How Mike Ballo Jr. Won the 2025 Connecticut Open and Joined a Family Legacy

Tamarack Country Club head professional, Mike Ballo Jr. grew up around the game of golf. Both of his parents are PGA professionals, and now he and his brother are as well. For the Ballo family, golf wasn’t a seasonal hobby or weekend activity. It was simply a way of life.

That lifelong connection made this summer’s Connecticut Open victory all the more meaningful. With his win at Black Hall Club, Mike joined both his father and his brother as champions of the same event, an accomplishment that few families can claim. "To have my father a champion, my brother a champion, and now me… it’s as special as it gets," Mike said. "The pressure I felt being the last one to achieve it was something that weighed heavily on me. I’m so happy it’s done."

Ballo came into the week with a renewed sense of confidence, the result of steady preparation and a deeper understanding of his game. "Every year I’ve struggled mentally with understanding what this event meant to me and my family," he admitted. "This year, I was able to put that aside and let my practice and preparation come out. I played really confidently all week."

His opening-round 66 set the tone, backed by some of the most consistent ball striking in the field. Using Arccos, Ballo tracked every shot and the data tells the story. He hit 17 out of 18 greens in regulation that first round and showed strong strokes gained numbers with his approach play throughout the tournament. "I felt very in control of my golf ball, especially my distance control," he said. "After day one, my swing felt like it was in such a good place that it got easier as the week went on to become more confident in my decisions. Executing shot after shot became automatic."

That control didn’t come from a major swing overhaul either. In fact, the key was something simple. "I feel like I’ve been struggling all year, and it all came down to ball position," Ballo said. "I wish it was more complex than that, but it wasn’t."

Even as the putts stopped falling as frequently in the second and third rounds, Ballo didn’t lose focus. His Arccos data reflected a decline in putting performance, but he stayed mentally sharp. "Putting is so difficult. So many things need to go perfectly to make a putt," he said. "But the putter felt good in my hands, and I did a great job of staying patient. I didn’t get emotional when the ball didn’t go in."

That mix of trust, discipline, and self-awareness is something Ballo has developed over time, and Arccos has become an important part of that process. "I want to use any and every avenue I can to become a better golfer. Arccos has helped me do that," he said.

As the Head Professional at Tamarack Country Club, Ballo doesn’t have unlimited time to work on every part of his game. That’s where he finds particular value in data. "It helps me stay humble," he said. "In a game where if you can’t be introspective there’s no hope in improving, Arccos takes the emotional opinion out of how I analyse my game. And when I go through stretches where I struggle to find time to work on everything, I know I’m using my time wisely because Arccos shows me in real time what needs to improve."

For young players trying to figure out their own path in the game, Ballo’s advice is as honest as it is encouraging. "Get over your fear," he said. "The fear of working really hard and not seeing something improve right away. The fear of looking in the mirror and admitting things need to change. If you use a tool like Arccos to help you understand what your actual goals should be, you can make the small incremental strides that add up to the bigger picture."

Ballo’s win brought a family tradition full circle and served as a reminder that improvement doesn’t always come from dramatic changes. Sometimes, it’s just a shift in ball position. Sometimes, it’s trusting the work. And sometimes, it’s letting go of the pressure and letting yourself play.