Groton — It's a major understatement to say Colin Fahey was an underdog in Thursday's Eastern Connecticut Conference championship golf tournament.

Fahey wasn't even considered on the list of contenders for medalist honors.

Then Fahey, a sophomore at Fitch, went out and stunned the competitive field by shooting a 2-over 73 at Shennecossett Golf Course to capture his first ECC individual title.

"I don't know," said Fitch coach Glen Graham when asked how Fahey pulled it off. "It's unbelievable. ... I think that's an incredible score."

Unbelievable, indeed.

It will go down as one of the biggest surprise performances in ECC history.

Consider this: Fahey had never shot lower than 90 for 18 holes at Shennecossett, his home course. He fired a respectable 84 at the Wildcat Invitational earlier this month at Norwich Golf Course.

Fahey, Fitch's No. 1 golfer, used course knowledge, a cool demeanor and consistent all-around game to post his personal best score. He started his round on the back nine, shooting a 1-under 34, and carried the momentum over to the front, adding a 39.

His previous low-nine hole score was a 41.

"That's crazy," said Fahey reflecting on his round. "I was just out there trying to play. I was having a lot of fun. Then the putts came, good iron shots and I hit the ball good off tee. And it just came together today."

Fahey needed every shot to hold off his challengers. Stonington's Jack Ognisty (74), Norwich Free Academy's Noah Straub (74) and Killingly's Jack Aitken (76) finished just off the winning pace.

"I thought (74) would be good enough to tie," Straub said. "I don't know what happened with the Fitch kid."

Straub and Ognisty, who played in the same group, pushed each other.

"I'm happy," said Ognisty, who shot an 82 in the ECC tournament last year. "It didn't feel like a 74. I guess that just means I've improved."

Fahey seemingly came out of nowhere to claim medalist honors.

Graham has noticed a gradual improvement in Fahey's game during the spring season on the rise in recent weeks. "He's been working hard," Graham said.

Fahey credits his improvement to working with Jim Jones, a teaching pro at Lake of Isles, during the off-season. He changed his swing and putting for the better.

Still, he exceeded his own expectations.

"I've been working all through the winter and I just wanted to come out and put up something in the low 80s," Fahey said. "I was hoping to shoot 79. ... I wanted to play well because it's our home course and I wanted to throw up a low number here."

When asked about the highlights of his round, Fahey pointed to a nine-iron shot from 140 yards on No. 14 that he landed right next to the pin, which helped him salvage a pair.

Fahey's only birdie came on the par-4 17th hole. It didn't start well as his tee shot settled behind a bunch of trees. But he recovered nicely.

"I hit through the trees and through the gap and stuck it right next to the pin," Fahey said. "Sometimes it's better to be lucky than to be good. And that was just straight luck."

One of the first golfers in the clubhouse, Fahey had to wait around to find out if his score would hold up for the win. He felt it was an advantage to play in a twosome.

"I took my time more," Fahey said. "It was a lot better."

Killingly lived up to lofty expectations, winning its record-setting fifth straight team title. Despite suffering heavy losses from last season's team, the Redmen maintained their excellence, losing only one match.

Four golfers — Dylan Deotte (78), Connor Liebscher (77), Ben Lovrien (79) and Jack Aitken (76) — all shot in the 70s. They finished with 310 strokes, seven shots better than runner-up NFA (317). Stonington took third with 323.

"That's been our strength for five years, we've had five guys that can play golf," Killingly coach Kevin Marcoux said. "So, any given day, we hope four of them will play well and today they did."

g.keefe@theday.com