10-year-old holds her own in State Women’s Open

TORRINGTON >> The women participating in the CSGA Women’s Open Golf Championship at Torrington Country Club are not all grown women. Well, not yet, anyway. One, Gianna Papa of Foster, R.I. is 10 years old, and you should see her hit that ball! And putt it too. She drained a 14-footer on the 18th hole Tuesday, the first day of the twoday tournament, to post 89, thank you very much.

On a chilly, sometimes rainy day, in this very national and international tournament, Melissa Siviter of Alpharetta, Ga., shot two-under par 70 to take a oneshot lead over Kayla Lawrence of Deland, Fla., who teed off in the first group Tuesday morning, and Vivian Tsui of Markham, Ontario, Canada. Jessica Carafiello of Stamford and Ayaka Nakayama of Oviedo, Fla. were in at par 72 and Jordan Lintz of Milford managed 73.

The day was uncomfortable for watching golf, but not bad for playing. The greens were soft and the ball ran true. The light rain was never a challenge.

When Papa finished her round, she shook hands with her playing

partners, just like the big girls do and her little sister Vinny ran out on the green to embrace her. Her mother Stacy watched from greenside and her father Paul, who had walked the course with her, beamed.

When she was asked questions by a reporter, Gianna spoke right up, just as if being interviewed was something that happened to her all the time. “Yes,’’ she said, she had started playing golf when she was six years old after her dad started, or rather re-started playing.

She takes lessons from a Connecticut pro, George Connor, and she loves to compete. One of the biggest feathers in her golf cap, so far, is qualifying to take part in the annual drive, pitch and putt contest held in Augusta, Ga. during Masters Week, which she did in April.

We’ll be hearing about her and maybe about eightyear-old Vinny, too. The sisters play a lot of golf together.

The leader, Georgia State graduate Siviter, is not much bigger than the precocious 10-year-old. She is 5-feet, 2-inches and, maybe, 110 pounds. Maybe.

“I’m lucky to be able to hit the ball a long way for my size,’’ she said in charming accents. No, hers is not a Georgia-ish southern accent. It’s English. She’s a Brit by birth, from Wilberhampton, England and she came to the U.S., for golfing reasons, in 2009, when she was 18. She started playing golf at 10 years old.

“Up here, today, I feel like I’m home in England,’’ she said, referring to Tuesday’s weather and course conditions. “I just love this course,’’ she added.

There are 44 professionals in the field of 80. The last weather report predicted sunnier skies for today’s tournament play. With leaders bunched, it’s obviously anybody’s tournament. There are 13 golfers within four strokes of the leader, with 36 holes to play.

The young pros who are following the sun in an effort to make their way to bigger and better golf futures, go from place to place trying and trying and trying.

Caroline Ciot of Brossard, Quebec, is one of these. Country Club of Montreal is her home base. She shot 80, Tuesday but was undaunted. At 26, she is optimistic. Caroline had already played in five tournaments in Florida, and others in Virginia and Pennsylvania. Ohio is next. She was into gymnastics until age 17, and then golf claimed her.

Those who shot 74 Tuesday were: Elizabeth Breed, Waynesboro, Pa.; Natalie Goodson, Naples, Fla.; Amy Ihm, Peosta, Iowa; Julia Ford, Shrewsbury, Mass.; Seul-Ki Park, Winchester, Mass.; Brooke Baker, Sanford, Fla.; Alexa Re Rancourt, Simpsonville, S.C.; Lynn Valentine, East Lyme.