Historic State Title for RHAM Golfer

RHAM High School senior Holden Sullivan, center, won the first individual state golfing championship in school history on June 6 in Harwinton. Sullivan is flanked by Max Baldwin of Tolland to his left and Kasimir Lesnik of Daniel Hand to his right.  

Senior golfer Holden Sullivan is leaving RHAM High School as a state champion.

Sullivan won the Division II State Championship, shooting an even-par 72 at Fairfield Farm Golf Course in Harwinton on June 6.

It marked the first individual golf championship in the history of the school. 

“It was a great feeling; I had a lot of fun out there,” stated Sullivan, “It’s always nice to play a course that is in such conditions. Shout out to the course for making it so nice, It was really enjoyable.” 

Sullivan shot birdies on three of the last five holes, separating himself from a strong field to win by three strokes, holding off Kasimir Lesnik of Daniel Hand and Max Baldwin of Tolland — who each shot a 75 to tie for second.

After shooting a double bogey to start the back-nine and posting a bogey on the 13th hole, Sullivan said that he began to let it rip, a plan that yielded championship results.  

“I was down and I knew I had to make a run in order to win,” recalled Sullivan, who added he has trusted his driver more this spring. “When you get in that mindset where you have to start making birdies, it frees you up a little to be more aggressive and that helped me there.”

The result was a three-under during the final handful of holes, rallying to win a state title that was nearly a dozen years in the making for the seasoned golfer. 

At the age of six, Sullivan began playing with the encouragement of his father and he recalled quickly falling in love with the game.

After losing his freshman high school season because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Sullivan began to make his name on the local links. 

As a junior, he finished atop the leaderboards the most times of anyone on the team and tied for seventh at the state finals as the Raptors won the 2022 Division II state championships — the program’s first ever.   

This year he again led a deep team that included sophomore sensation Conner Rabbitt and fellow senior standouts Presten Duprey, Carson Waddell, Jack Luby. 

Sullivan said that the competition in practice allowed the team to thrive. 

“Obviously you don’t want to lose to your teammates because you won’t hear the end of it,” joked Sullivan. “So there is some pressure out there and it gives us some extra motivation. It definitely does help.”

On June 1, the Raptors won the Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) title, holding off runner-up Bristol Central by three strokes. 
Sullivan also led the way in the conference finals, shooting a (-1) 70 to place third overall.

Rabbitt, who shot a 74 to finish sixth in the conference championship, closed the Raptors’ season with a team-best 73 at the State Open on June 10. Rabbitt sank a clutch birdie shot on the 18th hole to secure the top-three finish. 

With a few team titles and individual championship under his belt, Sullivan said his time on the links at RHAM has been “pretty awesome.”  

“The team is great and I have some great teammates,” said Sullivan, who graduated Thursday.  “We have a lot of fun in practice. It’s got a good community feel to it and whenever we play well, it’s really exciting. 

Sullivan will attend the University of Connecticut where he plans to play club golf if the opportunity presents itself. 

Either way, Sullivan said golf will remain a big part of his life. 

“What I love about golf is the mental challenge that comes with it,” he expressed.  “I love challenging my mind to stay positive and keeping my head in the game shot by shot — that is a great aspect of the sport.”