Charlie Graham of Brooklawn Country Club shot a round of three under-par 68 to claim medalist honors and overall number one seed at the 76th Connecticut Junior Amateur Championship. The state’s oldest junior amateur championship is presented by Cobra Puma Golf and Golf on the Green and is being held July 10th – 13th at the 6,423 yard, par 71 Watertown Golf Club.
Graham recorded just one bogey and four birdies, shooting a blistering 33 on his back nine en-route to a stellar round of three under-par. Graham advanced to match play in last year’s Connecticut Junior Amateur, but was unable to advance past the Round of 32. Graham will try to become the sixth medalist in the extensive history of the Junior Amateur to win both the stroke play qualifying and match play championship trophies in the same year. The feat was last accomplished by John VanDerLaan of Heritage Village Country Club in 2012.
Along with the overall number one seed, Graham claimed the newly named Nick Pahoulis Medalist Honor. Named for the longtime CSGA junior golf leader and 2013 Recipient of the Distinguished Service Award, the Nick Pahoulis Medalist Honor is named for the low player in the stroke play qualifying of the Connecticut Junior Amateur.
The Round of 32 and Round of 16 Matches will be played on Tuesday beginning at 7:30 a.m. The championship will conclude on Thursday morning with an 18-hole final. For more information and live scoring, visit CTJunior.com.
Defending the Trophy
Only eight players in tournament history have successfully defended their title in the seventy-six year history of the championship, and 2016 champion Andrew Franz took a step closer to accomplishing that feat on Monday. Franz shot a round of two over-par 73 (+2) to advance to match play and claim the #4 seed. He will face Matt Doyle of Madison Country Club in his Round of 32 match.
Home Course Feeling
Mani Capece, representing Watertown Golf Club, was the lone player to advance to match play from the host club, shooting a round of four over-par 75 to earn the #15 seed. Capece will look to become the first player since William Salvatore in 1957 to win the Junior Amateur at their home club.
Making “The Cut”
This year’s starting field of one-hundred sixteen players began the stroke play qualifying portion of the championship with hopes of earning one of the coveted thirty-two spots in match play. For the first time in tournament history, eligibility for the Junior Amateur was expanded to include players ages eighteen and under, drawing the largest number of entries in recent memory. At the conclusion of Monday's play, the cut fell at 76 (+5), with an even thirty-two players shooting 76 or better.
Schedule of Events
Tuesday, July 11th - Round of 32 Matches (AM) & Round of 16 Matches (PM)
Wednesday, July 12th – Quarterfinal Matches (AM) & Semifinal Matches (PM)
Thursday, July 13th – Final Match (18-Holes)
Round of 32 Matches & Pairings
7:30 am Charlie Graham, Brooklawn CC (68) vs. Brendan Fagan, Shuttle Meadow CC (76)
7:39 am Jack Kane, Brownson CC (75) vs. Jack Maguire, Golf Performance Center (75)
7:48 am Noah Straub, Norwich GC (73) vs. James Bosworth, Hop Meadow CC (76)
7:57 am Arthur Ouimet, Eclub of Connecticut (73) vs. Mac Mahoney, Hartford GC (76)
8:06 am Andrew Franz, Eclub of Connecticut (71) vs. Matt Doyle, Madison CC (76)
8:15 am Ben James, Great River GC (74) vs. Hunter Ramee, Bulls Bridge GC (76)
8:24 am Alexander Gu, CSGA Club for Schools (72) vs. Jackson Roman, Shuttle Meadow CC (76)
8:33 am Mark Gertsen, CC of New Canaan (74) vs. Jackson Fretty, Greenwich CC (76)
8:42 am Finn Boynton, Great River GC (70) vs. Billy Nail, The Milbrook Club (76)
8:51 am Mani Capece, Watertown GC (75) vs. Jack Woods, Ridgewood CC (76)
9:00 am Cameron Hosack, Glastonbury Hills CC (73) vs. Colin Cusa, Longshore GC (76)
9:09 am Bryan McLennan, Suffield CC (74) vs. Chris Magliocco, CSGA Club for Schools (76)
9:18 am Blake Swiggett, Wee Burn CC (71) vs. Mike Murphy, Wethersfield CC (76)
9:27 am Tommy Dallahan, Hop Meadow CC (75) vs. Spencer Olson, Redding CC (76)
9:36 am Will Wilson, Wee Burn CC (72) vs. Austin Rupp, Suffield CC (76)
9:45 am Thomas Durkin, Suffield CC (74) vs. Jake Moses, Innis Arden GC (76)
About the Tournament: The Connecticut Junior Amateur Championship presented by Cobra Puma Golf and Golf on the Green is open to all Connecticut junior golfers who have not reached their nineteenth birthday by the start of the event. The challenging format tests the state's best junior golfers over a single round of stroke play to determine the low thirty-two match play qualifiers. Two rounds of match play each day culminate in an eighteen-hole final to crown the top junior player in Connecticut.