Doyle set to defend State Junior Amateur crown
Will we have a rematch in the Connecticut Junior Amateur final on Friday? That possibility definitely exists.
The champion and finalist — Matt Doyle and Kyle St. Pierre, respectively — will tee it up beginning Tuesday in the 80th edition of the championship at Watertown Golf Club. Doyle defeated St. Pierre 2 and 1 in last year’s final.
“Definitely last year going into it (the tournament), I felt like I was favored to win last year. I knew people would be coming after me,” Doyle said. “Now, I’m a year older and I should be a year better.”
There are 85 other juniors trying to prevent that matchup from happening. Among the contenders: Jack Bosworth (unattached), who lost to St. Pierre in extra holes in last year’s semifinals; Brett Chodos (New Haven CC), who won the Division I state championship and State Open high school events in the same week last month; Colin Barrett and Cole Hahn (GC of Avon), Tyler Donnellan (Greenwich CC), who twice has reached match play in this event; Will Huntington (CC of Fairfield), who helped lead Fairfield Prep to the Division I state team championship; Luke Stennett (Twin Hills CC); and Alex Elia (Silver Spring CC).
Doyle, 18, has taken a different approach to preparation for this year’s event. After helping Hand High win the Division II state championship, Doyle, the GameTimeCT State Player of the Year, competed in consecutive weeks: the AJGA Wyndham Invitational in Greensboro, North Carolina, the Western Junior Invitational at Lake Forest, Illinois and the Polo Invitational at Liberty National in Jersey City, New Jersey, which was held last week. Doyle advanced to the quarterfinals, losing to a familiar foe — Ben James of Milford — 2 and 1.
“It (the Junior Amateur) is a marathon. You can’t come out firing in the round of 32 or the first hole of the qualifying round. If you do that, you are not making it to Friday,” Doyle said. “If you come out trying to put pressure on from the very first hole, things will happen and you will get tired.”
Doyle will play the Boys Junior National PGA next week in Lexington, Kentucky, the Northern Junior in early August at New Haven CC and will be a part of the New England Junior team along with James attesting to three-peat — Connecticut won by 17 strokes at Mill River CC in Stratford in 2019.
Doyle is leaving Madison and will head to Division I Elon in the fall — and his family is moving South with him: to Charleston, South Carolina.
“I look forward to it. It’s nice to get out of the cold, but I will definitely miss Connecticut,” Doyle said.
The low 32 players from Tuesday’s stroke play round will advance to match play. Golfers will need to win four straight matches to reach Friday’s final.
The championship was originally supposed to be held Monday through Thursday. But with Monday being the Independence Day holiday, Watertown GC wanted have the course that day be used for member play and recently requested that the CSGA begin the championship on Tuesday.
JAMES, ROMAN HAVE GREAT WEEKS
Former Hamden Hall Country Day teammates Ben James and Jackson Roman had great weeks last week as the summer play heats up.
James advanced to the final of the Polo Golf Junior Classic, losing in the final to Nicholas Dunlap in 20 holes. James, the 2019 Connecticut Junior Amateur champion, is battling for a spot on the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup, which will be announced in a month from now.
Roman, who is teeing it up in the Junior Amateur this week, was one of three qualifiers for the U.S. Junior Amateur held Monday at Quinatisset CC.
Roman, who is teeing it up at the Connecticut Junior Amateur this week, was the medalist with a 4-under-par 68. The U.S. Junior Amateur will be held July 19-24 at The Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
CWGA CHAMPIONSHIP
Jean Sennett from Wampanoag CC defeated Leslie Li (Tumble Brook CC) 1-up to win the 102nd Connecticut Women’s Golf Association Championship at Shuttle Meadow CC.
Li was bidding for a second consecutive title in the championship bracket.
In the Founders Flight final, Cheryl Ziebka defeated Pam Burt 3 and 2. Both Ziebka and Burt are members at CC of Farmington.