Aoife Devaney Wins Hartford Women’s Open at Keney Park Golf Course
HARTFORD, Conn. (July 26, 2023) – Aoife Devaney of Waterbury was nine years old when the first Hartford Women’s Open was held in 2016. She shot her career best round during one of those years, and yesterday she topped that by recording her best and first under par 36-hole total shooting 66-70-136 and winning the 2023 Hartford Women’s Open at Keney Park Golf Course.
The win for the 17-year-old Devaney left her in awe.
Nearing the final holes, she said her legs felt like jelly. But she focused on her breathing and had her brother Aidan caddying for her and helping to keep her calm.
“We only talked about our shot when we got to the ball,” Davaney said. “Between shots we talked about everything and just had fun.”
It was an emotional and satisfying win for Devaney.
“Last year I was an 80’s girl, maybe the high 70’s,” she said. “Junior year is just so important for college and everything else. I’m just so thankful.”
Devaney led after the first round by two strokes after recording her career best 66. But she got off to a rough start yesterday.
“On the front nine we just seemed to be between clubs and the wind was swirling.”
Two bogies and one birdie left Devaney 3-under par for the tournament after 27 holes.
Meanwhile, professional Linda Wang from Plainview, N.Y., recorded three birdies on her front nine and took the tournament lead at 4-under par after 27 holes.
Wang couldn’t keep her good momentum going on the back nine and struggled making three bogeys and finishing 69-70-139, 1-under for the tournament and in a tied for third overall.
Mia Grzywinski of Farmington, Conn., and the 2021 Hartford Women’s Open champion, started the final round two strokes behind Devaney. Grzywinski was steady on the front, turning in even par 35 to remain 2-under for the tournament after 27 holes. But like Wang, she had string of bogies on her back nine and fell back shooting 68-74-142 and finishing all alone in fifth place.
It was professional Camden Morrison of Ipswich, Mass., who made the biggest climb up the leaderboard and who ended up 70-67-137 and runner up, one-stroke behind Devaney.
Morrison started her final round with three straight bogies. She birdied the ninth hole to stand 2-over par and six strokes behind Wang, and five behind Devaney, after 27 holes.
Morrison eagled the par 5 10th hole and then made birdies on holes 13 and 14.
Playing in the second to last group right in front of Devaney who was in the last group, Morrison was second to tee off on the par 3, 18th hole. Her playing partner Annie Dai who birdied hole 17 had the honor to hit first.
Dai was last year’s runner up, losing in a sudden death playoff to two-time champion Angela Garvin who recently entered graduate school in New Mexico and missed her first ever Hartford Women’s Open.
Dai proceeded to make a hole in one on the final hole of the tournament, witnessed by the players and spectators gathered round the green. The ace catapulted Dai up the leader board and she finished 69-70-139 and in a tied for third with Wang.
Devaney heard the celebration.
“When I heard that I thought that was it,” Devaney said. “Annie’s been playing so well the past few tournaments.”
Meanwhile Morrison still had to play. She paused and waited until the jubilation quieted and then made a great shot herself. Her ball ended 12 feet from the hole, and she drained the birdie putt forcing Devaney to make par to avoid a playoff.
Devaney also reached the 18th green in regulation. However, she had a 40-foot putt and had to negotiate the large spine that traversed the green.
Avoiding looking at the leader board that she faced on the same line as her putt, she rolled her birdie attempt to just inches for the cup. She tapped in and became the fourth straight amateur, and youngest ever, to win the Hartford Women’s Open.
# # #
Aoife Devaney interview (click here)
Final Results
(P) denotes professional
1 Aoife Devaney (a) Waterbury, CT 66-70--136 -4
2 Camden Morrison (p) Ipswich, MA 70-67--137 -3
T3 Annie Dai (a) Longmeadow, MA 69-70--139 -1
T3 Linda Wang (p) Plainview, NY 69-70--139 -1
5 Mia Grzywinski (a) Farmington, CT 68-74--142 +2
T6 Susie Cavanagh (p) Warwick, RI 71-72--143 +3
T6 Laniah Moffett (a) Waterbury, CT 69-74--143 +3
8 Olivia Deakins (a) Dobbs Ferry, NY 74-71--145 +5
T9 Zorah Williams (a) Mystic, CT 73-75--148 +8
T9 Savannah Boyd (a) Yorba Linda, CA 71-77--148 +8
11 Arabella Lopez (a) Ridgefield, CT 74-75--149 +9
12 Molly Holbert (p) Mechanicsburg, PA 76-74--150 +10
T13 Caroline Petchark (a) Waterford, CT 76-75--151 +11
T13 Kate Hong (a) Old Greenwich, CT 73-78--151 +11
T13 Grace Farland (a) Sturbridge, MA 72-79--151 +11
T16 Morgan MacLeod (a) North Attleboro, MA 77-76--153 +13
T16 Kenna Roman (a) Kensington, CT 77-76--153 +13
T16 Kayla Howell (a) Yorktown Heights, NY 73-80--153 +13
19 Kayla Schuberth (a) Wrentham, MA 76-78--154 +14
20 Jaelyn DeBoise (a) Springfield, MA 77-79--156 +16
T21 Sydney Hidalgo (a) Cheshire, CT 78-79--157 +17
T21 Marie Allo (p) North Stonington, CT 75-82--157 +17
T23 Taylor Schmidt (p) Westfield, MA 84-74--158 +18
T23 Samantha Dunn (a) Berlin, CT 74-84--158 +18
T25 Samantha Leary (a) Hingham, MA 83-76--159 +19
T25 Cecily Henshon (a) Longmeadow, MA 80-79--159 +19
27 Alia Godek (a) Feeding Hills, MA 77-83--160 +20
T28 Isabella Thomas (a) Oxford, CT 80-81--161 +21
T28 Teresa Esposito (a) North Haven, CT 80-81--161 +21
T30 Lauren Ogrodowicz (a) Stratford, CT 83-79--162 +22
T30 Maddie Chang (a) New York, NY 77-85--162 +22
T32 Elizabeth Dunn (a) Berlin, CT 84-80--164 +24
T32 Erin Sullivan (a) Norwood, MA 82-82--164 +24
T32 Olivia Foard (a) Longmeadow, MA 82-82--164 +24
T35 Dixi Han (a) Shrewsbury, MA 83-82--165 +25
T35 Sadie Lee (a) Weston, CT 83-82--165 +25
T35 Carol Pignato (a) Foxborough, MA 81-84--165 +25
T35 Lauren Connor (a) Westfield, MA 80-85--165 +25
T39 Eve Krinsky (a) New York, NY 89-77--166 +26
T39 Anna DeSanto (a) West Hartford, CT 85-81--166 +26
T41 Lorelai Flanagan (a) Arlington, MA 86-81--167 +27
T41 Rosie Leonard (a) Sharon, MA 81-86--167 +27
T43 Jennifer Walsh (a) Sutton, MA 85-83--168 +28
T43 Sophia Cunningham (a) Tolland, CT 83-85--168 +28
T43 Jo Rasmussen (a) Westport, CT 83-85--168 +28
T46 Olivia Dahn (a) Bristol, CT 85-84--169 +29
T46 Bailey Brescia (a) Oxford, MA 80-89--169 +29
T48 Maxie Mirin (a) New Canaan, CT 85-86--171 +31
T48 Hannah Pignato (a) Foxborough, MA 79-92--171 +31
T50 Chelsea Woods (a) East Hampton, CT 87-85--172 +32
T50 Grace Codd (a) Trumbull, CT 76-96--172 +32
T52 Shawna Aurora (a) Hamden, CT 89-85--174 +34
T52 Mia Bardinelli (a) Waban, MA 87-87--174 +34
T54 Paige McKenna (a) Fairfield, CT 92-84--176 +36
T54 Elena Spangle (a) Granby, CT 88-88--176 +36
56 Lila Reiling (a) Fairfield, CT 92-87--179 +39
T57 Rachel Pontoriero (a) Westport, CT 89-91--180 +40
T57 Lucie Zhao (a) Bloomfield, CT 90-90--180 +40
59 Iliana Chaplinski (a) Plantsvile, CT 89-93--182 +42
60 Helen Wright (a) Belchertown, MA 94-92--186 +46
61 Julia Pace (a) West Springfield, MA 93-95--188 +48
62 Maggie Montalto (a) Rocky Hill, CT 91-98--189 +49
63 Selam Olson (a) New Haven, CT 94-97--191 +51
64 Ava Roy (a) Portland, CT 106-93--199 +59
65 Julia Smith (a) Plainville, CT 98-103--201 +61
66 Nicolette Hall (a) Trumbull, CT 108-100--208 +68