McCarthy Qualifies for 86th Connecticut Open Championship

The Connecticut Open Championship will be held for the 86th time this summer, but for the first time the field will include a member of the Mitchell College men's golf team.

Michael McCarthy, who will be a junior in the fall, earned his spot through sectional qualifying on Monday. He shot a three-over par round of 74 at the Golf Club of Avon and was one of 23 golfers to make the cut of the field of 84. Successful qualifiers advance to the 86th Connecticut Open Championship at Ridgewood Country Club on August 3-5, 2020.

McCarthy's day didn't get off to a great start as he opened his round with bogeys on the first two holes. He settled down by parring the next hole, and then got a shot back with a birdie on the par-5 fifth.

"Definitely not an ideal start," said McCarthy. "I was a little nervous on the first tee, and though I hit my drive right down the middle, I ended up making bogey. My caddie, Keith, did a great job of keeping me relaxed."

Following a bogey on the seventh hole, McCarthy made the turn at two-over. He was certainly in contention, but there wasn't much wiggle room left over the final nine holes.

He started the back nine with an errant tee shot on 10, but made a good up-and-down to save par. However, any margin for error was quickly erased due to bogeys on 11 and 13.

The turning point came on 14, where he drained an 8-foot putt to save par and keep his hopes alive. Another long par putt on 15 brought him to the par-5 16th, where he striped a drive down the center of the fairway and hit a nine-iron approach just short of the green. He nearly chipped in for eagle but settled for a tap-in birdie.

"That birdie on 16 was definitely big," said McCarthy. "Going into that hole, I wasn't necessarily thinking that I needed to make birdie at that point. But it took some of the pressure off for the final two holes."

After a routine par on 17, McCarthy came to the final hole at three-over par for the round. He put his drive in the fairway, dropped his approach shot within 12 feet of the pin and calmly two-putted to card a 74. The only thing left to do was wait and see if it was good enough.

"My caddie had been following the live scoring all day, but he didn't let me know," said McCarthy. "I went on my phone right after the round and saw that I had a good chance. I think it was 45 minutes later that I got a text from the pro at Timberlin (Golf Club), congratulating me on making the cut."

McCarthy isn't putting a ton of pressure on himself for the Connecticut Open Championship, which boasts a field that includes both amateur and professional golfers. He'll spend the rest of the month preparing—hitting the driving range, playing practice rounds and working on his putting. Ultimately, he plans on enjoying the experience.

"I'm going to stay focused and do the best I can," said McCarthy, who has spent the summer working at Shuttle Meadow Country Club in Kensington while refining his game. "It's a big event, and I'm looking forward to it."