The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Serruta captures 1st Women’s Amateur
MANCHESTER » Just mere moments after Autumn Serruta holed out her short par putt on the 18th hole at Manchester Country Club Wednesday afternoon, someone offered her congratulations for winning the Connecticut Women’s Amateur championship.
Serruta quickly did a doubletake. She hadn’t been keeping track of what her playing partners had been doing, just focusing on her own game - even though she led by three strokes heading into Wednesday’s final round.
“I had no idea,” Serruta said. “For me personally, it’s huge (not knowing where she stands). I’m trying to play each shot, my own game and whatever happens, happens. You try to shoot the lowest score you can.”
Serruta had definitely won her first Women’s Amateur crown in the 52nd edition of the event - finishing at 12 over par for 54 holes to win by two - but it was not without a struggle. Her threeshot lead going into the final
round quickly evaporated and even though she didn’t know it, it came down to a mano-e-mano battle with one of her playing partners, Jen Holland.
A Branford resident and the 2008 champion, Holland tied Serruta by the third hole and was just one behind after shooting an even-par 36 on the front nine. Then it was Holland who had the chance to figure out exactly where she stood. And she did just that. “I tried not to pay attention, but then on the back nine, I needed to know,” said Holland, who plays out of Lyman Orchards GC in Middlefield.
Holland grabbed her only lead of the tournament when Serruta made five straight bogeys from holes 9-13. Then after both players parred 14, Serruta dropped a 35-foot putt for birdie on 15 to pull back into a tie for the lead.
“That was huge mentality-wise for sure. I’m happy something went in,” said Serruta, a member at GC of Avon who played collegiately at Mount St. Mary’s.
Then Holland failed to get up and down for par on the 16th hole to give Serruta the lead for good. Serruta parred 17 and 18, the latter one by two-putting from about 45 feet downhill, to play the last four holes in 1-under par.
“This is huge, competing for my state. I’ve been playing golf since I was 10 years old, a long time,” said Serruta, 28. “I try to make everything and if I don’t make the birdie, I want to at least tap in for par.”
Cerruta said it helped watching Holland putt first, also from the back of the 18th green down the hill. Her putt stopped short and she missed the par attempt to finish two strokes behind in second place.
“Who is going to think a putt going downhill stops?” Holland said. “I’m really happy for Autumn to win. She’s a wonderful player.”
Sarah Houle, the other member of the final threesome, shot a final-round 76 to tie for third place with Julia Kemmling (Timberlin GC) and Alexandra Sazhim (Golf Performance Center) at 16-over-232, two shots behind Holland. Houle, out of Newtown, was the state high school medalist for the girls championship meet last month.
Debbie Johnson (Oronoque CC, Stratford) finished sixth (238) while Shelton’s Lisa-Fern Boros (Highland Club) tied for seventh at 239.