By S. Quinn DeJoy and J. Murrer

Jun. 8, 2016:  Connor Daly has been to states twice before, but the Villanova-bound senior was hoping to have his best finish this year. In the first round of the tournament held on Sunday at Robert Trent Jones Golf Course in Ithaca, the tournament started early, but rain forced a four-hour delay. 

"I think it is tough when you have a rain delay," said Daly. "It is hard to regroup and get back out there and find your mindset again. I got a double bogey on my first hole back, but then found a way to bounce back with two big birdies on the 16th and 18th." 

Daly finished the first day just four shots back but seemed to feel a higher level of pressure than usual. On day two, he hit three over par in the front nine, but everything seemed to come together in the final nine holes. Daly shot a three under on the back nine to finish even par for the day.  

"He made two big putts on the 16th and 17th hole that put him into contention," said Coach Chris Lockwood. "After missing a birdie putt on 18, he came over to ask me where he stood on the leaderboard. He had no idea that he was in the lead by a stroke." 

Daly had the lead, but there were still several top golfers on the course:  Nathan Han from Somers, Brent Ito from Ardsley, and James McHugh from Rye.   

For thirty long minutes, Daly and Coach Lockwood stood watching and waiting for these golfers to finish. Han and Ito were just one stroke behind at the 18th hole but were unable to make birdie putts that would have forced a playoff. When the last putt was missed, Daly just walked away in shock. He is the first-ever Bronxville golfer to win the New York State Golf Championships. 

"It was an unforgettable tournament for me," said Daly. "I fed off of my prior experience and learned a lot from the past couple of years. It all paid off in the end, which was awesome." 

The Section 1 team won the state championship by 51 shots, and six of the nine players from Section 1 finished in the top ten, including Bronxville senior Chris Gay. Gay shot a 75-75 over two days and received All-State honors for his 10th-place finish. There were 99 golfers participating in the tournament. 

"I am so happy for Connor," said Coach Lockwood. "All of his hard work and dedication paid off. What a way for Connor to end an amazing high school golf career." 

Daly, Han, Ito, and McHugh qualified for the State Federation tournament, which will take place at Bethpage Black Course.  

Go Broncos. 

Pictured here (rotating):  The Section 1 golf team wins the state championship; Connor Daly accepting the state championship trophy.

Photos by Cathleen Daly