By Dalton Balthaser

 

LINCOLN, R.I. - By securing the No. 1 seed in the 98th Rhode Island Golf Association Junior Amateur Championship, Brendan Fay put a target on his back.

 

Adding pressure he said he didn’t want.

 

Fay, who will run track at the College of Holy Cross in the fall, handled the pressure and nerves just fine, punching his ticket to the #RIGAJunior quarterfinals after defeating No. 16 seed Peter Alofsin of Wanumetonomy Golf and Country Club, 5&4, in the Round of 16 Tuesday at Kirkbrae Country Club (par 71, 6,317 yards).

 

“I felt like I played pretty well today,” said Fay, a 2019 graduate of Barrington High School. “Or at least I played better than I scored. I had a few putts throughout the day I thought I had made but didn’t. All in all, I can’t complain.”

 

Fay and Alofsin were deadlocked when they approached No. 7 (par 4, 387 yards).

 

After hitting a wayward drive to the left, Fay was left with a tricky punch shot from the trees. He said he was just trying to find a way to make par.

 

He punched a 7-iron from 100 yards to 25 feet. He then buried the putt for birdie to take the 1-up advantage.

 

The Metacomet Golf Club member then won Nos. 8-12 to get to 6-up and closed out the match on No. 14 (par 5, 494 yards).

 

“Leading up until that huge birdie on No. 7, I was swinging hard,” said Fay, 18, of Barrington, R.I. “When I made that unlikely birdie, I calmed down a little bit. Once I started swinging within myself, I hit a lot more fairways.”

 

Next up for Fay is No. 8 seed Logan Smith at 8 a.m. Wednesday. The Wannamoisett Country Club member rallied from a 2-down deficit at the turn to defeat Swansea Country Club’s Connor Sullivan, 2&1.

 

“I felt a little more comfortable on the course than I did in stroke play Monday,” said Fay. “I was getting a little jittery late in the stroke-play round but today I felt calm and was happy with how I was playing. When I am playing solid, I feel more at ease.

 

“I am feeling good and swinging well. It all depends on whether putts are going to fall.”

 

The upset of the day came for The Aquidneck Club’s Teddy Murphy. He defeated No. 2 seed Will Giguere, of Wannamoisett Country Club, 6&4.

 

Murphy, the No. 15 seed, shot 77 in stroke-play qualifying, which was 11 shots higher than Giguere’s 66. That didn’t mean a thing on Tuesday.

 

“I hit the ball very well Monday but struggled with the speed of greens,” said Murphy, 17, of Needham, Mass. “Today my ball striking was still there and I happened to make a few more putts. Being on the greens for another day helped.”

 

Just like Fay, No. 7 was the important hole in the match for Murphy. He stood 2-up on the tee but wanted to increase his stranglehold on the match.

 

After missing the fairway, Murphy hit a pitching wedge from 150 yards to 40 feet just looking to two-putt.

 

When he rolled in the 40-footer he said it was a nice surprise and knew he had a firm grasp of the match at 3-up through seven.

 

Next up for Murphy is No. 7 seed Harry Dessel of Rhode Island Country Club at 8:10 a.m. Wednesday. Dessel defeated Kirkbrae’s John Max Petrarca, 1-up.

 

“I feel good about my long game,” said Murphy, a rising senior at St. Sebastian’s School in Needham, Mass. “As long as I continue to putt well, I feel like I have a chance.”

 

Girls’ Division

 

Three matches were played Tuesday in the #RIGAJunior Girls’ division.

 

Alpine Country Club’s Ava Santamaria (No. 6 seed) defeated Wannamoisett’s Ayoung Lee (No. 11 Seed), 7&6; Metacomet Golf Club’s Emily Trainor (No. 9 seed) defeated Kirkbrae’s Jordan Vrees (No. 9 seed), 1-up; Ledgemont Country Club’s Hanley Correia (No. 10 seed) defeated Kirkbrae’s Kylie Eaton (No. 7 seed) in 19 holes.

 

Santamaria, a rising junior at Cranston High School West, didn’t lose a hole in her match to cruise to victory. She will take on No. 3 seed Morgan Macleod of Wannamoisett at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.

 

Trainor, a rising junior at The Prout School, won the final two holes of her match to outlast Vrees. She will face top-seeded Vinny Papa of Connecticut National Golf Club at 8:20 a.m. Wednesday.

 

Correia, an incoming sixth-grader at Saint Margaret School, won Nos. 17 (par 3, 166 yards) and 19 (No. 1) (par 4, 321 yards) to prevail in extra holes. She will battle co-medalist Gianna Papa of Connecticut National at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.