The final day of the 83rd Connecticut Junior Amateur came down to two players – Luke Stennett and North Chery. Chery owned the first nine holes of the day, carding three birdies on holes one, three, and eight. And along with a par on the difficult par-3 ninth, Chery entered the second half of the day with a 4 up advantage. It looked like the day belonged to him.
On the back, Chery continued to play incredible golf, but very few players could compete with Luke Stennett’s performance in the next nine holes.
After bogeying the par-3 ninth hole, Stennett gave himself a pep talk while waiting for his time to tee off on the par-4 tenth hole. “I told myself I just have to make something special happen” (via CSGA). And did he ever.
The former Portland High School standout golfer birdied holes 10, 11, 12, putting the pressure on Chery. Both players parred 13, sending play to the par-3 15th hole with Chery holding on to his 2-up lead.
Stennett hit the green with his tee shot on the par 3, but left himself a long putt for birdie. Chery, looking to answer Stennett’s tee shot, had difficulty getting up and down after hitting his first shot well right of the green. Stennett, on the other hand, was able to secure his birdie, cutting the deficit to only 1 down with 3 holes to play.
On to the 16th hole where Chery two-putted for his fifth birdie of the match and Stennett, after playing a remarkable second shot, brushed in a short eagle putt to tie the match.
Stennett’s par on the par-4 17th put him in the lead for the first time all day, but the celebrations wouldn’t start yet for the 18 year old.
He found some trouble off the tee on the final hole of the day, but even that couldn’t stop his momentum. “I had a little red tree in my way but thankfully I hit my wedges really high,” Stennett recalled. “So I wasn’t really thinking about the tree at all. I just told myself to get the ball on the green and set up a two-putt” (via CSGA).
He did better than just get the ball on the green for a two putt. Moments after his ball found the front edge of the green and rolled forward to four feet, Stennett converted his fifth birdie of the back nine and secured a 2-up victory.
“Winning the Connecticut Junior Amateur in my last try means everything,” said Stennett, who had previously advanced as far as the semifinals. “I’ve been looking forward to this tournament so much because it’s my last Connecticut Junior Amateur” (via CSGA).
But that wasn’t all. The 28, featuring an eagle and five birdies, Stennett carded on the back nine was his best nine-hole score he’s ever recorded.
“I’ve shot two or three 29s,” Stennett said. “But shooting a 28 in these circumstances is something that I didn’t even think I could do. It gives me a great amount of confidence for the rest of the summer and for when I begin my college career at the University of Rhode Island in the fall” (via CSGA).
Photo Credit: CSGA
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