RON PFAEFFLIN WINS WALTER LOWELL PGA TOURNAMENT
Records his first Connecticut PGA Section individual tournament title
WOODBRIDGE, Conn. (June 2, 2021) – Ron Pfaefflin made a move in the middle of his round, recording six birdies in an 8-hole stretch (including four in a row) that catapulted him to the top of the leaderboard in the 2021 Walter Lowell PGA Tournament yesterday at The Tradition Golf Club at Oak Lane.
Pfaefflin, the head professional at Norfolk Country Club, posted 26 points in the modified stableford event where points are awarded for pars (1 point), birdies (3); eagles (5); and double eagles (7). Pfaefflin’s six birdies gave him 18 points and his eights pars gave him the balance of his total.
Brad Lusenhop of the Country Club of Waterbury also posted 26 points in similar fashion, recording his own six birdies and eight pars.
The tournament championship was then decided in a sudden death playoff where Pfaefflin birdied the first playoff hole and thereby sealing his first-ever Connecticut Section PGA individual tournament title and the $1,500 that goes along with it.
The field of 63 PGA Members was divided into four divisions based upon years of PGA Membership, all named for golf’s four 2021 major championship sites: Augusta National Golf Club, the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, Torrey Pines Golf Course, and Royal St. Georges Golf Course.
CJ Konkowski of Hartford Golf Club won the Augusta National Division with 21 points; Lusenhop took the Kiawah Division; Jason Gobleck of the Golf Center at Lyman Orchards won the Torrey Pines Division with 24 points; and Mike Martin of Tashua Knolls was tops in the Royal St. Georges Division with 23 points. Each division title holder earned $700.
In the team foursome cumulative Stableford contest, the team of Jordan Gosler, Pfaefflin, Rick Fleury, and Mike Gramelis scored a total of 78 points and took first place. Each player received $200.
The Kiawah Island Division won the cumulative Stableford division contest by earning 265 points. All players in the division received $75.
The Walter Lowell PGA Tournament began in 2001 to honor the top public golf course in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts with namesake, Walter Lowell, a member of The PGA of America Hall of Fame and 1978 PGA of America Golf Professional of the Year. Lowell and his family operated Canton Public Golf Course for over 80 years with a dedicated spirit to make golf fun and available to everyone.
At the awards luncheon Steve and Jennifer Sawka accepted the Walter Lowell Public Golf Course award on behalf of the Cedar Knob Golf Course, this year’s public golf course recipient.
Thank you to host PGA Professional, Nick Rykoski, and his staff at The Tradition Golf Club at Oak Lane. The Walter Lowell PGA Tournament is proudly presented by Kirk & Matz with support from the PGA TOUR.
# # #