The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
VanDerLaan wins first pro championship at Conn. Open
VanDerLaan holds off Swift
HAMDEN — The Connecticut Open golf tournament is a stroke-play event, but it didn’t take long for two members in the last group Wednesday to turn the final round into their own personal match.
John VanDerLaan and CJ Swift went mano a mano throughout most of Wednesday’s rounds, both making birdies and salvaging pars at New Haven Country Club. It was VanDerLaan who fired the final salvo.
His birdie on the 15th hole put him in the lead for good. Three more pars completed VanDerLaan’s round of 4-underpar 66, enabling him to win the 84th Connecticut Open championship by two shots.
“I’ve been playing some good golf for awhile now,” VanDerLaan said. “It’s nice to see the hard work pay off. That’s the third start of my pro career, so it’s nice to get a win early on.”
The win was VanDerLaan’s first as a professional. Just two weeks ago in the PGA Tour’s Barbasol Championship, he made the cut, tied for 31st place and earned $21,700.
Add the $12,500 winner’s check Wednesday and it’s a fine start for the Southbury resident.
“The PGA Tour is obviously the PGA Tour and it was awesome to be out there competing against the guys,” VanDerLaan said. “But I had as much fun this week playing out here with guys I grew up playing against.”
This win will always carry a special place in VanDerLaan’s heart and not just because it’s the first as a pro. Two decades ago, when his dad won a flight in a member-guest tournament at New Haven CC, he used the pro shop credit on a set of U.S. Kids Clubs to give to John at age 2.
“This is pretty much where my golf career started and to get my first pro win here, which is really the next step of my career, it’s hard to put into words, it’s amazing,” VanDerLaan said. “I’m lucky that it was here this year. This is one of my favorite courses in the state.”
Swift, a New Canaan resident, shot 3-under 67 and pocketed $6,250, his best tournament since winning the 2012 New England Amateur.
“At the start of the day, I thought 16 (under) was the number to get to and sure enough it was,” Swift said. “He played rock solid. … He hit the fairways, he hit the greens and he was pretty solid with his putter too. Hats off to him, he beat me, he beat the rest of the field.”
Adam Rainaud, the Open’s 2016 champion, finished third at 8-under 202. He was eight strokes behind VanDerLaan, the 2014 New England Amateur winner, while Blake Morris, Michael Ballo and Max Theodorakis all tied for fourth 10 shots behind the winner.
Swift parred the first seven holes, then birdied 8, 9 and 10 to pull even with VanDerLaan at 14-under. The tie didn’t last long as VanDerLaan rolled in a 35-footer for birdie on the par-3 12th that he said had 5 feet of break.
“It felt like match play at the start. I started out down one and I had to fight back. It truly was match play,” Swift said.
Said VanDerLaan: “CJ had a great tournament. We battled out there. 14-under? That’s some incredible playing over three days. Hats off to him for playing a great week.”
VanDerLaan made a great save for par from behind the 13th green, but still walked off the green tied after Swift made birdie.
VanDerLaan took the lead for good on the 15th hole when his sand wedge approach from the right rough rolled up 3 feet short. He made the birdie to get to 16-under.
“I knew if I landed it short right it would bounce up there,” VanDerLaan said. “It just came off (the club) perfectly, landed in the right spot and I got it in there about 4 feet. It was huge to be able to take a one-shot lead with three to play. … I was just trying to keep the pressure on him at that point.”
Swift missed birdie attempts to tie on the next two holes. On the par-5 18th, he hit his second shot long right into the fescue. He somehow was able to pitch it on to the putting surface, but three-putted for bogey.
VanDerLaan made a routine par and the trophy was his.
“I just came out of (the shot). I thought it would just be in the rough up there (to the right) but it hopped into the fescue, I had a whack at it to get it out,” Swift said. “I’m disappointed but I will come back next year and give it another run.”
The 2019 Connecticut Open will be held at Torrington CC.