Kennon tops leaderboard at 25th Westchester Public Links Championship
STAMFORD, Conn. (May 23th, 2024) – A new Westchester Public Links champion was crowned Thursday afternoon at Sterling Farms Golf Course, where Golf Performance Center member Elias Kennon carded a even par 71 to claim the 25th Westchester Public Links Championship by one shot.
Kennon was in the last group to tee off, on a morning that saw two weather delays including an hour plus delay.
Kennon topped Angad Manaise of MGA eClub - Connecticut by one shot. Manaise shot a 1-over par 72. After a slow start on the front, he made birdie on the long par 3 17th and the short par 5 18th to put the pressure on Kennon.
Finishing in a tie for third was Brian McGovern of JP Clarkes Golf Society and Andrew Watson of USGA/MGA GC. Watson, who was two groups ahead of Kennon, saw his name near the top of the leaderboard all day. After playing solid golf throughout the day, he would run into trouble on the par 5 18th which would knock him out of contention.
Kennon credits his putting for getting him through the day including sinking a putt on 18 to close out the Championship.
“Honestly, I didn’t hit it that great. I kind of just scraped it around really well. My putting has been really good recently so I kind relied on that.
Heading into the 17th he held a one-shot lead. The long par 3 proved tricky as he found the greenside bunker with his tee shot. After failing to get up and down he walked off with a bogey.
“I hit a good drive down 18, when my driver hasn’t been going to well, I checked the leaderboard as I walked down the fairway and saw that I was 1 over and the guy in second was 2 over so I thought all I needed was par. I didn’t see that Angad in the group ahead of me had made birdie to tie it, so I had to actually make birdie to win. I hit a nice bunker shot and made about a five- or six-footer for birdie.”
The round also served as a qualifier for the 76th MGA Public Links Championship. Overall 12 golfers advance to the Championship held at Spook Rock Golf Course on June 13.