Here's how La Salle freshman Olivia Williams kept her composure and won the girls golf title

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

WARWICK — Precociousness seems as much a requirement in Interscholastic League golf these days as a steady putting stroke.

Max Jackson captured the boys version of the individual title last season as a La Salle Academy freshman. Olivia Williams followed in her new teammate’s footsteps on Tuesday by claiming the girls version in her debut season with the Rams.

Williams put on an impressive display of control over 18 holes at Warwick Country Club, carding a 4-over 76 to best the field at the RIIL Girls Golf Championship by two shots. Fellow freshman Lily Dessel took second place for Barrington with her 6-over 78.

Barrington's Lily Dessel hits off the 14th tee on Tuesday in Warwick. She finished second with a 6-over 78.
Barrington's Lily Dessel hits off the 14th tee on Tuesday in Warwick. She finished second with a 6-over 78.

“I’m really happy,” Williams said. “It’s a big deal. I did pretty well this season — I was really nervous for this season going into it.”

Williams carded five birdies and looked unflappable while playing with Moses Brown star Kylie Eaton in the day’s final group. She became the fourth freshman to capture the title since 1993, joining a decorated sorority — North Kingstown’s Dara Rittman, Narragansett’s Lauren Grzebien and Prout’s Nicole Scola. Rittman and Scola both went on to become four-time winners while Grzebien was stopped only by her younger sister, Mary Ellen, in 1999.

“Pretty early on in the round, I felt like I was in it,” Williams said. “There are a lot of good girls — someone else can always do really well. You always stay focused.”

Boys golf: La Salle's Jackson ready to repeat, but there's more than one golf title he'll be chasing this spring

Kylie Eaton, of Moses Brown, hits off the 10th tee at Tuesday's RIIL Girls Golf Championship in Warwick.
Kylie Eaton, of Moses Brown, hits off the 10th tee at Tuesday's RIIL Girls Golf Championship in Warwick.

Williams made a strong move away from the field beginning with the picturesque par-4 eighth. Her downhill second shot toward Narragansett Bay checked up about four feet below the cup, and Williams rolled in her second birdie on the front nine. That touched off a stretch of seven holes in which Williams finished at 1-under, building enough of a cushion for a couple of late wobbles.

“I think certain parts were great at certain times,” Williams said. “I struggled at certain times. I think overall I was pretty steady.”

One example of the advanced composure Williams displays as a young player? She bounced back immediately from each of her three double bogeys, playing the following three holes in 2-under. That included a perfect drive, pinpoint approach and routine birdie putt at the tricky par-4 14th.

'I try to not get too mad at shots'

“I try to not get too mad at shots,” Williams said. “You can always do good on the next one. Just stay focused on the process.

“You can’t control the shot and how it’s going to come out. You can only control your process and how you prepare for the shot.”

Dessel recorded six pars on the front side before riding the rollercoaster a bit on the back. Birdies on the par-5 12th and par-5 16th helped offset the damage from a double bogey on the downhill par-4 11th. Dessel finished two shots ahead of playing partner Morgan MacLeod, as the Bay View standout checked in at third with an 8-over 80.

“The field’s kind of similar to a lot of the tournaments we play outside of school,” Dessel said. “I know the girls really well and I kind of know where their games are. I just tried to play it like a normal tournament, like I normally would.”

Eaton trailed by two shots at the turn but ultimately finished fourth with an 11-over 83. Fifth, sixth and seventh places on a perfect spring day were all separated by one shot — Meghan Mureddu carded an 86 for Rogers, trailed by Smithfield’s Samantha Tinsley at 87 and La Salle’s Jordan Vrees at 88.

Class of 2025: Achievement First Providence golf team is just getting started

Gianna Papa put team first: The golfer skipped the girls championship, but she shouldn't have to

La Salle's Olivia Williams shot a 4-over 76 to best the field at the RIIL Girls Golf Championship at Warwick Country Club on Tuesday and win by two shots.
La Salle's Olivia Williams shot a 4-over 76 to best the field at the RIIL Girls Golf Championship at Warwick Country Club on Tuesday and win by two shots.

Williams and Dessel each might have benefited from the competition provided by a pair of practice partners just down the hall. Their older brothers, Brady and Harry, are standouts at Bishop Hendricken and Moses Brown, respectively. Brady Williams helped the Hawks to a state title last year with a top-10 individual finish and Harry Dessel is a two-time R.I. Golf Association Junior Player of the Year.

“I think it’s really helped me in competition,” Dessel said. “The more you compete, the better you get. You get used to pressure.”

Williams and Jackson could both be in the lineup next week at the two-day RIIL championships. The Rams will bid for a first team crown since 1974 and boast their first girls title winner since Amanda Sabatoni in 2004. Cranston Country Club will play host while Jackson attempts to become the first back-to-back boys champion since Will Dickson took four straight for the Quakers from 2014-17.

“I’m excited,” Williams said. “I think our whole team is consistently really good. I think that will be good for states.”

bkoch@providencejournal.com    

On Twitter: @BillKoch25 

RIIL Girls Golf Championship

Warwick Country Club (par-72) 

1, Olivia Williams, La Salle, 76; 2, Lily Dessel, Barrington, 78; 3, Morgan MacLeod, Bay View, 80; 4, Kylie Eaton, Moses Brown, 83; 5, Meghan Mureddu, Rogers, 86; 6, Samantha Tinsley, Smithfield, 87; 7, Jordan Vrees, LS, 88; 8, Molly McCrillis, LS, 92; 9, Isabelle Chen, B, 93; 10, Hana Shuster, MB, 98; 11, Helena Kesson, Tiverton, 108. 12, Lily Howard, Pilgrim, 109; 13, Victoria Minicucci, Cranston West, 111; 14, Grace Schenck, P, 112; 15, Katherine Waldorf, BV, 113; 16, Kaleigh Catucci, P, 115; 17, Brooke Barner, Exeter/West Greenwich, 121; 18, Morgan Beck, EWG, 147; WD – Madeline Barbieri, CW, Hannah Jackson, Chariho, and Gianna Papa, Ponaganset. 

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: La Salle freshman Olivia Williams wins TI high school girls golf title