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Greenwich's Jack Hopper followed through on a tee shot during the FCIAC boys golf championship at Rolling Hills Country Club in Wilton on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022.
Dave Stewart
WILTON — Greenwich is the FCIAC boys golf champion.
Given the Cardinals’ storied history, that may not sound like an earth-shattering statement.
In reality, it’s been nearly three and a half years since their last league title, and for this year’s players, it’s a new accomplishment in a so far perfect season.
“We haven’t won in a few years and none of us on this team have won this before, so all of us are super-excited,” senior Charles Schrohe said. “It was a tough course, tough conditions, so our scores weren’t the greatest but we all had a great time out there and it feels great to get it done.”
Greenwich overcame an unpredictable wind and a difficult course to score 327 as a team, finishing just two strokes ahead of New Canaan (329) Thursday at Rolling Hills Country Club in Wilton.
New Canaan had won the last two FCIAC titles, both in 2021 as the league shifted the sport from spring to fall. Greenwich last held the FCIAC crown from 2017 to 2019.
Cardinal junior Jack Hopper was the league’s medalist, scoring a 5-over par 76 to finish one stroke ahead of Ridgefield senior Sebastian Beaver (77). New Canaan senior Sean Watchmaker (79) was third as only three golfers shot lower than 80.
“I started out great, hit almost every fairway and hit the ball below the hole, so that helped me play more direct,” Hopper said. “But it was tough. It was windy, the pins were in tricky locations, the greens were really fast, so I just tried to play my game.”
“On a day like this, you can’t give up on anything,” Greenwich coach Jeff Santilli said. “You can’t be selfish, you have to play team golf, be aggressive when the course allows you to be aggressive, but play safe when it asks you to do that. Teams that we’ve had over the years have been mentally tough and we didn’t give up on any round.”
New Canaan had just two losses during the regular season and finished just short of a third straight crown.
“We are beyond thrilled with the way they played,” New Canaan coach Bill Brown said. “I’m very proud of them. The kids are a little bummed out because it ended up being by just two shots and they thought they missed a couple they could’ve made. They hung in there on a tough day on a trough golf course with very difficult conditions.”
“Billy’s teams give us a heart attack every year,” Santilli said of the Rams. “It goes back and forth, two powerhouses in the FCIAC. Today, it literally came down to the last hole.”
After Hopper, Greenwich’s other four golfers finished within five strokes of each other. Schrohe and junior Owen Duda both shot 83, followed by sophomore AJ Enslein (85) and senior Dylan Harris (88).
For New Canaan, Watchmaker was followed by senior Cullen McCarthy (80), a former FCIAC medalist, sophomore Patrick Saxe (83), senior James Casey (87) and sophomore Lincoln Durfee (93).
St. Joseph, which had Andrew Flynn and Colin Firda shooting 80s, scored 335 and finished third, with Ludlowe (337) and Wilton (338) rounding out the top five.
Santilli thanked the Greenwich Country Club, which he said allowed the team to practice and work on things there on Wednesday as a final tune-up for the FCIAC final.
Hopper’s performance showed the depth of the Greenwich lineup.
“He can do this on any given day and all of them could,” Santilli said. “We’re deep one through five and I wouldn’t have been surprised if that came from Dylan in the fifth spot as well. (Hopper’s) ability has been there the last couple of years and he just proved that he belongs with the rest of them.”
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“Every shot counted. It didn’t matter what hole you were on or what type of putt it was, every shot mattered. I missed a few putts out there which could’ve cost us, but luckily it didn’t, and we made a few clutch putts which helped. - Greenwich junior Charles Schrohe
Team Scores
1 Greenwich 327, 2 New Canaan 329, 3 St. Joseph 335, 4 Ludlowe 337, 5 Wilton 338, 6 Ridgefield 342, 7 Staples 359, 8 Warde 360.
Individual scores
Greenwich: Jack Hopper 76 (medalist), Charles Schrohe 83, Owen Duda 83, AJ Enslein 85, Dylan Harris 88; New Canaan: Sean Watchmaker 79, Cullen McCarthy 80, Patrick Saxe 83, James Casey 87, Lincoln Durfee 93; St. Joseph: Andrew Flynn 80, Colin Firda 80, Luke Fortin 86, Michael Jones 89, James Murano 95; Ludlowe: Tyler Bauer 81, Mac DeAddio 83, Robbie McIntosh 85, Pierce Theissen 88, Ryan Leavay 103; Wilton: Hudson Hagmann 80, Griffin Kovach 83, Stephen Padilla 87, Thomas Rogozinski 88, Jackson Carbonier 91; Ridgefield: Sebastian Beaver 77, Vincent Carr 87, Nick Svendsen 89, Anders Hoemann 89, Ryan Morrice 92; Staples: Harrison Browne 80, Michael Pontorerio 90, Sawyer Dalzell 92, Charlie Curran 97, Philip Sullivan 99; Warde: Owen Campbell 83, Brady Lewis 88, John Casella 90, Jackson Kohm 99.