A
T JUST TWENTY-ONE years of age, a realistic
expectation for Zach Zaback heading into the 2014 season
would have been a top-ten finish in the Dick Tettelbach
Player of the Year race. There’s no question that Zaback was one
of the rising stars in Connecticut golf, having finished third in last
year’s New England Amateur and eighth in the Connecticut Open
championship.
But as a rising junior on the University of Connecticut Huskies
Division I golf team, Zaback isn’t eligible for many of the top points
events, including the Connecticut Mid-Amateur Championship,
Public Links Championship, and Tournament of Champions.
Accumulating enough points to outlast the likes of players like Dave
Szewczul is a rare feat. In fact, since 2000, only three players have
been able win the Player of the Year title while still in college.
After a fourth place finish at the Rutherford Intercollegiate
to end his Spring season with the Huskies, Zaback began his 2014
CSGA campaign at the Russell C. Palmer Cup. An opening round
of even--par 69 landed him in the final group heading into the
second day, and after shooting 72 in the morning round, Zaback was
right in the mix. But a closing round of 74 left him tied for sixth.
Disappointing, perhaps, but a good start to the season nonetheless.
Next up,? The 112th Connecticut Amateur at Lake of Isles.
The North and South Courses at Lake of Isles demand
precision off the tee and a tremendous short game to navigate the
difficult green complexes. After shooting rounds of 76-75--151
to grab the #18 seed, Zaback made his way through the bracket
of Connecticut’s best amateur golfers, knocking off the likes of
Dave Szewczul, Monte Mullen, and Branden Chirorka en-route
to the finals. He faced Kevin Josephson of the Country Club of
Farmington, the only player who stood between him and his first
CSGA major championship title.
“I tried to not think about what it would mean to win because
I didn’t want to get ahead of myself, but I ‘ll admit did think about
it a bit. It was a cool feeling to know you are so close, but you still
have to stay focused and take it one hole at a time. I felt like if I kept
doing what I was doing throughout the whole tournament, I would
have a great shot at winning.”
Indeed, Josephson tested Zaback all the way to the final hole
of the 36-hole final match, but it was Zaback’s remarkable recovery
shots and putting prowess that left him holding the state’s oldest
championship trophy.
He needed everything just to edge Dave Szewczul, who
almost overtook Zaback by advancing to the Round of 16 at the U.S.
Senior Amateur and finishing Runner-Up at the Connecticut Public
Links. But it was Zaback who came out on top, a deserving honor
for a young man who put together a season he won’t soon forget.
26 | CSGA Links // March, 2015
2014 Dick Tettelbach Player of the Year
1
Final Points Standings
Zach Zaback, TPC River Highlands
760.5
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Dave Szewczul, Tunxis Plantation CC
David Pastore, Eclub of Fairfield
John Flaherty, TPC River Highlands
John VanDerLaan, Eclub of New Haven
Chris Wiatr, CC of Waterbury
Blake Morris, CC of Waterbury
Peter Ballo, Woodway CC
Benjamin Day, New Haven CC
Philip Perry, Black Hall Club
619
508
476.5
450
384
375
370
350
330
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