CSGA Publications: 2016 CSGA Annual Magazine | Page 35

August 15 - 17, 2016 ~ Heritage Village Country Club T A TERRIFIC TEEN he opening round of the 51st Connecticut State Women's Amateur didn't go as planned for defending champion Catherine McEvoy of Innis Arden Golf Club, after a score of 78 left her five strokes behind the lead. However, she had been in this place before. After all, she opened last year's Women's Amateur Championship at Indian Hill Country Club with an identical score. With two rounds still to play, there was plenty of time to make up ground. McEvoy made headlines in Tuesday’s second round with a remarkable four under-par round of 69 that catapulted her from five strokes behind to six strokes ahead. However, history has proven that starting the final round with a large lead can sometimes be more difficult. A string of missed fairways or greens can lead to costly bogeys that give chasers hope of catching the lead. McEvoy was able to stay focused on the front nine, making just one bogey in windy conditions and standing on the 9th tee, she had maintained her six shot advantage. “Going into today, I really didn’t want to put too much pressure on myself but I knew if I was able to hit fairways and greens, I’d be pretty successful,” said McEvoy. “My goal was to make the turn at even-par or one over-par at the most, and I was able to birdie #9 to get back to even-par going to the 10th tee. I felt like once I turned in even-par, I was able to put it on cruise control and play my own game on the back nine.” With a commanding lead and just nine holes to play, McEvoy still had to “ 51ST Connecticut State Women's Amateur navigate some of the most difficult holes on the back nine at Heritage Village Country Club, including the par-4 16th, a hole she had bogeyed the first two rounds. However, McEvoy stuck to her game plan, hitting fairways and greens and making three birdies on the back nine, including a birdie on #16, to finish with a final round score of 71 and a six shot victory. Her win marked the eleventh time in the fifty-one year history of the event that a player has successfully defended their title. At just eighteen years of age, and already a two-time Women’s Amateur Champion, McEvoy has established herself as a dominant force in Connecticut women’s golf. McEvoy played the final 36-holes at six under-par, an extraordinary accomplishment given that the scoring average for the field on the challenging par-73 layout was 85.7. Finishing runner-up was 2015 CWGA Junior Champion Maisie Filler of Hartford Golf Club, who began the day seven strokes behind the lead and was able to close the gap to within five early on the back nine. Despite coming up short in the overall division, she shot the low tournament round of her career with a final round 70 and took home Junior Division trophy. M c E v o y ’s win also marked the first time in history that a single club can lay claim to both the Connecticut Women’s Amateur and Women’s Open trophies in the same year. Earlier this year, Jessica Carafiello of Innis Arden GC won the Women’s Open title at Round Hill Club, an event where McEvoy finished tied for eighth place and earned low amateur honors (page 16). BELOW (TOP TO BOTTOM): Maisie Filler recorded the lowest tournament round of her career en route to a runner-up finish, aided by her older sister Nathalie who won the New England Women's Amateur last summer; Division Champions pictured (Left to right): Maisie Filler, Jen Holland, Jean Sennett and Catherine McEvoy. It means a lot for sure. All of the previous winners are tremendous players so to have my name on the trophy with them is really special. - Catherine McEvoy ” Southbury, Conn. ~ Yardage: 5,593 ~ Par: 73 ~ Entries: 45