C.J. KONKOWSKI LEADS CONNECTICUT PGA PROFESSIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
By Bruce Berlet
KENSINGTON, Conn. (October 4, 2022) – Rain, swirling winds and bone-chilling temperatures made creativity and patience major ingredients in the challenging first round of the Connecticut PGA Professional Championship at Shuttle Meadow Country Club on Tuesday.
C.J. Konkowski managed to handle the adverse elements the best, carding four birdies, including three in a row starting at the fifth, in shooting a 3-under-par 68 for a two-stroke lead over Jason Gobleck and Jordan Gosler heading into the final round Wednesday.
“It was pretty bad all day, so I just kept thinking about hitting greens and having good pace on the greens,” said Konkowski, who hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation. “I just played steady and made some putts, which was the difference.”
Konkowski, 29, the third-year assistant professional at Hartford Golf Club who finished third last year, bogeyed the fourth hole but then made birdie putts of 15, 20 and 25 on the next three holes and made the turn in 2-under 35. He got 4-under with birdies at the 10th and 14th holes, where a heavy rain squall hit, but he bogeyed No. 15 before making three closing pars.
Gobleck, 52, of Golf Center at Lyman Orchards in Middlefield, made two lengthy birdie putts in carding a 70. He said a 40-foot putt on the fourth hole “kind of got my round going” and he made a 12-foot birdie putt at No. 8 to make the turn in 2-under 35. He made a bogey at the 11th hole after hitting his tee shot in a bunker but then made a 25-foot birdie putt at No. 14. A bogey at the 17th hole gave him a 35 on the back nine.
“It was a nine out of 10 in difficulty,” Gobleck, who finished third last year to qualify for his first national championship, said of the conditions. “It was one of those days where you had to take one shot at a time, and I hit a lot of good iron shots.”
Gobleck tied for second in the Section Senior PGA Championship to qualify for the PGA of America Senior Professional Championship on Oct. 13-16 at Twin Warriors & Santa Ana Pueblo Golf Clubs in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M. He qualified for the same event last year and his first appearance in a national championship.
Gosler, playing in the final group when the conditions were often at their worst, made a 6-foot putt for his fourth birdie of the day on the par-5 18th hole to get his share of second place. That came after three consecutive bogeys that dropped him out of the lead, but Gosler wasn’t complaining.
“I had to guess yardages and wind directions on a lot of shots, so I feel really good,” said Gosler, who is in his 12th year at Manchester Country Club, the last three as head pro. “It was howling at the end, but I hit the ball and putted well.”
Bryan Truszkowski of the Candlewood Lake Club in New Milford is third at 71, one ahead of Matt Stein of GREATHOURSE in Hampden, Mass.
“I hit a lot of fairways and greens, but I kind of got sloppy on the back nine (2-over 36),” said Truszkowski, who had five birdies and five bogeys. He tied third in 2018 to qualify for his first national championship.
Stein managed to make a bogey on the 18th hole after his second shot was lost in the face of a fairway bunker.
“We found three balls, but unfortunately none of them were mine,” said Stein, who made a 40-yard shot to 12 inches to salvage the tough-luck bogey.
Playing partners Chris Tallman, the general manager at Orchards Golf Club in South Hadley, Mass., and Billy Street of Whitney Farms Golf Course in Monroe remained locked in the battle for Section Player of the Year after each shot 73 to finish in a tie for sixth with Adam D’Amario of Indian Hill Country Club in Newington. Tallman (361.00 points) is the leader for the Bob Shea plaque, followed by Street (314.00). Street parred the first playoff hole to defeat Tallman and win his third Match Play Championship at Orchards GC two weeks ago. Tallman and Street are the only players with a shot at the Player of the Year title. Tallman can clinch a third consecutive Player of the Year by finishing no worse than third no matter how Street finishes.
“I hit the ball OK, but a few approaches came off of false fronts because of the wind,” said Tallman, who had three birdies and five bogeys.
“It was tough all day with the wind and cold,” said Street, who had one birdie and three bogeys. “The wind picked up on the back nine, and some pins were on ridges.”
The winner on Wednesday earns $4,000 from a $20,000 purse, and the Section Player of the Year and two others will qualify for the 2023 PGA Professional Championship April 30-May 3 at Twin Warriors & Santa Ana Pueblo Golf Clubs in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M. The final round begins at 8 a.m., and Konkowski, Gosler and Gobleck are in the final group that tees off at 10:20 a.m.
The tournament’s presenting sponsors are Cadillac, Club Car and Rolex. Supporting sponsors are Titleist/Footjoy, Callaway, Nike, TaylorMade, Golf Channel and the PGA Tour.
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Round 1 results
1 C.J. Konkowski Hartford Golf Club 35-33--68 -3
T2 Jason Gobleck Golf Center at Lyman Orchards 35-35--70 -1
T2 Jordan Gosler Manchester Country Club 34-36--70 -1
4 Bryan Truszkowski Candlewood Lake Club 35-36--71 E
5 Matt Stein GreatHorse37-35--72 +1
T6 Adam D'Amario Indian Hill Country Club 37-36--73 +2
T6 William Street Whitney Farms Golf Club 38-35--73 +2
T6 Christopher Tallman Orchards Golf Club 37-36--73 +2
T9 Kevin Mahaffy Pequabuck Golf Club 40-34--74 +3
T9 Ian Marshall Shuttle Meadow Country Club 37-37--74 +3
T9 Terry Slater Race Brook Country Club 34-40--74 +3
T12 Bob Bigonette H. Smith Richardson Golf Course 42-33--75 +4
T12 Brian Keiser Longmeadow Country Club 39-36--75 +4
T12 Fran Marrello PGA Life Member 39-36--75 +4
T15 John Detmer Go Golf Academy 40-36--76 +5
T15 Steve Madison Golf Club of Avon 41-35--76 +5
T17 Marc Bayram Timberlin Golf Club 40-37--77 +6
T17 Mike Martin Tashua Knolls Golf Course 42-35--77 +6
T17 Jan Wivestad Chris Cote's School of Golf 40-37--77 +6
T20 E.J. Altobello Springfield Country Club 38-40--78 +7
T20 Nathan Grube Travelers Championship 42-36--78 +7
T20 Bob Mucha Edgewood Golf Course 43-35--78 +7
T23 John Riordan Longmeadow Country Club 42-37--79 +8
T23 Sean Sweitzer Madison Country Club 41-38--79 +8
T25 Brad Lusenhop Country Club of Waterbury 41-39--80 +9
T25 Joe Mentz Mohegan Sun Golf Club 41-39--80 +9
T25 Kevin Shea Great Neck Country Club 40-40--80 +9
T25 John Vitale Full Circle Golf 41-39--80 +9
T25 William Wallis New Haven Country Club 43-37--80 +9
T30 William Burns Hartford Golf Club 41-40--81 +10
T30 Dave Cook Pomperaug Golf Course 43-38--81 +10
T30 Tom Halsted Sharon Country Club 41-40--81 +10
T30 Mark Moriarty The First Tee of Connecticut 43-38--81 +10
T30 Nicholas Tamburini The Ranch Golf Club 38-43--81 +10
35 Michael Jezierski Raceway Golf Club 42-40--82 +11
T36 Josh Carney Manchester Country Club 46-38--84 +13
T36 Joe Cordani Hop Meadow Country Club 43-41--84 +13
T36 Jeff DelRosso Prospect Golf 43-41--84 +13
T39 Jim Hanlon The Farms Country Club 44-41--85 +14
T39 Donny Kirkpatrick Wampanoag Country Club 49-36--85 +14
T39 Jason Loomis Great River Golf Club 47-38--85 +14
T39 Bart McCarthy Gillette Ridge Golf Club 48-37--85 +14
43 John Dipollina Golf Center at Lyman Orchards 44-44--88 +17
T44 Ron Dellostritto Fairways Golf Range and Pro Shop 47-42--89 +18
T44 Greg Miller Gainfield Farms Golf Course 49-40--89 +18