OXFORD, Conn. (Oct. 6, 2014) — Difficult scoring conditions were the story after day one of the Connecticut Public Links Championship, being played October 6th – 7th at the Golf Club at Oxford Greens in Oxford, Conn. Philip Boehme of Wheeler Park Golf Course and Richard Malafronte of Hunter Golf Club share the overnight lead heading into tomorrow’s final round after both players shot a round of one over-par 73.
Conducted by the Connecticut State Golf Association, the Connecticut Public Links Championship is a 36-hole stroke play competition that honors the true spirit of public golf in the state. The Public Links Championship is open to Connecticut amateur golfers who have been bona-fide public course players since the start of the calendar year. The championship layout at Oxford Greens opened for play in 2005 and is set up to play at a total of 6,598 yards for the competitors.
Boehme began the day with a steady front nine, making just one bogey on the fifth hole, matched with a birdie on the par-5 eighth. His back nine; however, was quite the opposite. His back nine began with a string of bogies on holes #10-12, but he rebounded with three birdies on his final six en-route to a one over-par total. Playing the final stretch of holes at even-par or better will no doubt be crucial for the eventual champion, as holes #14, 15 and 18 played among the most difficult in Round 1.
On the other hand, Malafronte will be hoping to forget the final stretch of holes when he begins tomorrow's round. Standing on the 17th tee, he was one under-par for the championship and in the lead, but a costly double-bogey 7 on the par-5 dropped him into a tie at 73. With the exception of the blemish on #17, his card was remakable solid and included just two bogies, matched with three birdies.
Both Boehme and Malafronte will enter tomorrow’s final round seeking to win their first CSGA Major Championship, and they will have plenty of contenders. Trailing Boehme and Malafronte by just a single shot are a total of six players – Ross Kronberg, Josh Cameron, Paul Schaeffer, Glen Boggini, Chet Hrostek and Mike Reddy – all of whom shot a round of two over-par 74. Among the group, Kronberg is the most recent CSGA champion, having won the 18th Jerry Courville, Sr. Memorial in September with Peter Ballo. Hrostek also enters tomorrow’s round hoping to avenge last year’s Public Links Championship – he was the overnight leader heading into the final round but eventually finished in fourth place after shooting 76.
Sitting just two shots back alone in 8th place is a familiar name; that of Dave Szewczul of Tunxis Plantation Country Club. The 2011 Public Links Champion, he shot a round of three over-par 75 and is certainly among the favorites to make a move up the leaderboard. Szewczul recently finished second in the Connecticut Senior Amateur Championship last week at Wethersfield Country Club, which wrapped up his sixth consecutive CSGA Senior Player of the Year title by an amazing 1,084 points.
This year’s starting field of ninety-five players was trimmed to the low thirty competitors, plus ties, following the conclusion of the first round. A total of thirty-three players made the cut at a score of 80 (+8) or better, and will play the second and final round tomorrow, Tuesday, October 6th.
The final round will begin at 8:00 a.m., with the leaders teeing off last at approximately 9:40 a.m
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ABOUT THE Connecticut Public Links
36-hole stroke play championship with a cut to the
low
30 players and ties after the first round. Must hold
an
active USGA handicap at a CSGA member club not
exceeding 9.0.
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