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Youth Is Served

Kelly Whaley, 14, captures Connecticut Women's Amateur

Kelly Whaley's putting was so mediocre during her first round 75 that she stayed on the Timberlin putting green for 40 minutes after her round.

The practice paid off as Whaley, from Farmington, shot an even-par 72 and won the Connecticut Women's State Amateur by a single stroke over first round leader Ellie Dutch of East Haddam.

"My putting was so much better than yesterday, I think that was the difference," said Whaley, whose sister Jen shot 80-88-168. "I'm really surprised I won it because I wasn't even in the last group. I think that made it easier because I wasn't in the last group and could just concentrate and play my game."

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Dutch, who was tied for the lead after the first round said she didn't know where she stood coming down the stretch.

"I had heard that (co-leader) Mia (Landegren) and I were a shot behind on 16 or 17," Dutch said. "I honestly thought I needed to birdie the last hole to tie and go to the playoff on the last hole."

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Dutch actually just needed to two-putt from 40 feet to force a playoff with Whaley. Her first putt uphill stopped six feet from the cup. She then needed to make that putt for a tie but it lipped out and she fell one stroke short of a playoff.

"It wouldn't have mattered if I knew," Dutch said. "I would have gone through the same routine no matter what. I thought I made the second putt but then I saw it moving left and knew it wasn't going in.

"It was a terrible day. I scrambled the whole day and my putting was saving me. I was in the sand a lot. At 17 I almost holed it out of the sand. It hit the flag and landed a foot away. Yesterday I was very steady but today was awful. I don't know if it was the nerves or what but I couldn't get anything going." 

It was known pretty early that there would be a new champion as defending champion Erica Barnes struggled mightily right out of the gate.

She bogeyed the first and second holes and then took a 7 on the par-three fourth, a hole she made a hole-in-one on last week. 

"I'm very disappointed," said Barnes, who finished with an 84 in the second round and 11th in the tournament. "It's not even not winning but the fact that my second day score was so bad. To play here every day, it is tough to take. I just wanted to come out and play well and see where I could finish but personally, this is devastating."

Kelly Whaley will be a freshman at Farmington High School and team with her sister Jenn for a year on the Farmington High School golf team.

Their mom Suzy played on the LPGA Tour and qualified for the Traveler's Championship Tournament on the PGA Tour. Bill Whaley is the head golf professional at TPC River Highlands so golf runs in the family. 

Kelly's even-par round included a birdie and an eagle as well as a bogey on 8 and two three-putt bogeys on 16 and 17. 

"This is definitely the biggest win I've ever had," she said. "To know I can play at this level with all these great players will give me a big boost to my confidence."

After Whaley and Dutch came Mia Landegren, Liz DiVincentis of Durham and Sarah Sideranko.

DiVincentis, who will be a senior next month at Coginchaug, was happy with the outcome, a top-five, but said it could have been better.

"I had makeable birdie putts on all the par threes but didn't make any, said DiVincentis, who shot 74-78-152 for her fourth place finish. "Yesterday I made three birdies on the par threes. I played steady. I hit the ball well and I was just playing not worrying about where I was. 

"I'm happy with the tournament. I came in thinking I could win and know I could have won but it was a good tournament for me." 

Jen Holland, who plays out of Lyman Orchards and lives in Branford, finished 7th with a 75-81-156 total. 


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