Connecticut Open Golf Championship Comes Down To The Final Stroke

OLD LYME, CT — A prominent Connecticut golfing family completed a trifecta Wednesday afternoon, as a third member of the Ballo clan captured the most prestigious annual championship pf the Connecticut State Golf Association.

Mike Ballo Jr. of Stamford turned in a 54-hole total of 11-under par 202 at the Black Hall Club to post a 1-stroke victory over Jared Nelson of Rutland, Vermont in the 91st Connecticut Open. He joined his father, Mike Ballo Sr. (1969, 1978) and brother Peter Ballo (2021, 2022) as winners of the state championship.

Entering the final round, Ballo and Nelson were tied for the lead at 8-under par, one stroke ahead of Dylan Newman of Westbury, N.Y. The trio teed off at 9 a.m. in the final grouping of the day, and provided excitement and suspense that lasted until the final shot of the tournament.

Ballo and Nelson each birdied the par-4 opening hole to move two strokes ahead of Newman, then Ballo seized the outright lead with a birdie at the par-5 second, which Newman also birdied.

Nelson, a former standout at the University of Connecticut, birdied the par-4 sixth to reclaim a share of the lead at 10-under, while Ballo was in the midst of making five straight pars. Newman bogeyed the par-3 seventh to fall back to 8-under, then made another bogey at 9 to virtually fall out of contention.

Meanwhile, the turning point of the day occurred at the par-4 eighth, where a Ballo birdie and a Nelson bogey gave the former a 2-stroke advantage. Nelson got one back with a birdie at 10, but gave it back with a bogey at 13.

Refusing to throw in the towel on a day which had a heat index approaching 95, Nelson made birdies at 14 and 16 to climb back into a tie at the top. Ballo, meanwhile, was making par on every hole since the ninth.

After matching pars at 17, the two leaders came to the 387-yard par-4 18th with the championship in the balance. Both pulled their tee shots to the left, with Nelson finding himself behind a tree. He chipped out, then missed the green with his third shot. In the meantime, Ballo advanced his ball up the fairway, leaving a pitch shot which he snuggled about five feet from the cup.

Needing to hole out to save par, Nelson just missed with a chip shot, giving Ballo the opportunity to claim the crown. He read the half-foot break perfectly and drained his putt, ensuring his name will be the third Ballo to be etched on the championship trophy.

Newman finished alone in third place at 8-under, followed by Bradley Sawka of Ellington Ridge Country Club, who shot 66-71-69 to place fourth and claim low amateur honors. David Pastore of Greenwich tied for fifth with 2020 winner Max Theodorakis of Danbury, while Cian Curley of Stamford posted the day's low round, a 5-under par 66, to wind up tied for eighth.

Complete results may be found here.