Deslauriers prepared for Cranston CC
NORTH SMITHFIELD – According to head coach John Galoski, North Smithfield junior Ryan Deslauriers has been on a mission since last spring.
At the R.I. Individual/Team Championships at Cranston Country Club, Deslauriers mustered a mere 94 and failed to make the second-day cut, which came in at 81 over the plush 18. That result apparently didn’t sit well with him, so he enlisted some help in all facets of his game.
“He’s done some work with Mike Harbour, the pro at Alpine Country Club, and – boy – has it shown!” Galoski stated.
With an average nine-hole round of 39, he commanded the Northern Division all season, despite the fact the Northmen finished with a 3-11 mark. During the league opener against Cumberland and host Burrillville, he shot 41 at Country View Golf Course, but the Clippers’ Derek Rivard fired 39 to claim medalist honors, while the Broncos’ Brendan Hanaway managed 40.
Deslauriers, nevertheless, has earned the medalist laurel in every match since, and the first-team all-division selection wants to take that momentum into this season’s state individual tournament, slated to begin in Cranston early Tuesday morning.
“We talked at the beginning of the year about his goals, and the first was to make it to the second day, make the cut and play Wednesday,” Galoski noted of his prized linkster, who will tee off at 11:16 a.m.. “It hasn’t been done by a North Smithfield golfer in at least 12 years.
“It’s been a great season for him,” he added. “He’s qualified for the states all three years, but I know he wants to do something special this time around. He’s definitely taken a number of strokes off his game, as his average last year was around 44.
“He’s worked really hard over the fall and winter, added a lot of distance to his drives, but he’s also remained consistent, keeping it in the fairway. He’s just a driven kid, a perfectionist, someone who’s always trying to improve his game.
“He also keeps it all in stride; he doesn’t get too upset after a bad round, though what he considers a bad round I’d take eight days a week. He’s also a very smart player; he’s worked on his mental approach to it, too.”
Galoski admitted the fact Deslauriers has a later tee time than a year ago will give him more time to warm up, hit the driving range prior to his round.
“I know he’s excited about that,” Galoski laughed. “Last year, he led the way with a tee time just after 6:30 a.m., so this gives him much more time to prepare. I just hope he plays his game, and is confident and steady.”
Manufacturing a surprise finish nevertheless won’t be easy, as Moses Brown senior Will Dickson, the defending individual champion, will be the favorite. Other contenders for the crown should be Hendricken’s Joe Tucker and Middletown’s Jesse Boog, to name a mere couple.
Other localites qualifying for the individual phase of the tourney include Lincoln’s Tim Cullen (10:20 a.m.); and Burrillville’s Sam Hayden (6:44 a.m.), Noel Teter (6:52 a.m.) and Hanaway (7 a.m.).
“We’ll have a practice round there (today) and see what the course looks like,” Galoski said. “I know that last year to qualify as an individual, you had to average 48 per (nine-hole) round, and this year it’s 46, so it looks like the competition has increased.”
As for the team tournament, Mount St. Charles and Cumberland will represent the area. The Mounties ended their Northern Division regular campaign with an 11-2-1 record, a half-match behind league champ Smithfield (12-20), while the Clippers had to earn the third and final berth after winning a playoff match against Burrillville and Lincoln at Crystal Lake Country Club last week.
MSC veteran mentor Mike Masterson is hoping for the best from his quartet, among them freshman Ben Ellis, sophomore Alex Niedzwiadek, senior Mike Dumas and freshman cousin Alex Dumas.
“Ben had a good year, and has been a pleasant surprise for us,” Masterson indicated. “He made first-team AllDivision with a stroke average of about 41, and Alex earned second-team in the division, averaging 43 strokes a round.”
The elder Dumas averaged approximately 45, good for a third-team All- Division spot.
“I know Moses Brown is the favorite to win it all, with guys like Dickson, Jack Steckler and Rio Holzwarth,” Masterson noted. “They’re really solid, so they’ll be a force to be reckoned with, but Hendricken’s going to be right there, and you can’t count out Barrington. Then again, a dark horse could be Middletown. They have this kid Boog and Mason Gilman; both are very good.
“Our goals? Just surviving the course,” he added with a chuckle. “We don’t play any course that long, and I understand the rough is up, probably because of the weather. It’s going to be tall, so we’ll have to be consistent and keep it in the short hair. Otherwise, we’re going to have a long day.
“We’re also very young, so this will be a good experience for the younger kids. Of the 15 teams entered, I’d like to think we’re good enough to get into the top 12. Everything after that will be gravy.”
Ellis will fire his first shot at 10:04, with Niedzwiadek at 9:56, Mike Dumas at 9:40 a.m. and Alex Dumas at 9:48.
The Clippers’ contingent includes the sophomore Rivard (9:24), senior Andrew Rzemien (9:16), sophomore Sean Meers (9:08), classmate Jackson Shevlin (9), frosh Carlo Lemme (8:52) and senior Jake Ray (8:44).
For each team representative at the state event, only the top four scores will count.