Hoopsters Hjerpe and Lynch will face off for Juniors championship

PAWTUCKET — For the first time in a long time, a hockey player will not win the R.I. Golf Association Junior Championships.

Instead, two players who come from basketball backgrounds will be in the spotlight, when Eddie Hjerpe (RICC) battles Owen Lynch (Wannamoisett) in the championship match of the 86th annual RIGA Junior Championships today at the Pawtucket Country Club. They will tee off at 8:20 a.m.

Hjerpe, who was on Barrington’s 2005 middle school state championship team, edged Alpine’s Mike Hamiliton, 2 and 1, in yesterday morning’s quarterfinal round. He then held off Bishop Hendricken’s Peter Taylor (Quidnessett), 2 and 1, in yesterday’s afternoon semis.

“It means a lot to me to make it to the finals because if you look at the board, there are a lot of past RICC golfers that are up there, and if I could put my name up there, that would be pretty cool to be up there with [Brad] Faxon and [Billy] Andrade and [Paul] Quigley,” Hjerpe said.

Lynch, a Boston Globe regional All-Star at Bishop Feehan who is the highest remaining seed (No. 2), dominated both of his matches yesterday. In the quarterfinals, he cruised past Toll Gate’s Jesse DiBiasio, 5 and 3, and then defeated Josh Padwa (Ledgemont), 5 and 4, in the semifinals.

Both Hjerpe and Lynch said that they are expecting a close match today.

“Owen has been playing really good in this tournament,” Hjerpe said. “It should be a good match.”

Lynch has more experience at Pawtucket than Hjerpe.

“My high school team plays matches here and I enjoy this golf course a lot,” Lynch said. “There are a lot of good competitors out here, so you have to play your best and give it your all. I played with Eddie Hjerpe in the qualifying round and he’s a pretty consistent and solid player, but I’m just going to play my game tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll play well.”

Hjerpe, who placed fifth at last year’s R.I. Interscholastic League State Championships, said that the key for him yesterday was being consistent.

“On the front, I made a lot of pars and I was 3-up at the turn, but it was pretty much back and forth on the back,” Hjerpe said. “On 15, [Taylor] won to go to two down with three to play.”

Hjerpe and Taylor both parred the 16th hole, but Hjerpe sank a five-foot putt for par on the 17th hole to win. Taylor’s approach on 16 came up short of the green and he missed a 12-foot putt for par to lose the hole and the match.

“I just tried to make as many pars as I could because you won’t lose many holes if you do that,” Hjerpe said.

Lynch got off to a quick start and never looked back in his semifinal match against Padwa. Lynch won the first three holes to put the pressure on Padwa.

“Josh is a good player, but I kind of went out and played my own game and I ended up making a couple of good putts and I had a couple of good holes,” Lynch said of his strong start.

After the two halved the fourth hole, Padwa won the fifth hole to pull to within two holes. But Lynch was not going to be denied. He shot 36 through the first nine holes, winning holes six, eight, and nine to take a five-stoke lead at the turn.

“Then I just played steady on the back,” Lynch said. “Teeing up, I felt good and I have been leading through nine holes on all my matches so far so I just went out and played steady.”

In the First Division, Crawford Leeds overcame the shock of hitting his father in the forehead with a drive on the second hole to defeat Gregory Malo, 3 and 2. He will face Sean Leach, who edged Cory Martone in 22 holes.

Leeds’ father had to go to the hospital and get four stitches, but he returned in time to see Leeds win.

Tim Rogers will meet Greg MacPherson in the Second Division championship match.