Final Results: Boys Championship | Girls Championship

Article by Cody Paladino- Director of Media Relations
Photos by Peter J Defazio- http://www.peterdefazio.com

The 2011 Stan Trojanowski Northern Junior concluded on Tuesday, August 2nd at Ellington Ridge Country Club in Ellington, Connecticut. This year’s event was highlighted by phenomenal performances in both the Boys Championship and Girls Championship. Nick Fairweather of Windham, New Hampshire and Nathalie Filler of Bloomfield, Connecticut were crowned this year’s Northern Junior Champions, shooting 8 under par and 1 under par for the 36 hole event, respectively.

In the Boys Championship, Nick Fairweather shared the overnight lead with Jason Steele of Georgetown, Massachusetts after an opening round of 4 under par 68 on Monday. “I felt pretty confident heading into today,” Fairweather said. “I was only even through 8 holes today, but I just tried to relax and let it happen. I made a birdie on 9 and that really jump started my round.” That birdie on 9 was just the spark Fairweather needed. After pars on holes 10, 11, and 12, he surged to the top of the leaderboard with birdies on the par 5 13th and par 4 14th holes. Standing on the 15th tee, Fairweather found himself at 7 under par and atop the leaderboard by a single shot over eventual runner up Andrew Gai of Westport, Connecticut. However Fairweather’s lead would soon be extended to 3 shots, as he carded his first career hole-in-one on the short par 3 15th hole. “I honestly didn’t show too much emotion because I was just trying to stay in the moment. Of course I was really excited, especially since it was my first ever hole-in-one. My parents saw it go in and started going crazy.”

After a bogey at 17, Fairweather held a two shot advantage on the closing 18th hole. After hitting his approach shot over the green, he made a remarkable up and down for a two shot victory and the 2011 Northern Junior title. “It’s a great feeling,” said a smiling Fairweather. “I really played well all week, I was really happy with all parts of my game. Even when I hit an errant tee shot or put myself in a difficult spot, I knew when to chip out and just try to get up and down for par. It was an awesome experience.” Fairweather will travel to Virginia next week to compete in the AJGA Northern Virginia Open, and will be a senior this fall at Windham (NH) High School.

In the Girls Championship, Nathalie Filler carried a 3 shot lead into Tuesday’s final round after an opening round of even par 72. “I told myself not to really pay attention to the lead,” Filler said. That strategy proved successful as she made the turn at 3 under par 33 and played steady throughout the back nine to maintain at least a 4 shot lead at all times. “I straightened my driver out from yesterday and kept putting well. I played with the same game plan as yesterday, just trying to shoot something right around even par or under par.” Bogeys on 16 and 18 dropped Filler to 1 under for the championship, which was still good enough for a 6 shot victory over runner up Tina Chang of Mineola, New York. “I was just trying to play well all week. I wasn’t really nervous, I was just enjoying myself. I played with some of my close friends so that helped,” said Filler. “I really felt great all week and had a lot of fun.” Filler attends the Westminster School in Simsbury, Connecticut and is a member of the Westminster Boy’s Golf Team along with 2010 Northern Junior Champion Eliza Breed. Filler will compete in the Connecticut Women’s Amateur Championship in two weeks before returning to Westminster for her senior year this fall.

Both Fairweather and Filler intend on playing college golf next year, and are currently in the process of being recruited by some of the most highly regarded universities in the country. Both of this year’s Northern Junior champions will also be eligible to defend their respective titles next year at the Northern Junior, to be contested July 24-25, 2012. Special thanks to Ellington Ridge Country Club, the Connecticut State Golf Association, the entire Northern Junior Tournament Committee, and all the volunteers who helped to make this year’s Northern Junior a tremendous event.