Dessel's Drive is Diesel
By Joe McDonald
RIGA Senior Writer
RUMFORD – Lily Dessel is emerging as one of the best amateur golfers in Rhode Island.
She’s not intimated. Her confidence is off the charts. She’s stealthy and her bite is subtle. Basically, don’t be fooled by her quiet demeanor and stature.
It’s been an impressive week for Dessel, 17, of Rhode Island Country Club. The rising senior at Barrington High School won the Junior Amateur Championship last week at Pawtucket Country Club and her streak has continued during the Women’s Amateur Championship at Wannamoisett Country Club. She defeated past champion Alexis Florio in 21 holes to advance to the semifinal round. Dessel will face Wannamoisett’s Morgan MacLeod, who also beat a past champion, Val Blinn, 2-up.
In the other semifinal match, it will be a battle of past champions as Kylie Eaton (2022) and Emily Brooks (2021) square off for a chance to reach the final.
Dessel faced a massive challenge against Florio, 24, who owns an impressive high school, collegiate and amateur career. The Cranston native played at both Columbia University and Indiana University. She won this championship in 2020 and returned to reclaim the title this season. Florio shot even-par 73 for medalist honors Monday and won 7&6 in the Round of 16. In fact, she was the odds-on favorite to win.
She then faced Dessel who has diesel in her veins.
“You have to be ready for anything. You never know what your opponent’s going to bring,” Florio said. “It’s great to have competition. The pressure was on from the first hole, so that was good.”
It was an epic match that needed 21 holes to decide the winner.
“She’s a pretty important person to beat,” admitted Dessel. “Yeah, it feels good. We both played great. Just the luck of the draw, I guess.”
The entire match went back and forth until Dessel gained momentum down the stretch. Florio was 2-up with three holes to play before Dessel saved par on No. 16 to halve the hole. She then won Nos. 17 and 18 to force the playoff. Dessel had an opportunity to close out the match on the first playoff hole, but she left the potentially winning putt just shy of the hole.
“I was pretty bummed I missed that putt,” she said.
On the second playoff hole, Florio was on in two, but three-putted, including a horseshoe lip-out to allow Dessel to halve the hole. On the third and final playoff hole, Dessel landed her tee shot on the green, while Florio went in the left bunker. She was able to get out on her second shot, then flew the green on her third shot. Florio chipped on but still had a 40-footer when she conceded the match.
“It was a crazy match,” Dessel said. “That’s why match play is fun, because anything can happen. You need to play your game, but there are different strategies to it. You can play your own game and just focus on you, or match what (your opponent) is doing and try to beat them 1v1. I was just trying to stay steady.”
Florio is an outstanding ambassador for the game, especially in Rhode Island, and despite the loss she spent more than a few minutes talking with Dessel after the match.
“I need to actually talk to her about her college golf plans because I was just so impressed and really excited to see how her game develops. I know she won the Junior Am, so I’m wishing her the best. We need to get another Rhode Island college golfer on the main stage and she’s definitely somebody who is developing as the up-and-coming person, which is great . . . she really kept me on my toes. It was a real, solid, respectful match. Lily has a great game.”
Overall, Florio said she’s so happy with how diverse the field was this week during the Women’s Amateur.
“It’s great,” she said.
All season, Dessel keeps describing her game as “steady.” She proved it during the Junior Amateur in every aspect of her game and it’s continuing this week at Wannamoisett CC.
“Consistency and confidence,” she said. “I feel really confident in my game right now. Over any shot I feel like I can hit it really close and I was doing that today.”
Dessel will face another impressive opponent in the semifinals against MacLeod, who is motivated to win this championship on her home course. So, Dessel’s mindset is simple – remain steady.
“It’s very important,” she said. “Monday qualifying, I didn’t play great and ended as the eighth seed, but anything can happen, and it doesn’t matter where you’re seeded. It’s just exciting.”
She’s no longer Little Lily. It’s more like Dominating Dessel.
It was another exciting day in the Net Division Championship. A pair of past champions – Gail Lederman and Jane Lippincott – played in a match of fellow Wanumetonomy members with Lederman finishing with a 4&2 win. Jill Lancaster defeated Sarah Santos, 1-up, while Mel Hebert beat Leony Hartig, 4 &3. Pam Brissette finished with a 3&1 win over Wendy Ossman.