CT Girls Junior Amateur set to debut

Having a girls junior amateur to complement the boys event is something the Connecticut State Golf Association had been thinking about for several years.

That plan comes to fruition Monday. The first Connecticut Girls Junior Amateur will begin Monday at Watertown Golf Club.

“It’s always been a priority for us to keep expanding opportunities for girls and for women,” said Mike Moraghan, the executive director of the CSGA. “A few years ago, we were able to get the New England Junior to add a girls team. And when we took over conducting the Borck Junior, that already had a girls component to it.”

There will be 25 golfers teeing it up Monday afternoon. That will include several members of the GameTimeCT all-state girls golf team from this past spring season: State Player of the Year Libby Dunn, along with her Berlin High teammates Kenna Roman and Samantha Dunn; Laniah Moffett and Aoife Devaney from Kennedy in Waterbury; Sydney Hidalgo from Cheshire; and Morgan Petersen from Glastonbury.

Devaney qualified for the U.S. Girls Junior, to be held July 18-23 at The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

“To do two rounds of stroke play is legitimate for a group between 20-30 players,” Moraghan said.

The tournament will be completed Tuesday, but it will end at CC of Waterbury. Watertown GC is unavailable for the final round.

“My understanding is they double-booked an outing,” said Morgahan, who said he found out at the beginning of June, long after the Girls Junior had been set.

The CSGA reached out to CC of Waterbury, which was able to make it work so the tournament can be held in consecutive days in the same area.

GOODE BACK TO DEFEND

Glastonbury’s Connor Goode is hoping to repeat as Connecticut’s Junior Amateur champion before starting his freshman season at UConn.

The recent Glastonbury High graduate is among a good group of juniors taking part in the 81st edition of the championship at the Junior Amateur. It begins Monday.

Several members of the GameTimeCT all-state teams from the fall and spring seasons this past high school year are in the field, including the two MVPs: Alex Elia from Wilton and Bradley Swaka from Ellington. Goode was a member of the fall allstate team, as were Will Gregware (Conard), Harrison Browne (Staples) and Dan Casanta (Pomperaug).

In addition to Sawka, Luke Stennett (Portland), Colin Murphy (Coginchaug), Andrew Beauton (Guilford) and Michael Rothberg (Fairfield Prep) were GameTimeCT allstaters this past spring. Also, Kyle St. Pierre of Shelton, a finalist in 2020 and a rising sophomore at the University of Hartford, is playing in the group right in front of younger brother Cam in Monday’s qualifying.

The low 32 players advance to match play Wednesday. Two match wins on both Wednesday and Thursday puts a golfer into Friday’s final. Yes, this is the new schedule once Watertown GC backed out of hosting on Tuesday due to that booked outing.

This is the second straight year Watertown GC has chosen to alter the CSGA Junior schedule. In 2021, the club pushed the start of the championship back a day due to the observed Independence Day holiday on July 5. The two finalists, Goode and Matt Doyle, both had commitments that Friday, so the final was rescheduled for later in the month.

“That is what we will do this year if it doesn’t work out (for Friday),” Moraghan said.

SMITH CELEBRATION

Orange Hills CC will hold a Celebration of Life for longtime owner Walter “Bud” Smith on July 30 at Orange Hills CC beginning at 4 p.m.

Smith, who was the owner of Orange Hills CC since the mid-1950s, died in January at 97.