By Joe McDonald

RIGA Senior Writer

 

PORTSMOUTH – The past, present and future were all on display as the 118th Rhode Island Amateur Championship began Monday at Montaup Country Club. 

 

It was a soggy day on Narragansett Bay and Mother Nature did not cooperate in the morning as rain forced a two-and-a-half-hour suspension. After play resumed, three former state champions took control of the field. Bobby Leopold and Jamie Lukowicz finished T1 after both shooting 6-under 65, while Brad Valois carded a 3-under 68. 

 

“It’s the pinnacle. It’s the one you always want to win,” said Leopold, who won this championship in 2009, 2014 and 2021. It’s the hardest one to win. You’ve got to play well in stroke play to get into match play, and when you get to match play it’s a completely different ballgame all together. The history, the guys who have won it, and then coming here on the 100th anniversary of Montaup is pretty neat. We’re lucky they gave us the course to do this, and the last time I was here for the State Am my son was a year old and I won it, so I have some good memories.” 

 

Lukowicz, who won in 2020, birdied three of the last four holes Monday to finish T1 with Leopold. 

 

“It means a lot,” he said of competing for this championship. “I’ve been doing this for a long time. I won three years ago and last year my mom passed away. It’s different when you lose a loved one so close and it puts things into perspective. I think I’ve somewhat rebounded and looking forward to the rest of the year.” 

 

Valois won this championship in 2006, 2007, 2011 and 2013. He wants at least one more. 

 

“I’ve been trying to win my fifth for what feels like 10, or 15 years now. There was a stretch there when I was a little worried. I’ve seemed to be doing better the last few years, so maybe I’ve been putting a little too much pressure on myself. But, for me, growing up this was always the biggest tournament. New guys come onto the scene every year. The younger guys replace the old, the competition’s different every year, so it’s the highlight of everybody’s year,” he said. 

 

It was also fitting that Kevin Blaser, Tim Murray and Max Jackson played together as the reigning State Amateur, Senior Amateur and Junior Amateur champions, respectively. All three said it was an honor and were appreciative of the gesture. Jackson, 17, finished even-par 71, while Murray, 57, shot 3-over 74. Blaser closed out Round 1 12-over 83. 

 

This is the fourth time Jackson, who is the two-time defending Junior Amateur champion, is competing in the Rhode Island Amateur. The La Salle Academy standout wants to add his name to another state championship trophy. 

 

“This is the one I look forward to the most,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to win it before I got out of high school. I look forward to it every single year. I love this golf course, so I put in a lot of time, getting ready for it. I love this tournament. I love the RIGA.”

 

Playing in the same group as two veterans state golfers helped the young man stay focused throughout the long round that was suspended for two-and-a-half hours due to rain. 

 

“It definitely motivates you to play better,” Jackson said of his group. “Tim was down the middle every single time, putting it close. Watching him play was just a Master Class. He didn’t do too much wrong. Trying to keep up with him definitely makes you play better.” 

 

This is Murray’s first time competing in the Rhode Island Amateur Championship. He received an automatic exemption since he won the 2022 Senior Amateur. 

 

“This is the best of the best,” said Murray, who laughed at the notion of past, present and future in his group. “I couldn’t ask for a better pairing,” Murray said. It was really cool how we all played together. I really enjoyed that. Kevin hits the ball so far and so pure, and Max is definitely the future. He’s a super-nice kid, too. He’s polite and he can play. I enjoyed that round immensely. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.” 

 

To make the day even better for Murray, his 16-year-old daughter, Sadie, caddied for her father. 

 

“It was so fun,” she said. “I’ve been looking forward to this for weeks. When he told me who he was playing with I knew I would learn so much from watching all this, and being out here with him and all these great golfers is so fun.” 

 

Montaup’s Kevin Silva took advantage of the home-course advantage. He finished with a 3-under 68 and is T3. He said his mindset was to remain patient and focused during the long round, especially when play resumed. 

 

“I’m just going to go there tomorrow and see what I can do,” Silva said. “I want to play as well as I can and hopefully it adds up at the end. There are a lot of good, young players out here. (Medalist) is furthest thing from my mind. There are some talented players out here who can definitely shoot some really good numbers. I’m happy with how I played (Monday) and now I’m just looking to be consistent.” 

 

It was a good day for Montaup members. Glenn Dufault recorded a hole-in-one on No. 10.