FAIRFIELD — Bradley Sawka lined up the 30-plus foot putt on the 17th green, knowing he had the dagger in his hand. His father, and caddie for many of his major golf tournaments, backed away.
“I don’t really know what goes through my son’s head,” John Sawka said. “Playing in club championships, I know you get a bit nervy, but he handled it very cool. He’s been reading most of his putts all week and I said, ‘Hey, you’ve got this one.’
“He stepped off a couple of times, picked his spot, it was the right pace and it dropped in the hole.”
And with that, “I don’t know if you saw, but I heaved a sigh of relief,” Bradley said.
Sawka, 21, held the lead wire-to-wire, holding off experienced professionals to win the 92nd Connecticut Open by two strokes at the Country Club of Fairfield. The Ellington native is transferring from UConn to Oklahoma to test himself against SEC competition, and as that killer putt showed, he was more than cool this week.
Ellington’s Bradley Sawka captured the Connecticut Open Wednesday at CC of Fairfield. (Dom Amore/Hartford Courant)
“We’ve known him a long time, and he has always been a nice boy,” said Mike Moraghan, executive director of the Connecticut State Golf Association, who presented the trophy. “Now, he’s a cold-blooded young man.”
Bradley is the first amateur to win the Connecticut Open since Jackson Roman in 2024, only the second since Jeff Heddon in 2008 and he won’t cash a check with this victory. Last summer he was the top amateur at the Open, finishing tied for fourth at Black Hall in Old Lyme.
The Open is considered Connecticut’s second-most significant golf event behind only the Travelers Championship. It carried a purse of $75,000 this year, with $15,000 going to the low professional.
“I feel like I believe in my preparation a lot,” Bradley said. “I work really hard and it was finally able to pay off. I’ve been pretty consistent over the last year, year and a half, and it kind of shows through, how it happened this week. I’m a little bit more mature, I can keep myself present in the most nervous moments, which is nice.”
Sawka opened the 54-hole Open with a 66 on Monday, then did one better on Tuesday. The 2 1/2 inches of rain that fell Tuesday night and delayed the start of the third round changed the course, but Sawka fired another 65 to finish 14-under, holding off the two members of his threesome on Wednesday, Patrick Healy of Centerport, N.Y., and Michael Miller of Brewster, N.Y.
“Bradley’s in the mix with these guys, and I feel he can match them shot for shot,” John Sawka said.
Bradley has refined his game the last couple of years with the help of Matt McCullough from the CC of Darien, who was also there with the family to share in the moment. “Having my father on the bag means the world,” Bradley said. “He kind of just lets me do my thing.”
Sawka, who also played soccer and basketball at Ellington High, won the CIAC State Open in 2023, and was an all-stater three times. At UConn, he played in 11 events as a sophomore, with three top-20 finishes and winning the UConn Invitational at his home course, averaging 70.9 for the season.
“My time at UConn was unbelievable, coach (Dave) Pezzino helped me a lot with how I progressed and matured and made decisions on the golf course,” Bradley said. “It’s also a thing where, you see a lot of kids going to big-time schools and they’re not able to play for a couple of years. I was able to go to UConn and play almost every event for three years. Getting those reps under my belt and being able to play in the bigger tournaments we play in, it helped a lot and I feel like I would not be the player I am if I didn’t go to UConn.”
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He entered the transfer portal after the Huskies’ season ended and chose Oklahoma, where he hopes to play year-round and test himself against the competition in one of college’s elite conferences.
“The competition, the weather, factor of the PGAU,” said Sawka, who will move in at Norman, Okla., next week. “Who knows how well I will play? I will prepare my very best and see how everything goes. But they do have a very good schedule that will allow me to compete against the best and their facilities are very nice as well.”
Having the decision behind him may have taken some pressure off, sharpened Sawka’s focus going into this tournament. “Maybe a little,” he said. “Once you get out on the golf course, there is nothing going through your head except what’s in front of you. Once you’re in the lead, it’s hard to stay in the present, but you’re thinking about winning, not college.”
Bradley will leave his home state with his calling card and his name on a crystal trophy. Who is to say the next time he tees up here will be at the TPC River Highlands?
“That’s definitely a long way away,” he said. “I’m a Connecticut guy at heart, love Connecticut golf, love the CSGA and I’m happy to keep the trophy in the state.”
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