Watertown, Connecticut (July 15, 2022) – The championship match of the 81st Connecticut Junior Amateur hosted by Watertown Golf Club was all Will Lodge. Following a pair of ties on the first two holes Lodge won the par-4 third to take the lead and never looked back as he defeated Elias Kennon 4&3 to capture the title.
“It means a lot to win this event,” said Lodge who had never won a tournament before. “This is definitely a good event to have your name on the trophy. I feel like I have always been a pretty solid player but I have never been able to seal the deal so this was a good one to get the monkey off the back to finally get a win. It really means a lot.”
Leading 1 up Lodge (CC of Darien) extended his lead with a par on No. 5 and then pushed his advantage to 3 up with a tap in birdie two holes later. Lodge, who is heading to Yale in the fall, split the fairway with his drive on the 542-yard par-5 seventh and was left with 255 yards into an elevated green. Looking to apply the pressure Lodge smoked a 3 wood to the front of the green. A gorgeous lag putt set up his birdie and 3 up advantage.
With all the momentum on his side, Lodge won the next hole to take a commanding 4 up lead with 10 holes to play.
Kennon (Golf Performance Center) tried to make a move on the back nine but he could never wrestle back the momentum. The Greens Farms Academy senior had a birdie try on the par-4 11th that slid by and he birdied the par-4 12th but each time Lodge matched Kennon and maintained his 4 up lead.
“This week I think I saw glimpses of some pretty good golf for me,” Kennon said. “Today I pretty much gave away any hole he wanted to get. I didn’t really have any parts of my game but I think I am closer to getting a win and now I just have to trust my game instead of just continuing to shift around different swing thoughts.”
Following six consecutive ties the match arrived at the par-3 15th dormie. Lodge played first and just missed the green to the right while Kennon hit the green but left himself with a long birdie putt. Lodge chipped his second shot close and was conceded the par. Looking to keep the match alive Kennon’s birdie attempt missed and with that Lodge was the 2022 Connecticut Junior Amateur champion.
“I felt pretty good with my game all week,” said Lodge who medaled on Monday. “I didn’t really practice all that much coming into the week, I just took it easy. I felt like my game has been solid recently and I felt like I needed to find the right time to apply it. I felt good all week.”
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut 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.
