Golf
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High School State Team & Individual Champions
1923 East Providence - Levine (East Providence)
1924 N/A 1925 N/A 1926 N/A 1927 N/A 1928 East Providence* 1929 N/A - John Burke (Rogers) 1930 N/A - Charles Pettijohn (Portsmouth Priory) 1931 Rogers - Irving Patterson (North Kingstown) 1932 Pawtucket - Irving Patterson (N Kingstown) 1933 Rogers - N/A 1934 Barrington - N/A 1935 Barrington - N/A 1936 Barrington - N/A 1937 East Providence - N/A 1938 La Salle - John Beradi (Barrington) 1939 La Salle - John Mallghan (La Salle) 1940 West Warwick - Francis Partridge (St. Raphael) 1941 Aldrich - Stan Koslowski (St. Raphael) 1942 St. Raphael - Stan Koslowski (St. Raphael) 1943-1945: No Golf 1946 Barrington - Ralph Carson (St. Georges) 1947 Pawtucket East - N/A 1948 West Warwick - N/A 1949 West Warwick - Alec Genovesi (Barrington) |
The Ocean State's rich history in golf goes back to the 19th century. Newport Country Club is a historic private golf club located in Newport was founded in 1893. It hosted both the first U.S. Amateur Championship and the first U.S. Open in 1895. Agawam’s first golf course was designed and built in 1895 by Willie Park, Jr. of Musselburgh, Scotland. The Metacomet Country Club was a private golf club in East Providence. As for the name, Metacomet, it was the fashion at the turn of the 20th century for golf clubs organizing in New England to select Native American names. Metacomet was a great Indian Chief of the Wampanoag Tribe, a friend of the Pilgrim settlers of the 17th century who was later named King Philip by the English after he succeeded his father as leader of the Wampanoag tribe. RICC was founded in 1911 by a group of Providence businessmen designed by Donald Ross. The Wannamoisett Country Club is a private golf course located in Rumford, Rhode Island. The course was also designed by Donald Ross in 1914 and played host to the 1931 PGA Championship and hosts the prestigious Northeast Amateur every year.
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Some prominent Rhode Island golfers of the era include John P. Burke who was hailed as the most talented player ever produced in the state when he began competing in the 1930s. He twice won the R.I. Junior Championship, the first at age 15. In that same stretch, he also won the State Open in 1936 and 1938, making him as one of only four players in state history to win the Junior, Amateur and Open. Daniel Fairchild was hailed as "the Boy Wonder" when he won his first State Amateur in 1907 at age 16, making him the youngest person ever to do so, a record that stands to this day and he went on to win the Amateur six times. Woman golfers in Rhode Island included Elizabeth Gordon who won six RIWGA Amateur Championships including five straight from 1916-1920. Elizabeth’s sister, Margaret, was also a fine player, winning the RIWGA Championship in 1925 and 1926. Elizabeth went on to resign her amateur status in 1925 to become perhaps the first female club professional in America. Glenna Collett Vare of Narragansett was one of the first great women players in the United States. She was dubbed the "Queen of American Golf" as she dominated women’s competition in the 1920s and 1930s. She went on to play competitively for more than 70 years. She was among the six charter members of the women’s Golf Hall of Fame. She won six U.S. Women’s Amateur Championships. Jean Bauer of Providence was a 3 time R.I. State Golf Champion (1941-43) and 2 time medalist in the USGA National Amateur Championship. Golf was first introduced to high schools in 1923 with Technical, Classical, Commercial, Cranston, Rogers, East Providence and Hope playing on Metacomet, Wannamoisset and Agawan Hunt course. They competed for the Kenworthy Trophy. In 1932 an Interscholastic Golf League was formed.
State Amateur Champions
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Mens
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Womens
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1916 – Elizabeth Gordon
1917 – Elizabeth Gordon 1918 – Elizabeth Gordon 1919 – Elizabeth Gordon 1920 – Elizabeth Gordon 1921 – Glenna Collett 1922 – Mary Arthur 1923 – Isobel Harris 1924 – Elizabeth Gordon 1925 – Margaret Gordon 1926 – Margaret Gordon 1927 – Isobel Harris Rice 1928 – Isobel Harris Rice 1929 – Virginia Bentworthy 1930 – Victoria Eynon 1931 – Barbara Davis 1932 – Helen Waterhouse |
1933 – Helen Waterhouse
1934 – Barbara Davis 1935 – Barbara Davis 1936 – Barbara Davis 1937 – Helen Waterhouse 1938 – Helen Waterhouse 1939 – Helen Waterhouse 1940 – Jean Bauer 1941 – Jean Bauer 1942 – Jean Bauer 1943-45 WWII 1946 – Valeska Morphet 1947 – Barbara Davis 1948 – Betty Jean Hulteng 1949 – Betty Jean Hulteng |
