By Dalton Balthaser

 

PORTSMOUTH - Do you remember what you were doing when you were 13?

 

You might have been playing a summer sport, spent a lot of time at the pool, or read a book under the shade of the tree.

 

Gianna Papa is breaking course records at 13 and dominating Rhode Island women’s golf.

 

Papa, the two-time defending #RIGAJunior Girls' Champion, carded a women's course-record 67 Monday in the stroke play qualifying of the Rhode Island Golf Association Women’s Amateur at Montaup Country Club (par 73, 5,338 yards). She earned medalist honors and the No. 1 seed.

 

She will take on No. 16 seed Marisa Brown of Agawam Hunt at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.

 

Defending champion Daria Delfino is not competing in this year’s event.

 

Her round was six shots better than Pawtucket Country Club’s Isabel Southard who was next best with 73.

 

“I’ve never shot a course record before so that is pretty cool in my eyes,” said Papa, 13, of Foster. “I had no idea I was going to shoot a course record today. Montaup is a course where you can make birdies so I thought everyone would go low. Shooting a course record didn’t cross my mind at all.”

 

Papa’s success so far in junior golf is one that is few and far between. She plays with a steadfast consistency and is as mentally tough as they come. When she’s out in front, good luck catching her.

 

Fairways and greens is her motto. Clutch putting is her gift.

 

She got off to a red-hot start with a birdie on No. 4 (par 4, 357 yards) and an eagle on No. 5 (par 5, 401 yards).

 

She stuffed a gap wedge from 98 yards to nine feet on No. 4 and hit a 5-hybrid to 12 feet on No. 5.

 

“I’ve been practicing a lot lately,” said Papa, a rising eighth grader at Father John Doyle School in Coventry. “I usually play from the whites so playing from the reds has me hitting a lot more wedges in. That opens the door for more birdies and no bogeys.”

 

Another stuffed gap wedge to six feet on No. 8 (par 3, 90 yards) got her to 4 under through nine.

 

Papa took care of the three par 5s on the back nine, Nos. 13 (420 yards), 15 (401 yards) and 16 (440 yards). She two-putted for birdie after reaching Nos. 13 and 15 in two. 

 

On No. 16 she used her gap wedge again and threw a dart to 10 feet from 98 yards.

 

Two holes later, she closes out a two-putt from 50 feet for the women’s course record of 67. Not bad for 13.

 

But at some point, pressure creeps up on you. No matter how old or young you are. The pressure to succeed when the expectations are high. The pressure to succeed when you are the one everyone is chasing.

 

“I feel a little pressure,” said Papa, of Valley Country Club. “But I enjoy embracing that pressure. It doesn’t faze me. The pressure gets me going.”

 

Papa loves match play and it shows. Four matches stand in the way of her ability to claim her first #RIWomensAm title.

 

“I don’t want to be down in my matches,” said Papa. “I want to finish them up as fast as possible. These are the best women golfers in Rhode Island, I have to be ready.”