Watertown, Connecticut (July 6, 2023) – Leading by one as John and Bradley Sawka played the closing par-4 18th the duo needed a par to close out the 87th Father & Son Championship at Watertown Golf Club. A solid second shot left them 30 feet for birdie however when the first putt came up short John needed to convert a 6-footer to seal the deal. After John and Bradley looked over the putt from nearly every angle he rolled the putt in dead center and shared a hug with his son.
“I felt good over the putt,” John said. “Fortunately, I wasn’t in control of Golf Genius today so I had no idea what was happening. I didn’t know if we had a three-shot lead or a one-shot lead so I was pretty calm, cool, and collected over the putt. Once the putt dropped Bradley gave me a big hug after and said, ‘Dad I think we won.’ It was really good stuff.”
The Ellington Ridge Country Club members got off to a quick start with a birdie on the par-5 first before adding additional birdies on the fourth, eighth, and ninth holes to make the turn in 4-under 32. Bradley highlighted the birdies on the par-3 fourth and ninth holes as two of the most important. On both holes, John knocked his tee shot to 12 feet with Bradley converting the birdie putts.
A birdie on the par-4 11th moved the duo to 5-under however they both agreed that the most important shot of the day might have been the long bogey putt Bradley holed on the par-4 12th. “That was a huge momentum boost despite having a terrible hole,” Bradley who is committed to UConn said.
Sitting at 4-under with six holes to play the Sawkas moved back to 5-under with a birdie on the par-3 15th and then jumped to 6-under with their seventh and final birdie of the day on the ensuing par-5. A bogey followed on the par-4 17th setting up the final hole dramatics.
“I think this is tremendous,” said John. “I still remember my first Father & Son tournament at Indian Hill Country Club and Bradley was 10 years old and we go to the first tee and we are playing the back tees. Bradley looked at me and said, ‘Dad I don’t think I can reach the fairway,’ and I said, ‘Buddy just hit it down the walking path and let’s do the best we can.’ And here we are today at Watertown and this is just really special. This is one that I always wanted and I will always remember for the rest of my life that I won a CSGA event with my son.”
The Sawkas finished in front of two teams who carded 4-under 67s to tie for second place. Out early Steve and Clark Robinson (Wethersfield CC) carded five birdies and one bogey and for much of the day held the top spot on the leaderboard.
A few hours later their round was matched by Zac and Luke Stennett (Tallwood CC) who caught fire on the back nine following an even-par 36 on the front nine. After nine straight pars to begin their day the Stennett’s converted birdies on Nos. 10, 11, 16, and 18 to rocket up the leaderboard thanks to a flawless 4-under 31 on the second nine.
Last year’s runner-up Joseph (Lyman Orchards GC) and Ben (New Haven CC) Conroy finished fourth at 1-under while Tom and Tommy Rosati (Great River GC); Richard (Eclub of Connecticut) and Shepard (New Haven CC) Stevens shared fifth at even-par.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut Girls’ Junior 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.
