WATERBURY, Conn. – Richard Hayes made a handful of clutch saving pars down the stretch to shoot 9-over-par 216 for 54 holes and win the Connecticut State Golf Association’s Palmer Cup at the Country Club of Waterbury on May 22.
Hayes, of Silver Spring CC in Ridgefield, had 76-71 in the 36-hole finale in gusting 25 mph winds to notch a one-stroke victory over 2018 CSGA Player of the Year Ben Conroy of New Haven CC, who closed with 70-75. Hayes got up-and-down for pars on the 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th holes, birdied No. 16 with a gap wedge that he had just bought, survived a three-putt bogey on No. 17, and then saved par at the 18th, where Conroy drove out of bounds and made a double-bogey 6.
“It was like guesswork out there,” said Hayes, 33, a PricewaterhouseCoopers consultant, alluding to the windy conditions. “You’d look up at the trees and they were leaning one way and the flag was blowing another way and a flag on another hole was going still another way. Brutal.”
Hayes played at Colgate and has since won three consecutive Silver Spring club championships, qualified for the U.S. Mid-Amateur twice and is a former member of the CSGA Tri-State team.
Conroy, who won the 2018 CSGA Amateur Championship, finished one ahead of Chandler Morris of the host club and the University of Connecticut, who closed with 70-75 for 218. He was one better than Chris Bennett of Madison CC (76-72) and Bill Hermanson of the Black Hall Club in Old Lyme (73-71).
Defending champion Brian Ahern didn’t play because of a wrist injury.
The tournament is named for the late Russell C. Palmer, the CSGA executive director in 1986-1995 who was inducted into the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame in 1997. Palmer’s numerous accomplishments included establishing the use of GHIN throughout CSGA member clubs and initiating the purchase of the “Connecticut Golf House” that has served as the home of the CSGA for 30 years.
In addition to his work with the CSGA, Palmer was a member of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland and a president of the International Association of Golf Administrators and Hartford Golf Club. He was also active in the United States Golf Association, where he served as a member of the Museum Committee and as a rules official for several United States Amateurs, Opens and Senior Opens.
BRENNAN, O’HARA TO HIGHLIGHT TRAVELERS WOMEN’S DAY
“Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan and Tony Award-winning actress Kelli O’Hara will be the feature attractions at a special networking breakfast at the 11th annual Travelers Championship Women’s Day at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell on June 20, the day of the first round of the $7.2 million tournament.
Proceeds of the event will benefit tournament charities, including The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, which was founded by late actor Paul Newman and serves children with serious illnesses. Benefits offered to women on Women’s Day include a golf clinic at the TPC River Highlands practice facility, a 10 percent discount on purchases in the official merchandise shop, preferred bleacher seating, exclusive tours of the Golf Channel’s on-site studio and the opportunity to attend a live broadcast of “Golf Central.”
“This year’s Women’s Day Breakfast promises to be another highly successful event,” Travelers Championship tournament director Nathan Grube said. “Margaret brings a unique perspective and engaging stories, having reported on some of the nation’s biggest events over the past decade. And with Kelli’s extensive experience on and off Broadway, she is sure to entertain the crowd.”
Travelers is again the presenting sponsor of the breakfast, and Webster Bank will serve as the supporting sponsor for the second year. The Hartford Business Journal, Hartford HealthCare, Lux Bond & Green and Red Thread will return as event partners.
“We’ve been a proud sponsor of the Women’s Day Breakfast since its start 11 years ago,” said Mojgan Lefebvre, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology & Operations Officer at Travelers. “In that time, the breakfast has become a premier event during tournament week, raising a significant amount of money for charity through an inspirational program that reaches hundreds of women.”
Tickets for the Women’s Day Breakfast include general admission to the tournament and typically sell out quickly. They go on sale Thursday, May 30, at 10 a.m. at TravelersChampionship.com and will be limited to two tickets per person
Brennan, a Stamford native, is moderator of the CBS News program “Face the Nation” and is a CBS News senior foreign affairs correspondent. She joined CBS News in 2012 and was named White House and senior foreign affairs correspondent in 2017. Brennan has reported on the Trump and Obama administrations and covered the State Department for four years, where she reported on major national security stories, including nuclear negotiations with Iran, restoration of diplomatic ties with Cuba, the standoff with North Korea, the conflict in Ukraine and the accord to transfer control of Syria’s chemical weapons. Prior to joining CBS News, Brennan spent a decade covering the global financial markets and anchored and reported for Bloomberg Television globally.
O’Hara currently can be seen starring in the Broadway revival of “Kiss Me, Kate,” for which she earned her seventh Tony Award nomination and the Drama League’s Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater Award. Her portrayal of Anna Leonowens in the critically acclaimed revival of “The King and I” garnered her the 2015 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, along with Grammy Carnegie Hall to Tokyo, and she has released two solo albums, “Always” and “Wonder in the World.” Upcoming: Netflix’s film “All The Bright Play.”
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