Teenager Seth Sweet winning his first Maine Amateur title was a highlight of the state’s golf season, along with Emily Bouchard of Saco taking her second straight women’s state amateur.
The golf season has a good month left before another strong season ends. Some courses will stay open through Thanksgiving and longer, weather permitting. The nice weather this summer enabled courses to be in great shape. Greens and fairways are still lush.
Sweet is a freshman at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va. He won the Maine Amateur in July on a tough course – Sunday River Golf Course in Newry. With a year of college golf under his belt, Sweet, of Madison, could be a strong defender next July at Augusta Country Club. He’ll be going against another strong field. Ryan Gay, a three-time champion, now at St. John’s University in New York, will look to regain his championship form at his home course.
Sweet received the Maine Golf Hall of Fame Junior Golfer of the Year award two weeks ago at the annual banquet at Poland Spring Resort. His parents, Dan and Kim, accepted the award.
Bouchard rallied to win the women’s state amateur. Her availability for next year’s tournament is contingent on her future career as an air traffic controller. She is in her final year at Daniel Webster College in Nashua, N.H. Upon graduation, and if she’s successful landing a job, Bouchard could be placed anywhere in the country.
John Hickson won the State of Maine Championship. Tim Angis of Biddeford-Saco Country Club won the Maine PGA Championship, and Dustin Cone of Bennington, Vt., won the Maine Open at Augusta Country Club.
Mark Plummer captured his fourth Maine Seniors Championship. Austen Truslow, who summers in Islesboro, and Meghan Flanigan of Pittsfield captured their second straight Maine Junior titles.
John Hayes IV of Cape Elizabeth won the Maine State Golf Association match play title.
Maine was the site for both the men’s and women’s New England Amateurs. In June, the LPGA Legends brought their tour to Maine and Falmouth Country Club.
TEE TO GREEN: In his first tournament as a University of Colorado golfer, Hayes turned heads as he finished ninth in the Buffaloes’ Mark Simpson-CU Invitational. Hayes, a walk-on, shot rounds of 71-67-73 and had the third-best score among the Buffaloes, but his score didn’t count toward the team total because he wasn’t designated as one of the team’s top five players before the tournament. The Buffaloes finished second in the 13-team event, four shots behind Oregon State.
Sunset Ridge Golf Links in Westbrook reopened Sept. 14 under new ownership. The front nine is open, along with holes 10 and 18. Also open are the miniature golf course, the par-3 course and the driving range. The full 18 will be open next season. The course had been closed last year, with no maintenance being done. As a result, the fairways and greens were overgrown, which required much work to return the course to playability.
Golfers wishing to join can pay their 2013 memberships now and play the rest of the year for free. Greens fees are $5 to walk and $15 to ride.
Staff Writer Tom Chard can be reached at 791-6419 or at:
tchard@pressherald.com
Twitter: TomChardPPH
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