BREAKING: Bobby Leopold Wins 4th RI Amateur Championship
Bobby Leopold marched to his fourth Rhode Island Amateur Championship on Friday afternoon at Montaup Country Club.
Leopold beat Dessel 9&8 to capture his second title in two years.
“It doesn’t seem real. To be able to get it done, especially to do it again at Montaup where I won back in 2014 is crazy. I just played really steady golf all week. I Played great at the beginning and just tried to get ahead of my matches as quickly as I could and stay that way,” Leopold told GolfNewsRI after the round.
Leopold is now tied with Brad Valois with four Amateur championships.
For Dessel, his tremendous run in the tournament did not end how he had hoped.
“My first time making the finals, hopefully I can have a better showing next time,” said Dessel afterward.
The former Moses Brown star will now get ready for the Stroke Play Championship and then head back to college for year two at Lafayette.
The Match
In the 36 hole final, Leopold took a one-up lead going into the second nine.
He then rattled off wins on the second and third holes to go three up in the match.
There was then an hour plus rain delay before play resumed.
Out of the break, Leopold and Dessel halved the next five holes, before Leopold closed the first 18 strong with wins on 17 and 18 to take a commanding five-up lead going into the back 18.
On the second 18, Leopold won the first hole, but Dessel won the second.
That was just the second hole that Dessel won in the match.
On the third hole, Dessel appeared to notch another win until Leopold drained a 40-foot putt for the halve and stop any momentum.
“I don’t want to say that putt sealed it, but it calmed me down. I missed a putt that I probably should have made on two, it was like five feet, but I should have made it. That putt on three was a huge momentum shift,” said Leopold.
After halving the fourth hole, Leopold won five, six and seven to go eight up and then closed the match out on ten.