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| Holy Cross’ Mike Mencio watches his putt at the fifth hole during Wednesday’s Jack Stigberg Memorial Golf Tournament at Farmingbury Hills Golf Course. (Copyright, Sports on CT-69) |
It was a beautiful day for golf on Wednesday at Farmingbury Hills Golf Course, about as good as it gets actually.
Players from 15 different schools gathered for the 37th Annual Jack Stigberg Memorial Golf Tournament, hosted by Wolcott High School. It came down to the final hole, and Woodland used a birdie to win the two-man, best-ball competition. Hawk golfers Josh Hassan and Julian Perino shot an even-par 70 over 18 holes, two shots better than the 72 from Platt Tech’s Matt Allan and Ryan Solkoske. Perino drove the ball onto the green on the downhill third hole, a par 4, then needed two putts for the birdie and the win.
The best local team finish came from the Holy Cross duo of Mike Mencio and Vin Graziano, who carded a 77 and took sixth place. St. Paul’s Ryne Salius and Mike Dolce were right behind them in seventh with a 78. Sacred Heart’s Shea Zaccagnini and Matt Arias took 10th with an 85, followed by Wolcott A’s Matt Romeo and Colin Brandt in 11th with a 90. Kaynor Tech’s George Pastorok and Anthony Helmen shot 94 and finished 13th, and the Wolcott ‘B’ duo of Anthony Santos and David Talnose tallied a 100 and finished 15th out of 16 groups.
Mencio turned in one of the wilder shots of the day on the fifth hole, an uphill par 4. Mencio hit his approach shot over the green, and it struck a rock behind the green. Instead of going awry, the ball went nearly straight up in the air…and landed on the back left side of the green. Mencio, who said he took a club too much, went on to make an improbable par.
Earlier in the day, Naugatuck’s Joe Macary holed a birdie putt from off of the front edge of the green on the par 3 sixth hole. Macary said afterward that he had no idea how he made the uphill putt.
The tournament honors the memory of Jack Stigberg, a member of the Wolcott golf team who was killed in a motorcycle accident. The tournament helps keep Stigberg’s memory alive, and money from the event is given as scholarships to Wolcott seniors each year.
GALLERY: My photos from Wednesday’s tournament.
