EASTON, Conn. (June 16, 2026) – Nathan Han of Bally’s Ferry Point logged his first professional win on Tuesday, closing out the wire-to-wire victory with rounds of 71-73 at The Connecticut Golf Club to win the 104th Westchester Open Championship Presented by Poland Spring. Han was three shots clear of his competitors, finishing as the only player in red figures at 2-under-par.
Related: Results | Photos Day 2 | Photos Day 1 | Round 1 Recap
After opening with a 2-under 70, Han added a 1-under 71 on Tuesday morning. He registered a single birdie on the par-4 16th in his opening nine and though he made a double-bogey on the par-five first as he made the turn, he tallied birdies on Nos. 5 and 6 to offset the miscue and stay true to his game plan.
“I played a practice round and knew this place was going to be hard,” said Han, 25. “I knew no one was really going to light it up and a low score wasn’t going to win this tournament. So, I kept that in the back of my mind throughout 54 holes – just to stay patient. I’m going to make some bogeys, some doubles – it’s just that penalizing.”
While Han revenged his morning double with a birdie on the first in the afternoon, he added bogeys on Nos. 3 and 11, plus a double on the par-5 seventh. However, much of the field also had squares or worse on their cards and dropped back as well.
Peter Ballo of Wykagyl, a former assistant at The Connecticut Golf Club, began the final round one shot back, but fell back through the middle of his round. His brother Mike Ballo, Jr., of Tamarack – a past champion – carded a 3-under 69 in the morning to rally himself after an opening 76 and place himself in contention; however, Mike tallied three bogeys in a six-hole span to drop on the leaderboard.
Paul Pastore of Fairview – another past champion – played alongside Han and pulled within one after a birdie-birdie-eagle stretch on Nos. 13-15 in the home stretch. However, Han responded well, making a clutch two-putt par on the par-4 16th and adding a birdie on the par-4 17th.
After spinning his approach off the back tier at 16, Han had a decision to make.
“The tier was so severe that I almost thought about chipping it and trying to bump it into the hill,” said Han. “But, I decided that putting was a safe play and I knew I hit it hard and that’s kind of the thought I had. I had a gimme, so I was really grateful for that – it was a good putt.”
After a great drive and wedging it close on 17, a birdie pushed his lead to two, though he wasn’t fully aware.
“My dad was following [the leaderboard], so he would egg me on to do some things, but overall, it was just trusting the process,” said Han, whose dad caddied for him. “I wouldn’t have played any of the last five holes any differently, knowing where I was.”
A routine par to close and a bogey by Pastore locked up the three-shot victory. Han turned professional back in November and is grateful to get the win in a familiar event.
“I’m still new to this whole job and occupation, but I’m just so happy this week,” said Han, a two-time MGA/MetLife Boys’ champion. “I love the Westchester Open, I played it when I was an amateur. I’m just so glad that I was able to notch a win today in it.”
Ballo, Jr., and Pastore finished tied for second at 1-over, while Leo Chu of Hudson Hills secured low amateur honors finishing at 4-over alongside David Pastore of The Golf Performance Center and MGA eClub – Hudson Valley member Connor Henderson.
Chris Paulino turned in the championship’s low round with a bogey-free 5-under 67 in the final round. Overall, The Connecticut Golf Club yielded just 11 sub-par scores for the championship, with Han claiming two of those.
This was the club’s first time hosting the Westchester Open, testing players’ skillsets in all areas. The club was founded in 1966, with Lawrence A. Wien hiring Geoffry Cornish to carve the layout in the rocky, wooded hillside in Western Connecticut. Though challenged, players – many of whom hadn’t played the course before – respected the difficulty and enjoyed the championship.
