Olivia Williams completes a first-ever double with her win at the RI Women's Amateur
LINCOLN — To think a couple of months ago Olivia Williams wasn’t fully pleased with the state of her golf game.
What’s followed for the rising junior at La Salle Academy has been a summer to remember — one, in fact, for the Rhode Island Golf Association record books.
Williams completed a unique double on Saturday morning at Kirkbrae Country Club. She captured her first Women’s Amateur title thanks to a hot putter and soft touch around the greens, outlasting fellow teenager Adriana Eaton, 3 and 2.
Williams added this trophy to the Junior Amateur crown she took home last week at Ledgemont. She’s the first female player to sweep both events since the Junior was introduced in 2013. A closing par putt at the tricky 16th allowed Williams to end the day a bit early.
“They’re both tournaments with the best players in the state,” Williams said. “It means a lot to play well enough to win.”
Williams finished as runner-up to Eaton at the Interscholastic League championships, relinquishing the individual crown she won as a freshman. The Rams brought home a second straight team title — Williams and three-time boys Junior Amateur champion Max Jackson make quite a pair atop the lineup. Missing out on a solo repeat served as motivation for Williams to get a little sharper.
“I definitely wanted to get better throughout the summer,” Williams said. “I’ve been practicing and trying to be mentally better.”
Eaton held the lead twice in the early going. She laced a utility club to the front of the green on the par-5 sixth and two-putted for a nice birdie. Williams grinded out a par to halve the seventh, stuck a greenside bunker shot to within two feet while winning the par-4 eighth and chipped in for birdie from the bunker face fronting the green to take the par-3 ninth.
“Those were great shots,” Williams said.
Williams was 2-up at the turn before giving one back with a bogey at the par-4 11th. She rebounded with consecutive birdies, stuffing a wedge shot to within five feet at the par-5 12th and curling in a long uphill putt from the front fringe at the par-4 13th.
“She kept making those,” Eaton said. “Obviously I became a little bit more stressed. I have to keep calm and try to do my best.”
Eaton’s bogey at the 14th put her on the brink before a birdie to win the 134-yard 15th — her tee shot took a peek at the cup before settling about six feet behind. Williams was in a dry gully right of the final hole before pitching on and coaxing in a five-footer for the clinching par.
“Adriana is a great player,” Williams said. “It was a really tough match. It feels good to play well enough to win.”
Eaton assured there would be a new champion at this event by taking out her older sister, Kylie, in the semifinals. She never trailed after the second hole and won five of the eight they played on the back side, storming to a 3 and 1 victory. Both are Kirkbrae members who starred at Moses Brown in 2022-23. Adriana will be back with the Quakers as a sophomore next season.
“I’ve been putting in the work,” Eaton said. “It’s good to see that it’s showing. Put in a little more work and I’ll be here next year, hopefully.”
Williams didn’t win any of the first seven holes in her semifinal before catching fire, posting a 3 and 2 victory against Brooke Brennan. Her local knowledge this week came from Nick Salvatore, a Kirkbrae member and La Salle assistant coach who served as her caddie. Based on their closeness in age and considerable talent, this doesn’t figure to be the last time Williams and Eaton will meet in an important tournament over the next few years.
“She’s very good,” Williams said. “I think it’s going to be back and forth. And I really like her — we're good friends.”
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Williams posts a 3 and 2 win over Eaton for RI Women's Amateur title
