CHAMPIONSHIPS
Richard Dowling Captures 115th Connecticut Amateur
W hen Richard Dowling of Shelton ,
Connecticut stepped on the first tee
Monday morning to begin his quest for the 115th Connecticut Amateur Championship , it felt like just another round at a course he knows so well . After all , the 24 year-old from Shelton grew up playing at Tashua Knolls Golf Course and has hit that first tee shot countless times . Five days and 141 holes later , he was left holding the trophy on that same tee box .
After shooting rounds of 68-72 — 140 ( -4) to grab the # 5 seed in match play , Dowling ’ s road to the finals was a grueling one . He needed extra holes in both his Round of 32 and Round of 16 matches to advance , and then knocked off a pair of rising stars in Justin Clark and Blake Kelly to make his first appearance in the finals . In fact , it was his first time making match play at the Connecticut Amateur , and heading into the final match his game plan was a simple one – have fun .
Dowling faced off against 2015 Connecticut Amateur Champion Evan Grenus , and even after an early lead , he knew it wouldn ’ t be an easy road to
victory in the 36-hole final . Grenus , a rising senior at Wofford college , was a remarkable 18-1 in CSGA match play dating back to 2013 . The two traded blows throughout much of the day , as Dowling took a 1-up lead after the first 18 and never trailed throughout the match . After Grenus made birdie on the 32nd hole to square the match and the pair halved with birdies on the 33rd hole , it was clear that one shot or one putt would be the difference .
“ It was back and forth all day ,” said Dowling . “ I was up early and then Evan came back , so it was definitely a good match and it came right down to the end .”
Enter the par-3 17th , the 35th hole of the match . Playing at just over 150 yards to a tucked hole location , Dowling hit his shot to ten feet left of the hole and faced a bending left-to-right putt to take a 1-up lead . When his putt trickeled over the edge and found the bottom of the cup , he took the advantage heading into the final hole and the momentum had swung once more .
“ I saw the putt , I saw the read , I knew all I needed to do was hit it to get it there and thankfully
10 | CSGA Links // July , 2017 www . csgalinks . org