The Tournament Committee is proud to announce that the 16th Northern Junior Championship will be contested August 7th – 9th, 2017 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 by August 8th, 2017 and have not yet entered their first year of college.
Click here for 2017 Tournament Information
Click here for Entry Procedure and Criteria
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.
2017 will mark the fourth consecutive year that New Haven Country Club will host the Northern Junior Championship. Last year, the Northern Junior featured its strongest field to date, as 121 players from twenty-four different states and provinces gathered at New Haven CC for the 36-hole stroke play competition. Bobby Weise of Freehold, New Jersey captured the Boys Championship with rounds of 71-69—140, winning on the first playoff hole over Angelo Giantsopoulos of Richmond, Hill, Ontario. In the Girls Championship, Virginie Ding of Hong Kong, China became the first foreign born player to win the Northern Junior, shooting rounds of 73-74–147 and winning in a playoff over Christine Shao of Green Brook, New Jersey.
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, and will host the 2018 Connecticut Open Championship.
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 each year makes it a truly special and memorable week for everyone involved,” said Cody.
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
Friday, July 7th
Tournament Application Deadline
Monday, July 17th
Open Qualifier at Oak Hills Park Golf Course (Click here for Information)
Wednesday, July 26th
Open Qualifier at Simsbury Farms Golf Course (Click here for Information)
Monday, August 7th
Official Practice Rounds (Complimentary for all participants)
10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. – Registration and Official Practice Rounds
5:30 p.m. – Players Welcome Reception and Ryan Lee Scholarship Presentation
(Complimentary for all participants. Family and friends of participants are invited and encouraged to attend)
Tuesday, August 8th
First Round of Stroke Play
7:00 a.m. – 12:30 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 9th
Second Round of Stroke Play
7:00 a.m. – 12:30 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