Goshen, Connecticut (June 13, 2024) – Thursday at the 122nd Connecticut Amateur presented by Middlesex Health could very well have been a changing of the guard in Connecticut golf. A spectacular sun-splashed day at Torrington Country Club began with three past champions out of eight quarterfinalists however by the time the sun dipped below the horizon two 16-year-olds who had never advanced past stroke play qualifying were left standing.
Now a long week of golf comes down to 36 holes of match play between Austin Perkins (Hartford GC) and Jack Chung (Greenwich CC).
After the first round of stroke play on Monday the situation appeared dire for Perkins as he opened with a 5 under 77. However, on day two he rebounded nicely with a 2 under 70 to earn a spot in the bracket. His reward? A Round of 32 date with defending champion Rick Dowling. The two dueled back and forth with Perkins emerging 1 up. One more victory on Wednesday advanced Perkins to the quarterfinals where he took on two-time champion Zach Zaback (Sterling Farms Mens GC).
Perkins stormed out to a 3 up lead through three holes and still led 2 up after 14 holes. However, Zaback would tie the match with victories on Nos. 16 and 18. Unfazed, the two tied each of the first two playoff holes before Perkins won the par-3 third with a bogey to defeat his second past champion and move onto the semifinals.
In the semifinals, Perkins squared off against Ashton Lewis (H. Smith Richardson GC), a winner with a birdie on the 19th hole against 2022 winner Ben Carpenter (CC of Darien).
Once again Perkins got off to a strong start winning Nos. 2 and 3 to take a quick 2-up lead. Those fast starts are something Perkins highlighted as a key to his success.
“My starts this week have been really good so far,” Austin Perkins said. “I’ve always made a par or birdie on the first hole and I’ve always parred or birdied the second hole and I really think I’ve used that momentum to build for the back nine.”
Lewis would tie the match with a victory on No. 8 but Perkins would never trail winning Nos. 12 and 15 before closing out the match with a par on No. 17 to earn a 2&1 victory and punch his ticket into the finals.
“It really hasn’t hit me yet,” Perkins said when asked what his thoughts on making the finals were. “This whole week has been a whirlwind and I am just trying to stay in the moment. I’ve already taken down a lot of really good players and I think if I had let it get to me I wouldn’t have made it this far. I really like the golf course, there are a lot of fun holes out here.”
The second semifinal match featured Chung and Mike Rothberg (Mill River CC). Early in the match it looked like Rothberg, a 3&1 winner in the quarterfinals over 2013 winner Cody Paladino (Hartford GC), was in control as he won three of the first five holes to take a 2-up lead. For a brief moment, it looked as if Rothberg could run away in the match but Chung had very different ideas.
He won the par-3 sixth with a par and then birdied Nos. 7 and 8 to first pull even and then take a lead he would never relinquish. Following a tie on No. 9 Chung continued his surge with birdies on Nos. 10 and 11 to extend his advantage to 3 up. Three holes later he captured the par-4 14th with a par before sealing the deal with a tie on No. 15 to win 4&3.
When the dust settled Chung, a winner thanks to a birdie on the first extra hole against Adam Friedman (Great River GC) in the quarterfinals, had gone from 2 down to victorious in just 10 holes. His 10-hole stretch from Nos. 6-15 included six victories and four ties.
“Advancing to the championship match is important to me,” said Jack Chung who has previously competed in the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Junior Amateur. “I’ve been working really hard this offseason and having a strong start to the summer season means a lot.”
The 122nd Connecticut Amateur presented by Middlesex Health will conclude on Friday with the 36-hole championship match. Play at Torrington CC will begin at 7 a.m.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut Amateur presented by Middlesex Health 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.
