The Tournament Committee is proud to announce that
the 13th Northern Junior will be played August 4th-6th, 2014 at New
Haven Country Club in Hamden, Connecticut. The 36-hole championship will be contested
over two days and is open to amateur Boys and
Girls who have not reached their 19th birthday before August 6th, 2014 and have
not yet entered their first year of college.
Widely regarded as one of the top private golf
courses in New England, New Haven Country Club was founded in 1898 and features
an 18-hole championship course designed by Willie Park, Jr. The course has
undergone numerous renovations since its inception, including a new set of
green complexes that were completely resurfaced in 2009. The course is known
for its outstanding playing conditions and its challenging, undulating greens which
are often regarded as the best in the state.
New Haven Country Club will become the third
different course to host the Northern Junior in its thirteen year history. The international
junior event was contested at Timberlin Golf Club from 2002 to 2010, and at
Ellington Ridge Country Club from 2011 to 2013. Last year at Ellington Ridge,
Evan Grenus of Glastonbury, Connecticut and Amy Ding of Lexington,
Massachusetts captured their first Northern Junior titles in dramatic fashion.
“Each year, we try to do whatever we can to bring
our tournament to the next level,” said Brent Paladino, Tournament Co-Director.
“While our tournament enjoyed tremendous success and growth at Ellington Ridge
Country Club, the opportunity to host our championship at New Haven Country
Club, a place with such a rich history, was one we could not pass up.”
Indeed, New Haven
Country Club boasts a history that is unrivaled in the state. The club was a
founding member of the League of Connecticut Golf Clubs which later became the
Connecticut State Golf Association, and it has been a cornerstone of the state’s
golf scene ever since. Yale professor Theodore Woolsey is credited with being
the driving force behind the club’s incorporation and much of its early
development including the purchase of an expanse of farmland beside Lake
Whitney in Hamden.
The present layout
was designed by renowned architect Willie Park, Jr. in 1922. While the course
is relatively straight-forward from the teeing ground, it is the green
complexes that truly define the course. “New Haven Country Club features an
incredible set of greens that offer a wide variety of hole locations,” said
Kevin Josephson, Course Set-Up Committee. “We are already looking ahead and
planning the set-up of the golf course and look forward to providing the
players with a unique and interesting challenge come early August.”
New Haven Country Club has a long history of
hosting the area’s top amateur championships, having played host to an
incredible sixteen Connecticut Amateur Championships and seven Connecticut Open
Championships. It also hosted the New England Amateur in 1941 and 1998, and the
New England Junior Championship in 2007.
Most recently, it hosted the 2013 Connecticut
Amateur Championship, the 111th playing of the event, which saw Cody Paladino
(Tournament Co-Director) of Wethersfield Country Club capture the title over
Peter Ballo. “New Haven Country Club will always have a special place in my
heart. The entire aura of the club makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in
time, and bringing the Northern Junior there will make it a truly special and
memorable week for everyone involved,” said Cody.
Preparations for this year’s event are already
under way, noted Jack Ayers, Tournament Committee member. “We have already
begun brainstorming ways to make the 2014 Northern Junior an even better
experience. The move to New Haven CC is a huge upgrade for the event, and will
help us truly deliver a PGA-Tour experience to our players from the moment they
arrive.”
The Northern
Junior Championship is a nationally ranked junior golf tournament that was
created in order to provide top national and international junior players a
chance to compete and also enjoy an entirely unique experience. The 36-hole
stroke play event is contested over two days and is open to amateur boys and
girls under the age of 19 who have not entered their first year of college. The
goal of the event is to provide the same championship treatment offered at the premier
amateur, collegiate, and professional events around the world, while also
providing junior golfers with exposure to college golf coaches and national
media.
The tournament
is conducted each year in memory of Stan Trojanowski, father of Cindy and Gary
Trojanowski. A golfer himself, his personality and willingness to help others
will never be forgotten in the people he met both on and off the golf course.
The Northern Junior was established in 2002 in memory of his death on August
21st, 2001.
Championship
Schedule
Wednesday, July 9th
Tournament Application Deadline
Thursday, July 31st
Boys Qualifier at Simsbury Farms Golf Course (Click
here for Information)
Monday, August 4th
Official Practice Rounds (Complimentary for all participants)
10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. – Registration on porch next to Putting Green
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. – Registration inside Clubhouse, before Players Dinner
7:30 p.m. – Players Dinner and Ryan Lee Scholarship Presentation
(Complimentary for all participants. Family and friends of participants are
invited and encouraged to attend)
Tuesday, August 5th
First Round of Stroke Play
7:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Starting Times (All play will be in threesomes)
10:45 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Complimentary lunch provided to all participants
Wednesday, August 6th
Second Round of Stroke Play
7:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Starting Times (Players will be re-paired by score,
with leaders going off last. All play will be in threesomes.)
10:45 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Complimentary lunch provided to all participants
5:00 p.m. – Awards Ceremony and Trophy Presentation