11 TH USGA STATE TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
French Lick Resort French Lick, Indiana. September 30-October 2
T
HE 11TH PLAYING of the USGA
Men’s State Team Championship was
held September 30 through October
2 at the French Lick Resort Pete Dye Course
in French Lick, Indiana. All 50 states plus
Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. entered
teams of three players in the biennial 54-hole
championship first played in 1995.
Connecticut’s threesome of Kevin
Josephson, Peter Ballo, and David Pastore
fared well, finishing tied for 8th overall, the
best finish by Connecticut since 2003. Texas
claimed the team title for the fourth time in
the 19-year history of the Championship with
a score of four under par. Florida, anchored by
former Connecticut resident and University of
Hartford star, Jon Veneziano finished second
at minus one. Connecticut, tied for 8th after
the first round and 6th after the second round,
crept into a tie for 3rd through 45 holes only to
fall back over the final nine.
The 6,910-yard, par 72 Pete Dye
Course proved to be a difficult test for the
nation’s top amateur golfers. Team scores were
determined by the low two rounds per team per
day, and it was common to see scores in the 80s
tossed by even the best teams. Texas threw out
an 81 the first day and an 80 the second day, as
the entire field of 156 averaged 76.89 over the
course of the championship, and 77.18 on the
final day.
With
rounds
of
70-72-72
Grennwich’s Pastore was one of only two
players to finish the competition under par.
Brandon Aydlett of Louisiana claimed the
54
Above (Left to Right): Kevin Josephson of the Country Club of Farmington, David Pastore of Eclub of Fairfield, and Peter Ballo
of Woodway Country Club represented Connecticut in the 2014 Men’s State Team Championship.
David Pastore
individual title at minus three, with Pastore
finishing as runner-up by one when his 25-foot
birdie attempt at the 54th slid by the hole.
Stamford’s Ballo contributed a 75
and a 73 in the first two rounds, but when
he struggled over the final 18, New Britain’s
Josephson became the counter with a 78 that
helped secure the team’s top-10 finish.
In addition to Connecticut, the
northeastern states were well represented
on the leader board. Led by a sparkling final
round 67 from Brad Valois, Rhode Island also
finished tied for 8th. New York and New Jersey
shared 17th place while Vermont also breached
the top half of the field finishing alone in
21st. Massachusetts (t-26), Maine (t-30) and
New Hampshire (t-48) rounded out the New
England states.
Connecticut State Golf Association 2014
Kevin Josephson
Peter Ballo
www.csgalinks.org