For the first time since 2005, Maine was victorious in the men’s Tri-State tournament. Maine finished with 26 points, while New Hampshire and Vermont tied with 23.
Vermont was the tourney host last weekend at the Jay Peak Resort. Maine will host next year’s tournament at a course to be chosen.
“I had a feeling we had a good team,” said Mike Doran, the senior and junior tournament director for the Maine State Golf Association.
“It was our youngest team in a long time. Some of our top players didn’t play this year, but our guys really stepped up. We had a lot of energy.”
Team members were Doran, Joe Alvarez, Brian Bilodeau, Matt Greenleaf, Judd Parsons, Joe Baker, Andrew Slattery, Mike O’Brien, Curt Jordan and Ashley Fifield. Senior team members were Lowell Watson, Ron Dery, Mike Doucette and Randy Berry. Junior team members were Reese McFarlane and Brad Smith.
Bilodeau sparked the win with a hole-in-one on the 14th hole Sunday to close out his New Hampshire opponent. Bilodeau used a 5-iron on the 212-yard downhill hole.
The first day of competition Saturday was alternate shot. The final day was singles. Each player could win a maximum of one point Saturday and two Sunday.
Jordan, who plays out of The Woodlands, led Maine by winning all of his matches. Doran won 2.75 points. Dery led the senior contingent with 2.25 points. Alvarez, Bilodeau and O’Brien garnered two points each.
New Hampshire won last year at Portsmouth Country Club and holds the overall lead in 74 Tri-State tournaments with 42 wins. Maine has 18, while Vermont has 14.
TEE TO GREEN: John Hayes IV has made the University of Colorado golf team as a walk-on. Hayes, who had a strong summer, now hopes to crack the starting lineup.
Former Gorham Country Club head professional Rick Pohle will retire from the Taconic Country Club in Williamstown, Mass., after 29 years there. Pohle and his wife, Cathy, plan to live in the Philadelphia area and in Florida.
The teams of Dale Bragg and David Day and Laddie Deemer and Dale Brown tied for the state Senior Two-Ball Championship last week with a best-ball score of 67 at The Links of Poland Spring.
Staff Writer Tom Chard can be reached at 791-6419 or at:
tchard@pressherald.com
Twitter: TomChardPPH
Send questions/comments to the editors.
