CWGA, Junior PGA to host major titles this week
Can Jean Sennett repeat? Can Leslie Li reach her third consecutive championship match?
These are two questions that will be answered at the 103rd Connecticut Women’s Golf Association Championship to be held beginning Monday at the Black Hall Club. This will be the first time Black Hall in Old Lyme has hosted this championship.
“While we have never hosted their championship, we have hosted some of their other big events including the Past Presidents Cup, the Senior Championship and the Endicott Cup, so many of the state top players have not only played here but competed here,” said Andrew Campbell. the head pro at Black Hall.
Sennett, who plays out of Wampanoag CC, defeated Leslie Li (Tumble Brook CC), who was trying to repeat herself last year at Shuttle Meadow CC. Sennett had previously been to the finals five times before breaking through last year.
There are five former champions in the field. That also includes Lisa FernBoros, Donna Harris and Mim Schreck.
The top 16 golfers from Monday’s qualifying will advance to match play in the championship flight on Tuesday. The next 16 will compete in the Founders Cup flight. The field will be reduced to the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Two rounds of matches Wednesday will shrink it to the final two golfers for Thursday’s final. The Founder Cup finale will also be held Thursday.
“Black Hall is a demanding golf course for a few reason like length and having may tree lined doglegs but maybe the biggest reason is the green complexes. Many of the greens are well protected and require a very high quality shot to hit and hold the surface,” Campbell said.
JUNIOR PGA
The 47th Connecticut Junior PGA will be held Tuesday and Wednesday at Tumble Brook CC in Bloomfield.
Both of last year’s champions are back to defend their titles: Connor Goode from Glastonbury on the boys side, Tiffany Chan from Kent on the girls side. Goode will likely be attempting to defend his Connecticut Junior Amateur crown at Watertown GC next month.
The top two boys and girls finishers at Tumble Brook CC will earn exemptions into their respective national championship event. The Boys and Girls National Junior PGA Championship will be held at Cog Hill Golf & CC in Palos Park, Illinois on Aug. 2-5.
Among the participants includes Guilford’s Andrew Beauton, who just won the State Open as a high school freshman at Black Hall. Also competing includes Dan Casanta from Pomperaug, the medalist in the SWC championship meet last fall; Brett Chodos, a former standout at Amity; A.J. DePaolo from Cheshire; Charlie Duffy from Fairfield Prep; Alex Elia of Wilton; who made two holes in one in the same round at Ridgewood CC recently; Luke Stennett of Portland, who had the states best stroke differential during the spring season; Bradley Sawka of Ellington, the spring GameTimeCT State Player of the Year; and both Tyler Pearson and Cam St. Pierre from Shelton.
On the girls side, Sophia Sarrazin, a past champion in the Connecticut Women’s Amateur from Hamden Hall, is in the field with Kenna Roman and Samantha Dunn from Berlin; Morgan Peterson of Glastonbury and Sydney Hidalgo of Cheshire.