Connecticut guts out Golfweek/Stifel victory for huge 2027 opportunity

As soon as Brad Sawka holed his three-footer for par on the 18 th hole to close the Golfweek/Stifel Spring Challenge, Connecticut head coach Dave Pezzino pulled out his cell phone to relay the significance to Sawka’s parents. As it turns out, Connecticut’s cushion was larger than the one-stroke Pezzino believed. So with a shot to spare, the Huskies won the tournament while simultaneously playing their way out of it.

This is exactly what Pezzino hoped for when he entered his men in the event at True Blue in Pawley’s Island, South Carolina. The Golfweek/Stifel is effectively a play-in tournament for the following year’s Augusta Haskins Award Invitational, which is played each spring in the days leading up to the Masters. The Augusta tournament, played at Forest Hills Golf Club, traditionally features a deep field with top-ranked talent.

“My phone blew up – it was like when we won (the Big East Conference Championship) back in 2021. The alumni were so proud,” Pezzino said. “That tournament – the people who know college golf know what it means for our program to win a spot at the Haskins.

” Connecticut’s round of 7-under 281 was the lowest final-round score among the 16 teams in the Golfweek/Stifel field. It pulled them two spots up the leaderboard in the final round and at 15 under for 54 holes, Connecticut won by two shots. Last year, the Golfweek/Stifel victory slipped through Connecticut’s fingers – the team made up huge ground in the second round only to finish five shots short of the title.