The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
West Haven’s Kong holds on, wins by a stroke
GOSHEN — The 85th Connecticut Open will be remembered for many things. First and foremost, it was the first time the event was held on a weekend.
The event will be remembered for how Torrington Country Club’s staff and volunteers helped support the event, as well as the spectators who came out to watch Sunday’s final round once the oppressive heat on Friday and Saturday gave way to a comforting breeze on Sunday.
And the 85th Open will also be remembered for Rasmey Kong’s comingout party as a golf professional. The West Haven resident shot a 1underpar 71 to hold off Paul Pastore and win by a shot.
“I didn’t play my game today. I had some bad breaks and it kind of got to me, but I still stuck with it,” Komg said. “I wanted to shoot under par at least. If I shot under par, someone would have to shoot a 67, at least (to tie him). I finished strong, Paul gave a good run at it.”
Kong, 22, was a standout golfer at North Haven High and had a distinguished career as an amateur before turning pro Dec. 18. This is easily his finest moment as a golfer, holding off the state’s top players to pocket the $12,500 winner’s check.
“It feels great. It was a pretty good day,” said Kong, who shot 13under 202 for the 54hole event. “I kind of called it. All these guys (his friends), they know. I told them I was going to win. I almost let it slip away but I shot under par, which is fine.”
Pastore, 23, fired a 67 and
caught — and passed — Kong on the back nine. An assistant pro at Fairview CC in Greenwich, Pastore birdied 16, but ballooned a 7iron in a galeforce wind on the par3 17th that led to a bogey.
“I hit the 7iron and I ballooned it. I had a 40yard chip shot. It was probably two clubs too little,” said Pastore, who lost in a playoff at the recent New Hampshire Open. “I tried to make the chip shot. I hit it a little too hard. It kind of jumped on me out of the lie.”
The Open will also be remembered for the low amateur who has became a force on more than just the national junior level. Ben James, a 16yearold Milford resident and soontobe sophomore at Hamden Hall Country Day, continued his great summer by shooting a 67, finishing third at 11under 205, two shots behind Kong.
James, who plays out of Great River GC in Milford, finished second in the Wyndham Invitational, an AJGA event held last month in North Carolina, won another AJGA tournament in Killington two weeks ago, then blew away the field at the State Junior last week, winning four matches decisively. He held the firstround lead for a time on Friday, then finished strong with an eagle on the par5 16th hole.
“It means a lot with all of these great amateurs in this tournament,” said James, who has already verbally committed to play at the University of Virginia. “I would say I am practicing so much smarter this year.”
Blake Morris (CC of Waterbury), Fletcher Babcock (Connecticut National GC) and Jason Thresher (West Suffield) tied for fourth at 9under 207, four strokes behind Kong.
Kong had a fourshot lead to start and also had that lead in the midst of the front nine. But things got interesting when he doublebogeyed the ninth hole and Pastore, playing in the group ahead of Kong, birdied 10 to tie for the lead.
Kong punched a shot from under the tree that went into the rough just off green. He hit his third shot straight up in the air and proceeded to make a 6.
“It was sitting up (in the rough). I actually think it’s a tougher shot, I believe when you have that much of a slope to deal with. I wasn’t angry. I made my double. I had nine more holes to play and I battled through.”
Kong did hold it together, making a 30footer for birdie on 12 to tie Pastore, who nearly hpoled out of the front bunker for eagle on the same hole, and a 3footer on 14 for another birdie to retake the lead. He parred in from there.
“I was not nervous at all today,” Kong said. “I missed a lot of putts either 6 inches short or burned the edge. As long as I stuck with my game, I kept my composure. If I didn’t not shoot over par, I’d be fine.”
Said Pastore, who earned $6,250: “I came down 13 and looked at the leaderboard. I figured I had a chance (coming into the round). I figured he played two good rounds the first two days, it’s kind of hard to back that up, but props to him.”
The Connecticut Open will return to its normal dates of Monday through Wednesday at the end of July when the 86th Con
necticut Open in 2020 comes to Ridgewood CC in Danbury. Mike Moraghan, the Connecticut State Golf Association’s executive director, called the move to the weekend a success.
“This championship had great golf, great players, the club did a great job on its own merits. This championship was a great success,” Moraghan said. “We were hoping to get a lot more people to come out and watch. I have to believe what was described almost as lifethreatening dangerous heat situations scared people way. … I don’t know what percentage of club pros played or didn’t play, so that will factor into our decision (to one day host the tournament on a weekend again). The same goes for the amateur players who may or may not have been able to play. There is no question this was a strong field.”