Links: 2016 Field
On June 13th – 17th, one of the oldest amateur events in the country heads to Wethersfield in Wethersfield, Conn. for the 114th Connecticut Amateur Championship presented by Kota Solutions. Founded in 1916, Wethersfield Country Club is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2016 with the playing of this year’s Connecticut Amateur as one of many highlights of their centennial. This will mark the fifth time that Wethersfield has hosted the Connecticut Amateur Championship.
Last Year’s Championship: In the 2015 Connecticut Amateur Championship, 18 year-old Evan Grenus put on a dominant performance en-route to a 5 and 4 victory over Greg Reilly to win the 113th Connecticut Amateur Championship at Black Hall Club in Old Lyme, Conn.
By the numbers: By Friday afternoon, one of the 118 players in the field will be holding the Connecticut Amateur trophy, having endured one of golf’s sternest tests to capture the title. The winner will have played a total of eight rounds of golf and approximately 144 holes in five days.
About the Course:Wethersfield Country Club was designed by Robert D. Pryde, who became the first Executive Director of the CSGA and was inducted into the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame in 1999. In addition to designing Wethersfield Country Club, he also designed the original course at New Haven Country Club, Indian Hill Country Club and Race Brook Country Club.
Club of Champions: Wethersfield, known as the “Club of Champions”, has been home to many accomplished players in its 100 year history including Robert M. Grant, for whom the medalist honor is named and nine other men who have claimed the Connecticut Amateur Championship. Twelve Wethersfield Country Club members have been inducted into the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame.
Fourteen Majors: This will mark the fifth time that Wethersfield CC has hosted the Connecticut Amateur Championship, and will mark the fourteenth CSGA major championship held at the club. Wethersfield CC has also previously hosted four Connecticut Open Championships, one Connecticut Women’s Open Championship, one Connecticut Mid-Amateur Championships, and three Connecticut Senior Amateur Championships.
Insurance City Open: Aside from the long list of CSGA championships held at Wethersfield CC, the club famously hosted the Insurance City Open (now the Travelers Championship) from 1952 to 1983. The list of winners to win the ICO at Wethersfield CC includes Arnold Palmer (who won his first PGA Tour event in the US at Wethersfield), Sam Snead, Bob Toski, Tommy Bolt, Billy Casper, Lee Trevino, Ken Venturi, Charlie Sifford and Curtis Strange, to name a few
Player Storylines
A total of 118 players will begin their quest for the 114th Connecticut Amateur Championship. 88 players earned their way to Black Hall Club by qualifying at one of four sites across the state, and 30 players were exempt based on previous accomplishments.
A total of nine past Connecticut Amateur Champions are in the field. They are:
– Evan Grenus (Wethersfield CC) – 2015 Champion
– Zach Zaback (TPC River Highlands) – 2014 Champion
– RJ Zielinski (Great River CC)- 2009 Champion
– Brian Hedstrom (Indian Hill CC) – 1997 and 2000 Champion
– Brian Ahern (Wampanoag CC) – 1999 Champion
– Bill Hermanson (Black Hall Club) – 1991 Champion
– Roger Everin (Wethersfield CC) – 1989 Champion
– Dave Szewczul (Tunxis Plantation CC) – 1978 Champion
– William Lee (The Course at Yale) – 1975, 1979 and 1990 Champion
Last Year’s Champion Evan Grenus will look to become the first player since 2008 to successfully defend their Connecticut Amateur title (Will Strickler 2007-08). Grenus, who represented TPC River Highlands in last year’s championship but will be representing the home club this year, will look to become the first player since Fred Kask to win the Connecticut Amateur at their home club. Kask, a longtime member of Wethersfield CC, accomplished the feat in 1987, which was the last time the club hosted the Connecticut Amateur.
The host club is represented by a total of five players, who will look to become just the eighth player in the 114-year history of the championship to achieve this unique feat of capturing the title at their home club. They are: Jack Ayers, Roger Everin, Evan Grenus, Jonathan Klein and Alex Manner.
The CSGA conducted Local Qualifying for the 116th U.S. Open Championship in early May, with both Grenus and Stephen Colodny of Middlesex Eclub advancing to Sectional Qualifying. Colodny, who is also in the field, shot rounds of 70-70—140 for a four under-par total at Canoe Brook Country Club and nearly qualified for the U.S. Open, missing out by just two strokes.
Jackson Buccigross of Ellington Ridge Country Club is the youngest player in the field at age 16. He successfully qualified for his first Amateur Championship by shooting 78 at Brooklawn Country Club. He is also the son of John Buccigross, co-host of ESPN Sportcenter and play-by-play announcer of the NCAA Hockey Championship.
On the opposite end, Bill Dober of Brooklawn Country Club is the oldest player in the field, having earned his spot by successfully qualifying at his home club. Dober, the 1997 Connecticut Senior Amateur Champion and CSGA Team Captain from 2011-12, will be seeking to capture his first Connecticut Amateur title.
Local qualifying was conducted at four sites across the state for those players who were not exempt. The qualifying medalists at the respective sites were:
– Eric Dietrich (Farms CC), Justin Clark (Rolling Hills CC) & John Sawka (Ellington Ridge CC) – 71 at Country Club of Farmington
– Cameron Mackay (Middlesex Eclub) – 73 at Brooklawn Country Club
– Steve Gettings (Orange Hills CC) – 71 at Golf Club at Oxford Greens
– Chandler Morris (CC of Waterbury) – 71 at The Farms Country Club
Zach Zabackof TPC River Highlands enters this year’s Connecticut Amateur Championship with plenty of momentum, having recently captured the Russell C. Palmer Cup at the Country Club of Waterbury just a few weeks ago. Zaback, the 2014 Connecticut Amateur Champion, shot rounds of 66-74-67 for a six stroke victory and his second CSGA championship.
Reigning CSGA Player of the Year John Flaherty, also of TPC River Highlands, will be seeking to capture his second CSGA championship, having won the Connecticut Junior Amateur in 2011. Flaherty won his Player of the Year title last year by claiming low amateur honors at the Connecticut Open, finishing runner-up at the Russell C. Palmer Cup, and Robert M. Grant Medalist honors at the Connecticut Amateur.
There are two pairs of brothers who will be competing in the 114th Connecticut Amateur. They are:
– David Boggini (Manchester CC) and Glen Boggini (Twin Hills CC – 2014 Public Links Champion)
– Brian Hedstrom (Indian Hill CC – 1997 & 2000 Champion) and Kevin Hedstrom (Indian Hill CC)
Dave Szewczul of Tunxis Plantation Country Club, the 1978 Amateur Champion, is seeking to capture his fourteenth CSGA major championship this week. Szewczul, a six time CSGA Senior Player of the Year, nearly won his fifth Senior Match Play Championship, eventually losing in the final match at Hop Meadow Country Club. With fourteen titles, he currently holds the record for most individual CSGA championships by two over Bill Hermanson of Black Hall Club, who has amassed a total of twelve individual CSGA championships. Hermanson, also in the field, is the reigning CSGA Senior Player of the Year and defending Senior Amateur champion.
The Connecticut Junior Amateur, open to junior golfers under the age of eighteen, has long represented the foundation for building lifelong CSGA champions. The Junior Amateur closely mimics the format of the Connecticut Amateur, with one round of stroke play to determine the 32 match play qualifiers. A total of four past Connecticut Junior Amateur champions are in the field:
– Andrew Sciarretta (Brooklawn CC) – 2015 Champion
– Evan Grenus (TPC River Highlands) – 2014 Champion
– John Flaherty (TPC River Highlands) – 2011 Champion
– Monte Mullen (TPC River Highlands) – 2010 Champion
The Connecticut Amateur Team Championship is conducted concurrently with the Connecticut Amateur. Any golf club represented by three or more contestants in the Amateur Championship is automatically entered into the team championship, with the three lowest 18-hole scores per club thus counting toward the team total. In 2015, the team of TPC River Highlands, host of the PGA Tour’s Travelers Championship, successfully captured their second consecutive Connecticut Amateur Team Championship. The club will look to defend their title this year and is represented by a total of four players. They are: John Flaherty, Patrick Hallisey, Monte Mullen and Zach Zaback.
Championship Facts:
Schedule of Events: All players will play 18 holes on Monday, June 13th and Tuesday, June 14th. The low 32 players will advance to match play, culminating with a 36-hole final on Friday, June 17th.
Monday, June 13th – Round 1 of Stroke Play Qualifying
Tuesday, June 14th – Round 2 of Stroke Play Qualifying
Wednesday, June 15th (AM) – Round of 32
Wednesday, June 15th (PM) – Round of 16
Thursday, June 16th (AM) – Quarterfinals
Thursday, June 16th (PM) – Semi-Finals
Friday, June 17th – Finals (36-Holes)
Social Media:
In addition to full championship coverage on our website at csgalinks.org and CTAmateur.com, players and spectators can join the conversation using the hashtag #CTAmateur.
– Like Us on Facebook at Facebook.com/CSGALinks
– Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @CSGALinks
– Championship Photos on our Flickr page – Flickr.com/csgalinks
About the Championship: The Connecticut Amateur Championship is the eldest events conducted by the CSGA and is one of the nation's oldest state amateur golf championships. The first winner of the Connecticut Amateur was Thomas L. Cheney. Since Cheney's inaugural victory, past champions have included Robert M. Grant, whom the medalist honor is named, and current PGA tour player, J.J. Henry.
Eligibility: Amateur competitors for this year’s championship must have an active USGA handicap at a CSGA member club not exceeding 6.4.
Qualifying: The championship field consists of 118 players, with 88 of those players gaining entry through one of four 18-hole qualifiers. The remaining 30 players are exempt from qualifying based on the criteria set forth by the CSGA Competitions Committee.
