Murphy ‘shocked’ he advanced in U.S. Open qualifying
HAMDEN — Dan Murphy never checked where he stood during his U.S. Open local qualifier on May 3.
“I’ve looked in the past and it doesn’t do me any favors to know (where he stood),” Murphy said.
Plus, Murphy hit just two fairways at The Patterson Club that day. But he did manage to hit 16 greens. All told, it was a round of 3under-par 68.
Murphy, a Fairfield resident, had earned a spot in the U.S. Open sectional qualifying — one step shy of playing for his national championship next month at Torrey Pines GC South in San Diego.
“I was honestly shocked. I didn’t think that far into it. I’ve played in these before and never made it. I’ve shot good numbers and didn’t make it,” said Murphy on Thursday at the 50th annual Julius Boros Challenge Cup being held at New Haven Country Club. Murphy helped the CSGA Amateurs defeat the CT Section pros for the fourth straight year.
Murphy has those Fairfield ties like Boros, a former major champion, did. He played at Fairfield Prep, graduating in 2009. The 29-year-old didn’t play in college at Miami of Ohio and really didn’t get serious about the sport until after graduation.
Murphy not only won the club championship twice in the last four years at his home course, Smith Richardson GC in Fairfield, he also qualified for a pair of USGA Amateur Four Ball Championships. Among his CSGA accomplishments last year was reaching the quarterfinals of the State Amateur.
Murphy will play his first U.S. Open 36-hole sectional qualifier on June 7 at Century and Old Oaks CC in Purchase, New York.
“It would mean the world to me, the coolest thing ever (to qualify),” Murphy said. “I’ll go into it the way I went into the local qualifier, whatever happens, happens.”
Murphy was just one of three golfers playing for the 16-member CSGA Amateur squad Thursday. Cody Paladino (Wampanoag CC) and Patrick Griffin (Chippanee GC) made it through to sectional qualifying on Monday at Shuttle Meadow CC in Kensington. They’re joined by other state amateurs Milford’s Ben James, a high school junior at Hamden Hall Country Day, and Chris Pieper from Woodbury.
Griffin, who made it to sectionals for the second time, was helped by a hole in one at the 230-yard 15th hole — his sixth hole of the round. The hole plays uphill so he never saw it go in.
“As I walk up over the hill, the official is pointing the finger in the air, he said it went in the hole. I was completely shocked,” said Griffin, who resides in Unionville.
This will be the second time Griffin has made it
(at New Haven CC)
CSGA Amateurs 47.5,
CT Section pros 24.5
Match 1: Ben Day (New Haven CC) def. Ian Marshall (Watertown GC), 3-0; Ben Keiser (Longmeadow CC) def. Ben Conroy (New Haven CC), 3-0; Conroy-Day def. Marshall-Keiser 2.5-0.5.
Match 2: Nicholas Waddington (Manchester CC) def. Bill Wallis (New Haven CC), 2.5-0.5; Mike Kennedy (New Haven CC) def. Jason Gobleck (Lyman Orchards GC), 3-0; WaddingtonKennedy def. Wallis-Gobleck, 3-0.
Match 3: Patrick Griffin (Chippanee GC) def. Kevin Mahaffy (Pequabuck GC), 2-1; James Sheltman (Alling Memorial GC) def. Billy Downes (GreatHorse), 2.5-0.5; Griffin-Sheltman halved match with Mahaffy-Downes, 1.5-1.5.
Match 4: Donny Kirkpatrick (Wampanoag CC) def. Patrick Casey (Torrington CC), 2-1; Michael Jezierski (Raceway GC) def. Brian Ahern (Wampanoag CC), 3-0; Kirkpatrick-Jezierski def. Casey-Ahern, 3-0.
Match 5: Richard Stevens (Western Hills GC) def. Jan Wivestad (Crestbrook Park GC), 2.50.5; Mike Martin (Tashua Knolls GC) def. Bob Murphy (Brownson CC), 2-1; Stevens-Murphy def. Wivestad-Martin 2-1.
Match 6: Dave Jones (Mohegan Sun GC) def. Bob Mucha (Edgewood CC), 2-1; Fran Marrello (PGA Life Member) def. Dave Szewczul (TPC River Highlands), 2.5-0.5; Jones-Szewczul halved match with Mucha-Marrello, 1.5-1.5.
Match 7: Cody Paladino (Wampanoag CC) def. Chris Tillman (Cold Spring CC), 3-0; Nick Cook (Tashua Knolls GC) def. William Street (Whitney Farms GC), 2-1; Paladino-Cook def. TillmanStreet 3-0.
Match 8: Rich Dowling (Golf Performance Center) def. Jordan Gosler (Manchester CC), 3-0; Dan Murphy (Smith Richardson GC) def. Marc Bayram (Timberlin GC), 3-0; Dowling-Murphy def. Gosler-Bayram 3-0.
through to sectionals, also doing so in 2015. He has qualified for the U.S. MidAmateur three times: 2008, 2009 and 2018.
“I feel much more confident knowing exactly what I have to do, to be aggressive, shoot at pins. You can’t play safe,” said Griffin, who turns 49 on May 23. “I don’t know how many 49 year olds will be out there. Fatigue sets in at my age. … People at the club will come down and watch. I will need to stay focused. The nerves will be there, but I’ve been there before.”
Paladino, 32, is one of the state’s best golfers. He is a former State Amateur and Connecticut Open champion among a litany of accomplishments as both an amateur and a professional. This will be his fifth time at the sectional.
“It definitely helps knowing I’ve made it through before. It helps knowing what’s waiting on the other side. It’s like Monday qualifying for a
tour event,” said Paladino, who qualified in 2008, 2011, 2014 and 2017. “Nervousness is replaced with excitement. That’s the biggest change. Any of these tournaments I play in nowadays, I’m excited to be playing in the tournament and playing well.”
Even now back with amateur status, Paladino’s golf goals still remain very high.
“The goal is to play a PGA Tour event and in a major before I am done. I just want to have a chance,” Paladino said.
Both Murphy and Paladino swept their Challenge Cup matches in the amateur’s landslide victory, 47.5-24.5. Murphy beat Marc Bayram (Timberlin GC) and Paladino topped Chris Tallman (Cold Spring CC). Griffin edged Kevin Mahaffy (Pequabuck GC) in his singles match.