Gerard Connelly Captures the Richardson Memorial

10/14/2017 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff

LIGA Tournament Director John McGrath and winner Gerard Connolly; Senior champ Jay Sessa<br>(LIGA Photo)

Connelly wins four straight holes on the back nine to flip the match; Jay Sessa wins the Senior Division in 20 holes

HEWLETT, NY (October 14, 2017) - Down early and for much of the match Gerard Connelly rallied late to seemingly come out of nowhere and win the Richardson Memorial Invitational hosted by The Seawane Club. Connelly, the nine-seed, was 1 down in the title match through 12 holes against three-seed Brett Cooper before winning holes 13-16 in succession to claim the match 3&2. After squaring the match on the 13th Connelly took his first lead on the ensuing hole when he hit his six-iron to four-feet on the over 200 yard par-3 setting up a birdie. On the following hole, the par-5 15th Connelly took control of the match hitting his third shot to eight-feet and setting up another birdie that pushed his lead to 2 up. With momentum all on Connelly's side he closed the match out one hole later. For much of the day it looked as if the win was going to belong to Cooper as he came out of the gates strong with an opening hole birdie that saw him take a quick 1 up advantage. Cooper would win the 4th hole to push his lead to 2 up but Connelly would never let himself fall too far behind. Connelly reached the title match with a 4&3 win in the semifinals over No. 5 Jason Monroe while Cooper advanced after a grueling 20 hole victory over No. 10 Jay Card III. Connelly also bested top-seed Kevin Talty 2&1 during his run to the championship. In the Senior Masters Division, Jay Sessa defeated Rene Bosne in 20 holes to win the championship. Sessa was two up with four to go but saw Bosne birdie the 15th and par the 18th to send the match to extra holes. After the 19th hole was halved with pars, Bosne could not par the 20th, and the match was over.

About the Richardson Memorial

Event honors William Richardson, legendary New York Times golf writer. Regional field plays on a Devereaux Emmet golf course that has been restored to his original vision. 18 hole qualifier establishes match play brackets.

Most Popular Articles

2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Guide: Sites, Scores, and Who Advanced

Dec 5, 2025Second Stage is complete and Final Stage awaits at Sawgrass — follow every Q-School leaderboard and the players still chasing

2025 LPGA TOUR Q-Series: Final Qualifying Stage FINAL SCORING

Dec 8, 2025Helen Briem earns medalist honors, 31 players headed to the LPGA next year

2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Final Stage: Ewart Leads Five New TOUR Card Winners

Dec 14, 2025A.J. Ewart topped Final Stage at TPC Sawgrass, leading five players who secured PGA TOUR membership for 2026.

Australian Open at Royal Melbourne: Preview, amateur bios, and how to watch

Nov 30, 2025Rory McIlroy headlines one of the championship's top fields in years - at least four amateurs will have their chance at glory

Inside Gil Hanse’s Restoration of Baltusrol’s Upper Course: A Return to Tillinghast’s

Dec 11, 2025Renowned architect Gil Hanse reveals how he brought Baltusrol’s Upper Course back to life by honoring A.W. Tillinghast’s original

Filters

Related Tournament

Richardson Memorial

View Details

Loading latest news...