SEEKONK — Players with local ties vied for two of the four division championships Thursday afternoon, July 27, to conclude the 104th playing of the Rhode Island Golf Association's Junior Amateur at Ledgemont Country Club.

One of the flights was an all-East Bay, better yet, all-Barrington affair as Eagle teammates AJ Calonna and Adam Gorman competed for the boys' First Division title. Colonna, about to enter his sophomore year at Barrington High, bettered his peer Gorman, a senior in the fall, 3-and-2.

"This is definitely up there," Colonna said of the First Division win. "Obviously next year I want to be up in the Championship Division, be up there with all of those top guys. But, yeah, this is a big win."

The other outing with area interest had Wannamoisett's Michael Letendre meeting Kirkbrae's Gavin Walsh in the boys' Under-14 Division title. Walsh won 4-and-3, closing out the match with a half on the par 3 15th.

Walsh never fell behind in the match, closing out the front side 4-up. Letendre, who won one hole on the opening nine, trimmed his deficit to 3-down with a victory at the 10th. Walsh, though, won the next two to rebuild a comfortable cushion.

Letendre got it back to 4-down by winning the 13th, but could get no closer. He actually stiffed his tee ball on the 160-yard 15th, leaving himself a three-footer from behind the front-center cup. After Walsh's short par putt was conceded, Letendre missed the birdie putt to end the match.

Championship Flight notes
The 2023 Jr. Am championship match between two-time defending champ Max Jackson, of Pawtucket CC and LaSalle, and Narragansett's Sebastian Carlsson, playing out of Laurel Lane, needed extra holes.

Jackson couldn't hold a 2-up lead with two to play as Carlsson made birdie three on par 4 17th and parred the 18th with a four to the former's double bogey and bogey.

The soon-to-be LaSalle senior, who was also the 2021 and 2022 high school solo champ, did eventually regroup to win the title with a birdie on the par 4 second, the 20th hole of the contest.

Jackson became the first winner of three consecutive Jr. Am championships since Brad Valois, of Warwick and Toll Gate High, turned the trick between 2002-2004. In between Patrick Welsh won four titles in five years, going back-to-back twice '13-'14 and '16-'17. Former Wannamoisett standout Davis Chatfield interrupted the run with a win in 2015.

All-time, Jackson not only joins Valois as winners of three Jr. Ams on the trot, but also local legend Brad Faxon ('76-'78) and Tom Cunningham ('54-'56) to accomplish the impressive feat.

In the girls' Championship Flight, Olivia Williams of Potowomut CC in Warwick also defended her title after she defeated Kylie Eaton of Kirkbrae 1-up, winning the title with a bogey five on the uphill 400 yard 18th hole.

More First Division notes
Colonna never trailed after making eagle at the short par 5 opener of the 18-hole final, though the mates took turns winning the first four holes to remain level.

Gorman actually birdied three of his first four, bogeying the par 4 third. Both players went out in 3-under 33.

"We both played well, really well on the front nine," said Colonna, who credited his caddy and friend Drew MacCloud, a member of the LaSalle high school state champion team, for shepherding through the latter par of the back nine.

Coming in was a different story, however, for the BHS upperclassman. He did birdie the par four 10th to take his only lead of the afternoon.

The next two holes were halved with bogeys before Colonna took control of the match with three consecutive pars while Gorman made bogey.

Now up two heading to the uphill, dog-leg 16th, Colonna outdrove Gorman by about 20 yards. The latter fanned his approach short and right while the former hit his second just over the green beyond the back-left flag.

Gorman's pitch just crept onto the green before Colonna nearly sank his cut-and-run chip, leaving his third just inches from the cup. The match ended when Gorman missed his 12-footer for par.

"Front nine was good, back nine I couldn't hit the golf ball, couldn't make a putt," said Gorman. "And he ran away with it in the end. It was a good match, but stuff happens. This was my first big time final. It was a good experience, but I just couldn't make any putts, couldn't hit any greens and that's what hurts you."

Semifinal notes
The semifinals in all four flights were contested Thursday morning, including Gorman's 4-and-3 win over Wannamoisett's Quinn Dumas. Colonna beat Cam Seiffert of Connecticut National 6-and-5.

Eaton beat Lily Dressel, playing out of Rhode Island CC in Barrington, 5-and-3 to earn her spot opposite Williams in the girls' final. Letendre beat Kailer Louangxay of Button Hole 2-and-1 and Walsh bettered RICC's Mitch McTaggart 3-and-2 in the U-14 ranks.