BLOOMFIELD, Conn. (October 5, 2025) – Western New England men's golf sophomore
Derek Johnson shot nine strokes under par for the two-day event at the Conference of New England Championships this past weekend, winning the CNE Men's Golf Individual Medalist honor, becoming the first Golden Bear to do so since 2018, while the Golden Bears men's golf team picked up a third place finish at the event, improving two places from last season.
How it Happened (Day One):
Sophomore sensation
Derek Johnson got three strokes under par for the front nine of the course, including nailing an eagle on hole three to put himself ahead of the pack quickly. Johnson continued with three more birdies and two pars before his first bogey on hole 15 on the course, sitting five strokes under par with three holes remaining. Johnson finished one stroke over par for the final three holes, finishing the back nine with a 35, shooting a 68 for the round, tying the second-highest score in an 18-hole round by a WNE student-athlete all-time.
Alex Noti opened with pars on four of the first five holes, shooting one stroke over par but birdied hole six to get back to even. The WNE sophomore ended his opening nine holes shooting a 37, one stroke over par. Noti's success continued on the back nine, shooting four strokes over par to finish with a 77 for the round, five total strokes over.
Kyle Klimas started the afternoon off right with a birdie on hole one and was one stroke under par through five holes before ending his final four holes +3, shooting a 38 on the front nine. Klimas double-bogeyed the tenth hole and finished five strokes over par on the back nine, shooting a 79 for WNE.
Senior
Jeremy Burke played in his first outing of the season, starting off with three pars on the first three holes on the front side, but bogeyed the next five holes in a row, playing bogey golf, finishing the front nine with a 43 overall. Burke earned his first birdie on hole 12 but added four more bogeys on the back, finishing with a 39 for the back nine and an 82 for Western New England on the day.
Michael Bluhm struggled for the first nine holes on the front side, shooting just four pars while picking up three bogeys and two double bogeys, shooting a 45 overall. Bluhm improved six strokes on the back nine, shooting a 39 overall, picking up a birdie on hole 11 to help his score, finishing the round with an 84.
How it Happened (Day 2):
Following the front nine of competition,
Derek Johnson ran away as the Conference of New England Individual Medalist, shooting five strokes under par for the front nine, shooting an unprecedented 31. Johnson rounded out the afternoon with a 36 on the back nine, finishing with a 67 for the afternoon, beating out his competition by 11 strokes, as Hartford's Zack MacMillian and Endicott's Myles O'Quinn both shot +2 for second place. Johnson was also named to the CNE All-Conference First Team honors.
Alex Noti shot just one stroke over par for the Golden Bears on the opening nine holes of the afternoon, shooting a 37, second-lowest for the team. Noti then picked up three straight pars for WNE before hitting three strokes over par for the final six holes and came up with a 39 for the back nine and a 76 for the event. Noti was named to the CNE All-Conference Third Team following his finish.
Michael Bluhm opened the first three holes with a pair of pars and a birdie, shooting a stroke under par, but finished with three bogeys on the course, coming away with a 38. Bluhm then took par on the first three holes of the back nine but was not able to carry that success into the final six holes, shooting six strokes over par, shooting a 42 for the back and an 80 overall.
Jeremy Burke started the afternoon with a bogey, but erased that with a birdie on hole four, shooting even through four. A triple-bogey on hole five, followed by a pair of bogeys to end the front nine, set the WNE senior with a 41 for the front nine. Burke put together five pars, three bogeys, and a birdie on hole 18 to finish his round with a 79.
Kyle Klimas shot seven strokes over par to begin the afternoon, shooting a 43 overall. Klimas earned four pars on the back nine, but again shot three bogeys and a pair of double bogeys to shoot another 43 on the afternoon, shooting an 86 for the afternoon.
Order of Finish:
Coach's Corner:
Derek Johnson was interviewed after day two's round was completed. Johnson was asked how he was seeing the course during the two-day competition. "I've been playing well. I just tried to keep everything in front of me and do as much for the team as I could. I tried to get as many strokes back towards the team total so I think that was a big positive for the weekend," Johnson stated. Then, when asked how it sounds to be named the Individual Medalist and Golfer of the Year for the CNE, Johnson added, "I think that sounds pretty good. I think that's a great accomplishment for me and I think its an attest to my good playing so I think it's good for me."
Coach
Jim Abbott was asked to talk about the positives he saw from the team at the tournament. "I thought the guys hung in there really well. We got a little behind Hartford yesterday when they put up a number that was really impressive and on the back nine today, we got (the deficit) down to eight shots and I thought we had an opportunity and we just slipped up a little coming in and we couldn't get over the hump. Very proud of the way the guys battled. We shot, I think, 303 today, which is a pretty solid round and to be honest, I thought that with the two scores we shot this weekend, we would have been right there so hats off to Hartford," Abbott stated. Jim was then asked about
Derek Johnson getting CNE Golfer of the Year and who Derek is on and off the course for this team. "I couldn't be happier for Derek. Nobody works harder, nobody's more passionate about his game, and nobody's a better kid and student. You talk about a triple threat, that's
Derek Johnson. He's fearless on the golf course and I kind of think he is a late bloomer. I still think his best golf might be ahead of him," Abbott mentioned.
Up Next on the Schedule:
- The Golden Bears return to the course next weekend for the Skidmore Fall Invitational on Saturday, October 11 and Sunday, October 12.
