Amateur. “For us older folks, it is our favorite week of the year! I’m looking forward to the opportunity to defend and tee it up with some friends at a course we all love to compete on.”
Recently renovated Wampanoag CC is a 1924 par-72 Donald Ross design that can be stretched to 7,011 yards. Among the changes during the renovation were going from 71,000 square feet of bunkers to 135,000 square feet pushing the total number of bunkers throughout the course to 82.
“The course after the renovations got a little bit more playable,” Wampanoag CC head professional Donny Kirkpatrick explained. “The fairways got wider, all the bunkers are brand new. It isn’t just grab your driver and rip it anymore. There is some thinking that needs to go on. A lot of the bunkers are fairway bunkers or cross bunkers so that will be the biggest change for players that have played here. The vision off the tee will be really different.”
Additionally, three new greens were added with a fourth changed but it is the area around the greens that will challenge the field.
“New shot types around the green will be needed,” Kirkpatrick continued. “They are very scoreable but if you are in the wrong spot you will find trouble.”
Trouble is also lurking throughout the demanding four-hole closing stretch.
Beginning with the dog leg right 441-yard par-4 15th the bunker-less hole requires players to hit a good shot off the tee to be in position for their challenging second shot. Not out of trouble yet and with a brook looming short of the green a good approach shot is required.
Up next is the 220-yard par-3 16th which requires players to execute a difficult tee shot into a volcano-shaped green. Once players survive Nos. 15 and 16 they will tackle the 400-yard par-4 17th where placement off the tee is vital in order to hit a mid to low iron into the green.
Players will then close on the 437-yard par-4 18th. The longer hitters will hit less than driver but it is the green and the area around the green that will provide the biggest challenge. Facing a significantly uphill approach shot players will do well to hit the green. Among the dangers are a long run-off to well below the green and the 10-foot bunker to the right of the green.
“The renovation is really awesome and I think we’re all in for a treat at the new Wampanoag CC. It is one of the most fun stroke play courses in the state,” Dowling said of the second time host venue. “The course is very score-able in spots, especially on the par-5s, but the added length to a few holes, most prominently the par 3s, will offer some serious and new challenges. Gaining in those few areas will be the key.”
The 37th Connecticut Mid-Amateur will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, August 26 with the top 36 players and ties making the cut and advancing to Tuesday and the 36-hole final day.
Notes on the Field:
Number of Players: 93
Past Champions (7): Rick Dowling (2021-2023), Ben Conroy (2018, 2020), Ben Day (2019), Mike Kennedy (2017), Chet Hrostek (2015), Ray Floyd, Jr. (2011), Kevin Foster (1998),
Players to Watch:
Ben Conroy (New Haven CC): The two-time Connecticut Mid-Amateur winner will be looking for a third mid-amateur title at Wampanoag CC. This year he reached the Round of 16 at the Connecticut Amateur.
Ben Day (New Haven CC): The 2019 Connecticut Mid-Amateur champion and 2015 Russell C. Palmer Cup winner finished fourth at the Connecticut Mid-Amateur in 2022 and last year he was seventh.
Rick Dowling (Golf Performance Center): What more needs to be said? Rick Dowling has won the last three Connecticut Mid-Amateur titles.
Adam Friedman (Great River GC): The recent Connecticut Public Links winner seems to always be at the top of the leaderboard. In addition to his first career CSGA major Friedman made it to the quarterfinals of the Connecticut Amateur and tied for seventh at the Russell C. Palmer Cup.
Anthony Guerrera (Watertown GC): The 2023 Russell C. Palmer Cup winner has had a strong year reaching the Round of 16 at the Connecticut Amateur and finishing T5 at the Connecticut Open. In his Connecticut Mid-Amateur debut last year Guerrera was T9.
Cody Paladino (Hartford GC): The 2024 Russell C. Palmer Cup winner has been knocking on the door each of the last four years at the Connecticut Mid-Amateur. The last two years Paladino has finished in second place, in 2021 he tied for second, and in 2020 he lost in a playoff.
Peter Tomlinson (Orange Hills CC): The two-time Connecticut Public Links champion didn’t play in the Connecticut Mid-Amateur last year but in 2021 he finished fourth and in 2022 he was seventh.
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.
