By Dalton Balthaser

 

BARRINGTON – Max Jackson has had a quite a bit of success so far in his junior career. 

 

He won the Rhode Island High School State Golf Championship as a freshman at La Salle Academy this past June.

 

He also won the Challenge Cup’s World Series of Golf at Triggs Memorial Golf Course this year.

 

But that hasn’t changed his attitude. 

 

“I don’t feel much pressure because of the early success I have had,” said Jackson, 15, of Cumberland. “The guys I play against hit it by me by 30 yards or more. I just have to focus on playing my game. I look at each tournament individually. If I play well that’s great, if not I learn from it and move on.”

 

Jackson, the No. 4 seed, secured his spot as one of the last four in the Boys’ Division of the Rhode Island Junior Amateur after a 2&1 victory over No. 12 seed Ricky Angeli of Potowomut Golf Club Wednesday at Rhode Island Country Club (par 71, 6,393 yards).

 

“It feels pretty good to advance to the semifinals,” said Jackson. “Last year I got knocked out in the first round. I wanted to play better this year.”

 

He took a 2-up lead at the turn after shooting 3-under on the front nine. He rolled in a 40-footer for birdie on No. 5 (par 3, 152 yards) and eagled No. 8 (par 5, 489 yards) after rolling in a 15-footer.

 

“I putted so much better today,” said Jackson. “I have been struggling with my putter the last couple of weeks. I haven’t been making putts that I should. I haven’t been seeing the lines that well and reading the greens has been a challenge. But the more I play this course the more confident I feel in the read on the greens.”

 

Angeli tied the match on No. 12 (par 4, 316 yards) but then Jackson closed him out by parring the next six holes to win 2&1.

 

“Hitting the fairway is so important here,” said Jackson, a member of Pawtucket Country Club. “The rough is challenging and you can have a hard time stopping the ball on the green. I needed to make a lot of birdies.”

 

Jackson’s strength is his iron play. Strong iron play is an advantage in match play, especially if you are hitting first.

 

“Ricky was outdriving me,” said Jackson. “Being able to hit first is an advantage if you can hit the green. It changes how your opponent thinks. It adds more pressure.”

 

He will take on top seed Bennett Masterson of The Misquamicut Club in the semifinals Thursday. Masterson defeated Ben d’Entremont of Point Judith Country Club, 5&3, in the Quarterfinals.

 

“I have been down in matches, and I have been leading,” said Jackson. “Since I have been in many different situations, I will know how to react in the coming matches.”

 

Girls’ Division

 

Kylie Eaton won her Round of 16 match on Tuesday and was excited to see who she had next.

 

Two-time defending champion and No. 3 seed Gianna Papa.

 

“Gianna beat me in the Women’s Amateur last year,” said Eaton. “I was almost desperate to win today, I wanted it so bad. It was nice to be able to play some good golf.”

 

Eaton, the No. 6 seed, defeated Papa 2&1 to advance to the semifinals of the #RIGAJunior at Rhode Island (par 73, 5,525 yards).

 

“Being competitive and gritty helps me,” said Eaton, of Kirkbrae Country Club. “Going into a match and wanting to win, pumps me up a bit. I play better golf that way. I played with Gianna yesterday and I saw how she plays. She doesn’t make mistakes. I knew I needed to be sharp.”

 

She didn’t get off to the greatest start in her match. She didn’t even finish the first hole.

 

“I haven’t played the first hole well all week,” said Eaton, 16, of Smithfield. “But the second hole is one of my favorites, so I like having that comfortable feeling after a bad hole.”

 

Eaton took her first lead after a birdie on No. 4 (par 4, 263 yards). She hit a sand wedge from 85 yards to five feet to seize an early advantage. 

 

Eaton would hang on after winning Nos. 14 (par 4, 360 yards) and 15 (par 4, 316 yards) with par.

 

Her next opponent? Her sister Adriana.

 

The two of them already competed against each other in match play this year. Kylie defeated Adriana, 7&6, in the Round of 16 of the Rhode Island Women’s Amateur at Wanumetonomy Golf & Country Club.

 

“What are the odds of that happening once, let alone twice?” said Kylie, a rising junior at Moses Brown School. “That match at Wanumetonomy felt like just a normal day for us at Kirkbrae. We did get competitive, though.

 

“Adriana has improved a lot since the Women’s Amateur. It will be a fun match for us.”