Baltic, Connecticut (July 1, 2026) – After a sweltering hot day at the 20th Connecticut Senior Match Play, two players – Kurtis Babczenko and Ronald Soccoli – are left standing. The two will now meet in the 18-hole final at 8 a.m. on Thursday morning at Mohegan Sun Golf Club.
In the first semifinal match of the afternoon, Kurtis Babczenko (The Stanwich Club) rallied twice to defeat 2024 finalist Brian Hedstrom (Indian Hill CC) 1 up.
Kurtis Babczenko Video Highlights
Trailing 2 down after three holes and again after 12 holes, Babczenko just kept grinding.
“You never know what’s going to happen in match play,” Kurtis Babczenko, a 4&3 winner in the quarterfinals over Eric Ashworth (Orange Hills CC), said. “Momentum is key. You can flip the momentum at any time, and as long as you can keep it, you’re in good shape.”
For Babczenko, the momentum shift began on the par-4 15th.
“I think the second shot on 15 where I hit it really close, and he had a really long putt for birdie (is when the momentum began to shift). He hit a good putt and was in for par for sure. So making that birdie was key, because it got really tight after that.”
On the par-3 16th, Hedstrom, still 1 up, saved par out of a greenside bunker to tie the hole, but one hole later, after his drive found a fairway bunker, all Babczenko had to do to win the hole was par, and he did just that. The match was now tied heading to the closing par-5.
Both players hit good drives into the center of the fairway. Just away, Babczenko played first from 217 yards out. With a 4-hybrid in hand, he split the two greenside bunkers as his ball found the putting surface in two for the first time all week.
Up next and with just a shade less yardage, Hedstrom hit his second shot into the left greenside bunker and then just found the putting surface with his third shot.
When Hedstrom couldn’t get his long birdie bid to fall, Babczenko was able to two-putt for birdie and win the match.
Meanwhile, Ronald Soccoli (New Haven CC) played his way through the quarterfinals with a 4&3 win over David Marshall (Quinnatisset CC) and then in the semifinals he handled Shane Hassett (Glastonbury Hills CC) 4&2.
Ronald Soccoli Video Highlights
In the semifinal match, Soccoli won the first two holes to take a quick 2-up lead, and anytime it seemed as if Hassett might make a run, Soccoli had an answer. That was never more evident than on the par-4 ninth.
Leading 3 up and with Hassett already in for par, Soccoli faced a 15-footer for par down the hill with three feet of break. It looked as if Hassett would win the hole and take momentum into the second nine. Instead, Soccoli drilled it to maintain his 3-up advantage.
“You kind of break somebody’s spirit a little bit when you make one of those,” Ronald Soccoli said.
From there, Soccoli kept the pedal to the metal, extending his lead to as many as 5 up before closing things out with a birdie on the par-3 16th. Soccoli will now have a chance to win his first career CSGA event at the same course he won his first-ever event as a high schooler out of Old Lyme.
“I’ve tried,” Soccoli said of his quest to win a CSGA event. “I’ve knocked on the door a lot (but I’ve never won). Maybe this is my time.”
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut Senior Match Play 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.
