La Salle freshman Juliet Vongphoumy, blasting out of a bunker on the 18th hole in yesterday’s final round, is the first female to capture the RIIL individual golf championship, winning by two. Click here to see a gallery of photos from the state championship.

The Providence Journal / Bob Breidenbach

CRANSTON — Juliet Vongphoumy became the first female to win the Rhode Island Interscholastic League individual golf title as the La Salle freshman, playing from the women’s tees, posted a final-round 77 yesterday at Cranston Country Club and captured the title in the 36-hole tourney by two strokes.

Vongphoumy’s 6-over-par performance yesterday, coupled with an even-par 71 in Tuesday’s opening round, gave her a 36-hole total of 148 and a two-shot triumph over Burrillville’s Justin Misiaszek.

Vongphoumy entered yesterday’s final round with a two-stroke lead over her closest competition and, despite shooting a 4-over 36 on the final nine holes yesterday, nobody seriously challenged her for the title.

Misiaszek carded the best score of the final round, a 1-over 72, but he had started the day seven strokes off the pace after an opening-round 78. Two players who had started the day two strokes behind Vongphoumy, St. Raphael’s Taylor Bowen and Hendricken’s Tyler Fay, carded 79 and 80, respectively, yesterday. Misiaszek’s 72 was the only score under 76 posted by the 23 players who had qualified for yesterday’s final round.

Under Interscholastic League rules, female players declare at the beginning of the season whether they will play from the women’s red tees or from the white tees with the men.

“I believe all the girls in the league play from the women’s tees,” said Mike Lunney, the Portsmouth High athletic director and Interscholastic League director of golf.

At Cranston, the combined distance from the women’s red tees is 5,329 yards, compared to 6,109 yards from the white tees.

The turning point in Vongphoumy’s title drive probably came on the final two holes of the front side yesterday.

She had started the day with bogeys on three of the first five holes, then, after carding a par-4 on the sixth hole, she also bogeyed the par-4 seventh. But then she closed the front side with back-to-back birdies on the par-3 eighth and par-4 ninth.

Those two birdies enabled her to make the turn at 2-over 37 and gave her enough of a cushion that even bogeys on four of the final nine holes couldn’t keep her from becoming the first La Salle player in 17 years to win the state individual title.

“I was inconsistent, actually,” said Vongphoumy. “My short game wasn’t that good. Today I was struggling with the irons.”

The 14-year-old Rams star made the turn knowing she had a comfortable lead, so she didn’t allow her inconsistent play to cause any panic.

“I did (know I had the lead), so I was OK with the bogeys,” said Vongphoumy.

The last La Salle player to win the title was David Herzog, who captured his second straight title in 1991.

Misiaszek earned the runner-up spot by closing with a 1-under 35 on the back nine yesterday. After bogeying the first two holes yesterday, he had five pars, a birdie and a bogey on the final seven holes of the front side. He carded eight pars and a birdie on the back nine.

Bowen, Barrington’s Jared Adams and Hendricken’s Peter Taylor finished in a three-way tie for third, four strokes behind Vongphoumy.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

 Juliet Vongphoumy, La Salle, 71-77—148; Justin Misiaszek, Burrillville, 78-72—150; Taylor Bowen, St. Raphael, 73-79—152; Jared Adams, Barrington, 74-78—152; Peter Taylor, Hendricken, 76-76—152; Tyler Fay, Hendricken, 73-80—153; Ed Hjerpe, Barrington, 74-80—154; Jesse Dibiasio,Toll Gate, 76-80—156; Nicholas Leandro, West Warwick, 76-80—156; Samantha Morrell, North Kingstown, 80-76—156; Joseph DiSimone, Hendricken, 78-80—158.

 Nicholas Rodrigues, La Salle, 75-84—159; John McCarthy, East Greenwich, 79-80—159; Jamison Randall, Cumberland, 80-82 — 162; Jeffrey Ray, Barrington, 80-82—162; Blue Kurtz, Hendricken, 79-83—162; Alex Fay, Barrington, 78-86—164; Jenna Masnyk, Lincoln, 79-87—166; Sean Dacey, Pilgrim, 75-93—168; Corey Silva, East Providence, 79-91—170; John Pughe, North Kingstown, 80-90—170; Ryan Southworth, North Kingstown, 81-89—170; Corey Martone, Lincoln, 81-91—172.

jgillool@projo.com