There will be a new champion when the 80th Connecticut Open gets under way Monday at Rolling Hills Country Club in Wilton (pictured above).


Jeff Curl, who won his second Open crown last year at Torrington CC in a sudden-death playoff, is a full-time member on the Web.Com Tour. But there are plenty of golfers who have a legitimate shot at the crown.


Frank Bensel of Norwalk will be seeking his third title (2009, 2011). An assistant pro at Century CC in Purchase, New York, Bensel holds the competitive course record at Rolling Hills CC with a 64.



“It’s the kind of course where visually, the shaping of holes sets up to my eye,” Bensel said at the Connecticut Open Media Day held earlier this month. “I don’t know why I play well here, but I enjoy the course is all I can say. It’s always been in great shape.”

CHECK OUT SOME OF THE OTHER CONTENDERS FOR THE CONNECTICUT OPEN TITLE, AND A LOOK AT THE FIRST TEE OF CONNECTICUT CHARITY TOURNAMENT.