Dessel, Leopold to Battle for RI Amateur Championship
The RI Amateur Championship match is set.
Former Moses Brown star Harry Dessel will face three-time winner Bobby Leopold for the trophy on Friday morning at Montaup Country Club.
“I’ve been trying to win this championship for a few years now, it is the one I want the most,” Dessel told GolfNewsRI after his semi-final match.
Leopold added, “I was talking to someone last year and they said ‘I could play in 30 USGA events but if you never win your state amateur. I’d rather have five state amateurs. And there is some truth to that right, it’s really difficult to qualify for the USGA stuff, but at the same time, no one is going to remember that you played in the 2012 U.S. Amateur. They remember the victories, they remember the State Amateur titles, so to have another chance to win it all, is really cool.”
The first 18 holes is set to start at 7:30 a.m., and the second 18 will follow shortly after that.
Dessel vs Leopold
Leopold and Dessel actually played together in the stroke play qualifying rounds earlier this week.
Leopold, of course, won medalist honors, but Dessel finished third.
“Harry is a nice kid, I’ve played with him before, really good kid. He kind of reminds me a lot of myself, hits it really straight, lots of fairways, lots of greens, so playing against him tomorrow will be a challenge,” said Leopold.
After not putting as well as he would like last week at the Providence Open at Triggs, Dessel has been on fire this week, draining putts from everywhere.
The Lafayette rising sophomore dropped two 20-foot bombs against Mike Hamilton in the quarterfinals and made a clutch birdie putt against Max Jackson in the semi-final that got him momentum back.
“The first day (at Triggs) I didn’t play terrible, the second day my putting was just awful. I’ve just been putting a lot better this week and that has made a big difference, especially in match play,” said Dessel.
Dessel will look to continue his hot play on Friday and try to lift the trophy.
He adds, “If I don’t play really good, I won’t win. That’s the mindset.”
Like Dessel, Leopold has been on a roll this week.
Cruising to medalist honors and cruising through each one of his matches to this point, including one against his brother-in-law Tyler Cooke.
“That was awful, we are such good friends, so to get that one, get the victory. Afterward he said to me ‘you know you beat me, now go win this thing.’”
Leopold will look to add to his legacy and win his fourth RI Amateur title.