By Dalton Balthaser

 

LINCOLN – Kevin Silva dominated the Stroke-Play portion of the 116th Rhode Island Amateur. 

 

But when match play started, Silva, the No. 1 seed, found himself 2-down through three holes looking for any sort of spark against No. 32 seed Kolby Simmons of Crestwood Country Club. 

 

“After I fell behind early, I knew there were plenty of holes to play,” said Silva. “I trust my game and all I needed to do was find my rhythm to get back in it.”

 

Silva, the 2015 #RIAmateur Champion, kept his putter hot to defeat Simmons, 3&2, in the Round of 32 Thursday at Kirkbrae Country Club (par 72, 6,676 yards) to advance to the Round of 16.

 

“I wasn’t as sharp today as I was in Stroke Play, and I wasn’t expecting to be,” said Silva, 37, of Fall River, Mass. “Today was the beginning of a new tournament, and I grinded my ball around the course well. I knew Kolby was going to be a tough opponent.”

 

He turned it around quick by winning the next five holes. He made the turn in 2 under and was 3-up on Simmons.

 

Silva said the important hole in the match for him was No. 12 (par 5, 479 yards). He hit a 4-iron from 210 yards to 18 feet and canned the eagle putt. That got him to 3-up with six holes to play. 

 

Simmons cut the deficit to 2-up as they approached No. 16 (par 4, 326 yards). Silva had left his approach 40 feet left of the hole location on the front of the green.

 

Looking to lag it close to force Simmons to make his 10-footer for par to extend the match, Silva canned the left-to-right 40-footer to close out Simmons. He made a putt of a similar length for birdie and a win on No. 7 (par 4, 411 yards).

 

“Making that putt on No. 16 to win the match was nice,” said Silva. “You are never expecting to make a putt of that length. I had to play so much break because if I missed it below the hole, I would have a 6-footer or more for par. My putter has been one of my best clubs so far.”

 

Each hole that Simmons won in the match was a result of a Silva bogey. Silva made four of them. He said he has to clean that up if he wants to continue to have success.

 

“I need to hit my tee shots better here,” said Silva, of Montaup Country Club. “I need to keep myself out of the trees and put more pressure on my opponents. I don’t want to give my opponents any hope in matches.”

 

Silva will take on No. 17 seed McKinley Slade of Point Judith Country Club in the Round of 16 at 7:30 a.m. Friday.

 

“I take solace in knowing that I only have to worry about one player in each match play round,” said Silva. “If I can be prepared to outwork my opponent throughout the match and have a steady game, I like my chances. No matter how well I have been playing, I don’t take any of my opponents lightly. The big picture is that we have a long way to go. But I like to look at the tournament through smaller pictures.”

 

Cooper Relishing Return to Tournament Golf 

 

Jonathan Cooper had a standout golf career at Rhode Island College, where he made four consecutive NCAA Division III Championships.

 

After competing in the 2016 National Championship as an individual, he stopped playing golf indefinitely.

 

“Life happened,” said Cooper, 27, of Johnston. “Once I graduated college in 2016, I got married and bought a house. I was focused on advancing my career in Information Technology, so I gave up the game for five years and now I am starting to get back into it.”

 

Cooper, playing in his first Rhode Island Amateur as the No. 15 seed, punched his ticket to the Round of 16 with a 2-up victory over No. 18 seed Ryan Tomaso of Wanumetonomy Golf & Country Club.

 

“It feels awesome to make match play and win a match in my first Rhode Island Amateur,” said Cooper, who qualified at Crystal Lake Golf Club on June 16. “I am playing better now than I did in college and it is so much fun.”

 

Cooper said he wasn’t nervous at all. The only time the nerves kicked in was on the final three holes where he was only 1-up. Nos. 16 (par 4, 326 yards), 17 (par 3, 220 yards) and 18 (par 4, 456 yards) favored the long-hitting Tomaso. But Cooper was unfazed. 

 

It was a striped 4-iron to 10 feet on No. 17 that kept his 1-up advantage after he two-putted. His 10-footer for birdie on the last was conceded once Tomaso missed his birdie try.

 

Next up for Cooper is 2019 champion and No. 2 seed Andrew O’Leary of Pawtucket Country Club. O’Leary defeated Swansea Country Club’s Kevin Blaser, 5&4 in the Round of 32. Their match commences at 8:10 a.m. Friday.

 

“There is no pressure on my shoulders,” said Cooper, of Glocester Country Club. “I am not trying to live up to any expectations. Nobody here knows who I am. I just go out and have fun. I am not at the office. I am just playing golf.”