BLACK HALL CLUB HOSTS NEXT WEEK’S 91st CONNECTICUT PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

For Immediate Release

CONNECTICUT SECTION PGA

May 17, 2022

BLACK HALL CLUB HOSTS NEXT WEEK’S 91st CONNECTICUT PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

Defending champion Brian Keiser sets his sights on a third straight victory and a return to the Travelers Championship.

OLD LYME, Conn. – It’s been over 40 years since a PGA Professional won three consecutive Connecticut PGA Championships. Dennis Coscina, an 8-time champion, notched his third consecutive title at Cliffside Country Club in 1980, and he remains the only one to accomplish the three-peat in the championship’s 90-year history.

Enter two-time defending champion Brian Keiser, the head professional at Longmeadow Country Club.

Keiser, who was born in 1980, will be among the 61 PGA Professionals competing next Monday and Tuesday at Black Hall Club in Old Lyme, Conn., which will be hosting the  Connecticut PGA Championship for the fourth time.

Keiser captured his first title in 2020 at Wintonbury Hills Golf Course, firing an even par, 36-hole total 140. He followed that up last year, winning the 90th edition of the championship at Wampanoag Country Club with a one-under par, 36-hole total 143, making him the first back-to-back champion since 2011.

Heading into this year’s championship, Keiser said he’s looking forward to playing at Black Hall but not sure how sharp his game is just yet.

“I’m not incredibly familiar with the course,” Keiser confided. “But I know enough to know it will be a great test for myself and the field.”

“Playing in the Travelers Championship and representing the section last season was a tremendous experience,” he said. “Hopefully I can come out on top to have another opportunity.”

Keiser admittedly said he knows he’ll be facing stiff competition not only for the title and to reclaim the Hartford Times Trophy, but also to be the lowest scoring PGA of America member from the Connecticut Section to be awarded the 2022 Travelers Championship exemption.

There are five other former champions in the field including three-time winner Adam Rainaud (2014, 2016, 2018), former assistant at Black Hall and two-time winner PGA Life Member Fran Marrello (2001, 2009) who won his first title at Black Hall.

Chris Tallman (2019) is another former champion who will figure prominently. The PGA general manager at Orchards Golf Club is a three-time and reigning Connecticut Section PGA Player of the Year who was runner up in 2020.

Rounding out the former champions field are Mike Martin (1998) of Tashua Knolls Golf Course and PGA Life Member Jack McConachie (1982), both who have been successful in senior tournaments as of late.

Black Hall is a Robert Trent Jones-designed course that opened in 1965 which has never yielded an under par winning score at the championship. The 2-over par 215, 54-hole total that Marrello posted in 2001 was the best winning score in relation to par. Ed Rubis shot 5-over par 218 in 1974 and it was a three-way playoff in 2011 with Kevin Giancola, Tony Kelley, and Marrello all shooting 8-over par 221.

The championship has since been shortened to 36-holes. Although not exceptionally long, the 6,583-yard, par 71 layout has exacting doglegs and slightly elevated greens that puts a premium on driving the ball in the fairways and landing approaches on the greens.

“The golf course is in great condition,” said Black Hall Club Head Professional Andrew Campbell who was named the 2021 Connecticut Section PGA Golf Professional of the Year. “Phil Neaton (superintendent) and his staff are as excited as I am to host this championship once again. Black Hall is demanding but fair so whoever ends up holding the trophy will be very deserving.”

The winner will receive $4,500 from the $22,000 tournament prize purse which is sponsored by Club Car, Mohegan Sun, Jack Jolly, and the PGA TOUR. The championship is open to all PGA Members in good standing regardless of PGA section affiliation, as well as all Connecticut Section employed PGA Associates.

The first round of the championship gets underway at 9:00 AM on Monday. Players will be re-paired for Tuesday’s final round with the leaders going off last.

The entire list of competitors is listed below and includes 54 PGA Professionals from Connecticut and 7 from Massachusetts: