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FAIRFIELD, Conn. The field of golfers has been cut to the final 40 on the last day of the 77th Connecticut Open. Unlike last year's runaway victory by Kyle Gallo, no clear leader has emerged this year.
Frank Bensel of Danbury took a narrow two-stroke lead with his second straight round of three-under 68 at Brooklawn Country Club. The top local golfer, Danny Balin, sits three strokes back in fourth place at three-under. Balin is the featured instructor in Main Street Connect's "Golf Tip of the Week."
After storming into the lead on the first day with an impressive five-under 66, Greenwich resident David Pastore came back to Earth, shooting a five-over 76 on the second day. Pastore maintained his five-under pace on the front nine but collapsed on the back nine with five bogeys.
Brian Murphy of Wilton kept pace with the pack, staying locked at two-under. Currently tied for fifth, Murphy is in second place among amateur golfers at the Open.
Other local golfers still in the race on the final day include Gerard Courville of Shorehaven Golf Club in Norwalk (T7, -1), Andrew Gruss of Wee Burn Country Club in Darien (T18, +1), Mike Ballo Jr. of Stamford and Reed Howard of Greenwich (T26, +3).
The Connecticut State Golf Association has up-to-the-minute scores for the 77th Connecticut Open.
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