GolfNewsRI

Wannamoisett’s Jesse Hellring defeated Brayden Dickinson to win the Rhode Island Boys Junior Amateur on Friday morning at Pawtucket Country Club. 

Hellring won the match 3&2 after being three down early on. 

“This means a lot. Had a bunch of great matches this week, it’s a lot of golf and it is just awesome to win,” Hellring told GolfNewsRI afterward. 

Hellring and his family spent the majority of their year in Florida, where Hellring plays high school golf for the Ransom Everglades School in Miami.  

The high level of competition in Florida set him up for success in Rhode Island. 

“The competition down in South Florid is probably the best in all of the country. You have to grind your way to top tens and just a lot of really great players. The constant good golf down there has really prepared me for whoever I have to go and play against,” said Hellring. 

Hellring will play in an AJGA event next week at Penn State, then Challenge Cup’s Gately Cup, and New England Junior before heading back down to Florida for the start of school. 

He will take this victory the confidence boost with him. 

“This shows me I can win. I haven’t really won a bunch over the last couple of months, I won a bunch in high school, but not in the Junior season, lots of top tens but no wins. This shows me I can win,” said Hellring. 

Scoring HERE

The Match 

In the match, it was Dickinson who got off to a fast start, playing the first four holes at two-under par to take a three-up lead through four. 

Dickinson won the first, second and fourth holes in the match.  

However, Hellring battled back. 

He was three-down through six, but closed the front nine by winning the seventh and ninth holes to turn at one-down. 

“I knew I was playing well. Brayden started off real hot two or three under through the first five holes. I was a little frustrated but I felt like if I just kept doing what I had been doing, pounding greens, giving myself chances, good things were going to happen,” added Hellring. 

The two halved the tenth hole, before Hellring won four of the next six holes to close out the match on 16. 

Boys 1st Division

In the first division, Connor Ahlborg beat Connor Rabbitt two-up to capture the title. 

Ahlborg lost in a playoff to get a spot in the Championship Division. 

Boys 14 & Under 

In the boys 14 & under division, Raj Mammen beat Aidan Connell 6&5 to win the title.