Adriana Eaton Earns Medalist Honors
By Joe McDonald
RIGA Senior Writer
LINCOLN – The first day of competition for the 2023 Rhode Island Women’s Amateur and Senior Amateur championships did not disappoint. It was perfect weather to play Kirkbrae Country Club and the players took advantages of the conditions, albeit windy at times.
Adriana Eaton, 15, finished as the medalist and earned a first-round bye after posting a 5-over 77 on her home course. She admitted she’s hasn’t been able to play Kirkbrae of late due to a variety of reasons, but she still played well to lead the pack.
“First round doesn’t really matter in my opinion,” she said. “I’m just trying to go out there and shoot my best.”
It’s been a busy summer for Eaton since she won the Rhode Island Interscholastic League Girls’ State Championship this spring. She recently played in the 104th Rhode Island Junior Amateur Championship and lost her semifinal match to Olivia Williams, who eventually won the tournament. So, having Wednesday off from playing will be a good opportunity for Eaton to prepare for Thursday.
“A rest day is good, especially since I’ve been playing a lot recently, so I’ll take it easy tomorrow,” she said.
The course was set up perfectly for all three divisions. While the amateur division played the white tees, the senior and net divisions played from the greens. In the Senior Championship, Melissa Hem, of Point Judith CC, finished with an 8-over 79 for the lead. Button Hole’s Fusako Seaver shot 4-under 67 in the net division.
“Today was definitely hard because it played long,” Eaton said of the course. “I did the best I could do today.”
Williams recently defended her Rhode Island Junior Amateur title with a 1-up victory over Kylie Eaton last week at Ledgemont Country Club. So, Williams was hoping to continue that momentum into the Women’s Amateur Championship. She made only one par on the front, posing a 10-over 46. However, Williams refocused and rebounded on the back with a 1-under 35, including two birdies.
“It was a tough front nine,” she said. “On the back, I was just trying to go for the middle of the green, trying to make some pars because I didn’t have a lot on the front.”
It’s an impressive field for this year’s state championship, including defending champion Kylie Eaton. Emily Brooks, of Wanumetonomy, won this event in 2021, while Val Blinn (2007) and Marisa Brown (2010) are also past winners. Nancy Chaffee, of Rhode Island CC, is a five-time Senior Amateur Champion (2001, 2003, 2008, 2010 and 2012). Kibbe Reilly, of Wannamoisett, won the Senior Championship in 2013 and 2014, while Laura Nesteriak is a two-time winner (2020 and 2022). Felicia Revens, of Potowomut, won in 2021.
Past champions in the net division include Paula Kleniewski (North Kingstown), Gail Lederman (Wanumetonomy) and Jane Lippincott (Wanumetonomy).
“This is obviously a big deal,” Williams said. “There are a lot of very good women and the competition’s tough. Hopefully I can play well enough.”
Even though Adriana Eaton will have a bye in the first round of match play as the medalist, she already knows her strategy for her next match.
“Play smart and not be too risky,” she said. “I know the course pretty well, so I need to play better.”