Valley Country Club’s Joe Tucker won the Rhode Island Stroke Play Championship on Tuesday afternoon at Alpine Country Club.
Tucker posted a three-round score of 7-under par 209 to win the title by four shots over Moses Brown star Harry Dessel.
The victory elevates Tucker’s status on the Rhode Island golf scene, including earning him an invite into next year’s Northeast Amateur.
For Dessel, it has been a big couple of weeks for him, despite the losses. The
The Moses Brown star made it to the quarterfinal of the RI Amateur for the second straight year, and now finishes solo second at the RI Stroke Play Championship.
Tucker’s Final Round
Tucker started the final 18 holes of the day trailing Dessel by a couple of shots.
After Tucker birdied the first two holes, including almost jarring it from the fairway on one, he and Dessel were deadlocked at six-under.
However, Dessel bogeyed the fourth and fifth holes to drop back.
Tucker made birdie on four, and then two more birdies on seven and eight to widen his lead.
He would take a five shot lead into the back nine.
Tucker opened the final nine with three pars, before making bogeys on 13, 14 and 15 and then a birdie on 16.
During that stretch in which Tucker was making bogeys, no-one behind him was able to make a charge.
Tucker would close out the round with pars on 17 and 18 to win the title.