Current, Former Huskies Shine At Local U.S. Open Qualifying

CROMWELL, CT — The University of Connecticut certainly has a presence Wednesday at the 124th U.S. Open Local Qualifying event at the TPC River Highlands.

One former Husky and one current Husky played their way to the top of the leaderboard and punched their tickets into the U.S. Open Final Qualifying.

Recently reinstated amateur Zach Zaback, competing on his longtime home course put together an even-par round of 70 to finish in a tie for third place alongside current UConn sophomore Connor Goode.

Zaback, a two-time Connecticut Amateur winner, came out of the gates strong and playing the front nine in 1-under 34 with birdies on Nos. 3 and 6 against just one bogey.

Swirling winds made it a difficult scoring day.

"My whole game was solid today," Zaback said. "I drove the ball very well except for one hole and that set me up with enough short irons and I was able to take advantage. I made a few key putts down the stretch that were the difference."

Still at 1-under through 11 holes Zaback faltered a bit with a bogey on No. 12 and then a double-bogey on the par-5 13th that dropped the Farmington native back to 2-over.

Now needing to make up some ground Zaback started to play more aggressively as he converted birdies on the tricky, short par-4 15th and then moved back to level par with a birdie on No. 17.

"All my birdies were in the 8-15 foot range and I made nice putts on all of them," Zaback said. "However, the one that stands out was the 15-foot downhill putt that I made for birdie on No. 17."

Zaback who played in the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines and is advancing to final qualifying for the third time in 10 attempts continued saying, "It’s exciting to advance to U.S. Open Final Qualifying and have a chance to play in the U.S. Open for a second time. I’m no longer a pro but I still love competing and think if I bring my best stuff I can still compete. It will be nice to get back into more action on golf's longest day."

Goode, who advanced through U.S. Open Local Qualifying for the first time in three attempts, was off to a slow start, making the turn with a 1-over 36. He found his grove on the back nine, though, with a birdie on the par-4 1oth that returned him to even-par.

He had a bogey on No. 15, but then birdied the challenging par-3 16th before parring his way to the clubhouse.

"I think the key to my round was my putting," Goode said. "I wasn’t hitting it the best but made a lot of great up and downs thanks to my putting. All of my birdies came from solid approaches and making good putts. Often they were bounce backs from bogeys which was big."

Goode entered play following a successful regular season for the Huskies. The Glastonbury native played in all 10 events and picked up his first career victory in October at the UConn Invitational at Greathorse.

"I’m super excited to play in U.S. Open Final Qualifying," Goode continued. "I’m 36 holes of great golf from playing in the U.S. Open which is very exciting."

Only two players managed to break par on Wednesday led by medalist Garren Poirier who fired a stellar 4-under 66 to finish three shots better than runner-up and Vanderbilt commit Ryan Downes (-1).

After the round Poirier, a member at Rutland Country Club in Vermont said, "I hit a ball really, really good. I was able to keep it in front of me and I never hit a bad shot."

Following a good par save on the opening par-4, Poirier rolled in a 35-footer for birdie on No. 2 setting the tone for the day. He did bogey the difficult fourth hole but that was his only blemish as he carded additional birdies on Nos. 5, 6, 14, and 15. The birdie on the par-4 14th came courtesy of a 25-footer.

In all, Poirier, a wedding photographer, described his round as, "ho-hum."

He added, "It was really boring, really. I just felt comfortable."

The final of five qualifying spots was earned in a 3-for-2 playoff between 2023 Connecticut Junior Amateur winner and Maryland commit Will Gregware, Jason Gobleck, and Aidan Mcdermott all of whom finished with 1 over 72s.

In the end, Gobleck became the lone professional to advance with McDermott earning the first alternate spot and Gregware the second spot.