NORWALK, CT — It would be hard to imagine an amateur golfer, particularly one still in college, experiencing a better 10-day stretch than Jackson Roman of Berlin.

In a U.S. Amateur Championship qualifier on July 22, the rising senior at Loyola University Maryland shot a 5-under-par 65 at Concord Country Club in Massachusetts to forge a three-way tie for medalist honors. That win puts Roman in the field for the 124th national championship for non-professionals, slated for Aug. 12-18 at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota.

From Bob Jones, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus to Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Bryson DeChambeau, some of the greatest players in the game’s history launched their careers with U.S. Amateur victories. Hazeltine has hosted two U.S. Opens, two U.S. Women’s Opens, both the men’s and women’s PGA Championship, a U.S. Senior Open and the 2016 Ryder Cup matches. Notable champions include World Golf Hall of Fame inductees Tony Jacklin, Hollis Stacy, Billy Caspet and Payne Stewart.

Before heading to Minnesota in a quest to add his name to those legendary lists, Roman entered the 90th Connecticut Open, conducted by the Connecticut State Golf Association at Shorehaven Golf Club. He hoped to continue his steady progress in the state championship, having tied for 14th last year at his home course, Shuttle Meadow, and tying for 20th at New Haven Country Club in 2022.

After an opening-round 70 Monday, Roman fired a 7-under 64 on Tuesday, leaving him alone in second place at 8-under, two strokes behind Chris Fosdick of Middlefield. The two were paired in the final group of the day Wednesday, along with Anthony Guerrera of Watertown Golf Club, and a drastic change took place just minutes after the threesome teed off.

Fosdick pulled his drive out of bounds on the par-5 opening hole, then missed a 10-foot par putt to wind up with bogey. Meanwhile, Roman knocked his second shot about 15 feet from the pin, and rolled in his eagle putt to turn a two-shot deficit into a one-shot lead.

“I don’t even think it really resonated with me that I had the lead at that point,” Roman said following the round. “I was still a little bit nervous, because I’ve had trouble coming out the gates in final rounds.”

The turn of fortune continued on the par-3 second hole, as a Roman birdie and Fosdick bogey upped the margin to three strokes. Fosdick recovered with three straight birdies, moving back into a share of the lead at 11-under through five holes, then assumed the outright lead when Roman bogeyed No. 10.

On the par-5 12th, Roman hit a wayward tee shot, but managed to reach the green in two with a seemingly-impossible iron shot. His two-putt birdie moved him back into a tie for first, setting up the shot of the week at the par-3 13th.

From 213 yards away, Roman smashed a 6-iron four feet from the cup for an easy birdie. When Fosdick bogeyed the hole, Roman had regained a two-shot advantage and all but secured the title.

He closed with a flourish, making birdie on the par-4 18th to finish 12-under, three shots clear of Fosdick, who was playing his first tournament as a professional. Mike Ballo Jr. of Tamarack Country Club in Greenwich tied for third with Danny Balin of White Plains, N.Y.

Roman became the first amateur to win the event since Jeff Hedden in 2008.

“It means so much to me,” he said. “There are so many good players who have come through Connecticut. I mean, I probably don’t even know half of them. This is such a tough golf course and the field is amazing. I couldn’t be happier right now.”

Complete results may be found here.

BETHESDA, Md. (FOX 5 DC) – A powerful thunderstorm swept through Chevy Chase, Maryland, Wednesday evening, causing significant damage and shutting down Connecticut Avenue in both directions.

On the 2600 block of Blaine Drive, heavy winds toppled a tree onto a brick house, causing thousands of dollars in damage and bringing down power lines. 

The homeowner, who has lived in the family home with her sister for 62 years, described the frightening moment they rushed outside after hearing a loud boom.

Wind gusts also felled a tree on Underwood Street, pulling down power lines, snapping a pole like a toothpick, and leaving a light dangling above the sidewalk in the Village of Chevy Chase. 

The storm caused Connecticut Avenue to close in both directions, halting Metro buses and prompting police to direct traffic away from the area.

PEPCO and a tree removal company are currently working to clear the debris and restore power. Residents described the storm as fierce but brief.

“It was a sudden amount of large rain and wind, not coming quite horizontally, pretty much a 45-degree angle, and it didn’t last very long. It was only about 10 to 15 minutes,” said Timothy Holtz, a Chevy Chase resident.

Despite the brief duration, the storm caused extensive damage in parts of Chevy Chase. 

On the 3700 block of Thornapple Street, a tree broke in half and landed on a front lawn, damaging the roof of a home. The homeowner was too upset to speak on camera.

The two sisters on Blaine Drive have been told by an architect that their home is now unsafe to live in. Several residents expressed relief and gratitude that no one was injured during the storm.

Some homes remain without power, but PEPCO has assured homeowners that electricity will be restored after midnight.

Both directions of Connecticut Avenue at Underwood Street have since reopened.

MONROE, CT — A property in Monroe is the beneficiary of a state grant program meant to aid in the purchase and protection of open space through 17 projects in 18 municipalities across Connecticut.

Known as the Benedict Property, the 65-acre parcel is adjacent to the existing Pequonnock/Housatonic Railbed Greenway, and was sponsored by Aspetuck Land Trust and the Town of Monroe. It has been awarded a grant of $1,803,750.

The Pequonnock River Trail runs along the eastern property boundary, sandwiched between this property and the 346-acre William Wolfe Park. The sponsors plan to link the Benedict property to this trail and increase recreational opportunities within the subject parcel as well as Wolfe Park. This property contains ideal habitat for numerous State-listed species of conservation, and will be used to create an off-street parking area, and hiking trail network with scenic vistas, open meadows, and dense woods, according to a statement released by the Governor’s Office Wednesday. This parcel features extensive wildlife habitat, wetlands, and a complex of meadows.

Statewide, $14.5 million in grants have been awarded to aid in the purchase and protection of more than 2,626 acres of open space. Additionally, $343,015 in state grants are being awarded to create two new urban community green spaces in Stratford and Thomaston.

These funds are being provided through the state’s Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program and the Urban Green and Community Gardens Grant Program, both of which are administered by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. They mark the largest round of open space protection awards – both by acreage protected and by dollars awarded – in more than a decade.

The Connecticut General Assembly established a goal of protecting 673,210 acres (21 percent) of the state’s land base as open space. The goal calls for 320,576 acres (10 percent) to be held by DEEP as part of the state’s system of parks, forests, fisheries, and natural resource management areas, and 352,634 acres (11 percent) to be acquired by DEEP’s partners, which include municipalities, nonprofit land conservation organizations, and water companies.

As of December 31, 2023, DEEP estimates that its partners held approximately 253,682 acres (71.5 percent) of their share of the state’s open space goal, and that DEEP held approximately 263,528 acres (82.22 percent) of its share of the state’s goal. In total, 517,210 acres have been preserved (76.82 percent of the total goal), leaving an additional 156,000 acres remaining to meet the 21 percent open space goal.

“Since the Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition program began in 1998, more than $161 million in state funding has been awarded to municipalities, nonprofit land conservation organizations, and water companies to assist in the purchase of more than 43,000 acres of publicly accessible land,” DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said. “Open space preservation is more important now than ever. These lands provide critical natural climate mitigation solutions, protect our important wildlife habitat and species, maintain healthy air and clean water, and provide outdoor recreational opportunities for Connecticut residents.”

The grants announced Wednesday are the 26th round awarded under these programs.