Maine Junior Amateur Championship
Complete Results           

               The 74^th annual Maine Junior Amateur Championship got off to a great start Tuesday at Val Halla G.C. Golfers were up with the birds to begin the qualifying round of the tournament. The top 16 of the 13 and 14, 15-17 divisions went on to play in Wednesday’s math play. All 7 girls and 12 and unders guaranteed themselves a spot in Wednesday’s matches.

                Seth Sweet, 15 years old, from Madison, ME, qualified with a 68 to set the bar as the first group of the day. Defending champion, Henry Fall, came in with a 71, sharing a tie for 3nd place with Jordan Jones and Mike Arsenault Jr. Just within the first group out there were 16 birdies between the three of them.

                For the 13 and 14 year old division, Reese McFarlane matched Seth Sweet’s score for a 68. The range of qualifying scores went from 68-94. Reese had just returned back to Maine from a USGA event at PGA Nationals in Florida, placing 6^th overall with at least one round under par. Will Kannegeiser, son of the 2010 Maine Women’s Amateur champion, Kristin Kannegeiser, qualified with the 2^nd low round of his age bracket with a 77. He was closely followed by 13 year old Daulton Wickenden with a 79.

                The 12 and under division was led by Drew Powell. After spending some time overseas in China, he had returned in time to be the top seed with a 44. Himself, Ryan Chasse and Eric Dugas received a bye for their qualifying performances.

                The Girls’ division had fewer numbers this year with only 7 participants. Laura Grant, the defending champion, is not in the running, leaving a new champion to be crowned. Meghan Bickford, 17 year old from Val Halla, was top seed with an 84 along with Karli Soracco from Turner Highlands. Meghan received the bye through a tie breaker.

                Wednesday’s match play will consist of a morning match with the winners advancing to an afternoon match. On Thursday, depending on the division, there will be morning and afternoon matches. The championship matches will be played Thursday afternoon. We wish our competitors the best of luck in the upcoming days. May the best golfer win!

Jones and Line tie at Biddeford-Saco CC                     

                     It was a beautiful Monday at Biddeford Saco Country Club. The tournament kicked off the last week of tournament play before the championship at Val Halla Golf Course. Jordan Jones and James Line set the bar high when they came in with a couple of 73's. The closest competitors came in with 75's. Chris Billings posted an 84 to win the 13 and 14 year-old division. Emma Seymour, in her first tournament of the year, won the girl's division with a 95. Matthew Prokey picks up his first 12 and under win with a 49 on the front nine. The season is ending but that's when these juniors are playing their best golf!

Karli tames Gorham CC                     

          The juniors ended a full week at Gorham Country Club on Thursday. Playing from the tips, Andrew Campbell fired a +1 over par, 73, to have low of the day and win the 15 to 17 year old division. Russell Barnard and J. Seward Matel tied fro first place for the 13 and 14 division with an 82. Karli Soracco shot an impressive 80 to win the girl's division. 12 and under Matt Roy added another victory to his name with a 46 on the front nine!

Members Triumph at Riverside GC          

           The MSGA Juniors tournament at Riverside was a highlight day for 16-year-old Joe Walp. On his home course he went 4 under to win the overall low score of the day and also the 15-17 year old division. Will Kannegesier came in with a 76 to win the 13-14 year old division. Meghan Bickford for the second straight tournament won the girl’s division with a 85. Returning golfer Matt Roy goes undefeated in the 12 and under division by winning with a 41 at his home course. Looks like today was full of member’s luck!

Toddy Brook GC Challenges Juniors

           On Monday, the Juniors were hosted by Toddybrook Golf Course in North Yarmouth. 15-17 year olds were put to the challenge playing from the tips from 6,214 yds. Joe Walp and Jordan Jones tied for 1^st in the 15-17 year old division each with a 75. Reese McFarlane also shot a 75 to tie for 1^st overall and win his own 13-14 year old division. Despite a difficult back, Meghan Bickford rallied an 86 to win the girls division. Nathan Gervais, a first time player of the MSGA, won the 12 and under division with a 48 on Toddybrook’s front 9. Next tournament will be at Riverside on Wednesday.

Tournament at Bangor Municipal GC

           On Thursday, The MSGA Juniors were hosted by Bangor Municipal Golf Course. The Golf course saw action in the sky as well as on the course. President Barack Obama is expected to fly into Bar Harbor, Maine for a visit. Not only were the jets around Bangor flying high, but also Thomas Murray at his home course. Murray shot a 75 to win the 15-17 division and also low round of the day. Daulton Wickenden again won the 13-14 division with a 75. Eric Dugas won’t settle for anything less than a 1^st place finish in the 12 and under division. Next week’s tournaments will start off at Toddybrook Golf Course in North Yarmouth.

First Ever MSGA Event at Clinton GC

           Hosted by the beautiful 9 hole Clinton Golf course, over 40 Junior golfers tested their abilities to stay focus that is challeneged when playing the same course twice. The course was beautifully built on old farm land and was in excellent playing conditions. The biggest obstacles were the water ponds placed strategically on the course. Henry Fall played in the first group off, and held the low round of the day with a 74. Four of the top junior golfers of Maine went out in the group and not a single one could rack up a birdie. 13 year old Daulton Wickenden won his division with a 76, however, he was disappointed with his score. Eric Dugas earns another victory with a 44 for the 12 and under. If any of the juniors were disappointed with their round, the hospitality of the Golf Course changed that instantly. The day was a piece of cake….. cupcake to be exact!

Junior Tour Returns to Lakewood GC

           Tuesday’s junior golf tournament was hosted by Lakewood Golf Course in Madison, Maine. Roughly 30 junior golfers came up for the tournament from all over Maine as far as Arundel. Reese McFarlane, playing in the first group, held the lead with a 71 for the whole day winning the 13-14 Boy’s division and low score. Gregory Martin from Trenton, carded a even par, 72, to win the 15-17 Boy’s division. Bradford Smith went eagle, birdie on the 4^th and 5^th hole contributing to his round of a 76. Kelsie Dessent picked up a victory in the Girl’s division with a 95. Eric Dugas had the lowest recorded round of the season by a 12 and under with a 41 to win his division. Just another beautiful day out on the Golf Course!

Busy July schedule gets under way at Prospect Hill

           After a week of no tournaments due to the holiday, the juniors opened the busy month of July at Prospect Hill in Auburn, Maine. With soft putting surfaces and green fairways, the players were striving to make their birdie putts and tap in pars. Daulton Wickenden shot a 69 to bear out Reese McFarlane’s 71 for top contender of the day and also the win in the 13-14 Boy’s division. Bradford Smith came in with a 72 to capture the 15-17 Boy’s division for the first time this season. 12 and under’s Matt Roy won again with a 48, beating Alexander Spiller and Tyler, who both came in with a 55. These juniors know how to put the pro in Prospect Hill!

Rainy Day at Val Halla Event

           Despite the rain showers on Thursday, 65 juniors were hosted by Val Halla Golf Course in Cumberland, Maine. It was certainly a day to bring an umbrella and rain gloves, however, that did not stop the quality of performance. Cape Elizabeth’s Reese McFarlane carded a 75 to win the 13-14 year old Boy’s division and also the day’s low score. Matt Roy enjoyed yet another victory with a 45 in the 12 and under division. Andrew Campbell won the 15-17 year old Boy’s division with a 77 having 6 bogies and 1 birdie. The juniors will be kicking off the July schedule on Monday the 12^th at Prospect Hill.

Tounament at Woodlands Club

       The Junior’s second tournament of the year was hosted on Thursday by The Woodlands Club. The course was playing in great conditions, and the only obstacle was the fast approaching thunderstorms in the middle afternoon forecast. 12-year-old Matt Roy picked up his first victory with a 9 hole score of 47.  Daulton Wickenden goes 2 for 2 in the 13-14 boys division with a low score of 79. After a rain delay, Megan Bickford, Sarah Hansen and Emily Lunt returned out after a half hour rain delay to finish their round and Megan came out on top with a round of 96. The weather held off for Woodlands member Connor Burfeind to finish with the day’s low round of a 75. For Connor, home really is where the heart (and game) is.

        Kit Bartlett Memorial Tounament at Belgrade Lakes
   The MSGA Juniors kicked off their season up at Belgrade Lakes for the first annual Kit Bartlett Memorial tournament. It was a sunny, beautiful day with a high temperature of 85° degrees. The heat wasn’t the only thing that was hot, Daulton Wickenden, boys 13- 14 division, came 1 under par to lead the clubhouse. Henry Fall leader of the 15-17 boys division came in with another great round of 1 over par. Incoming freshman Meghan Flanigan won the girls division by ten strokes, and Tyler Walker shot a nine hole round of 45 to win the 12 and under division. The Juniors are off to a great start!

Maine State Golf Association Junior Tour

                For several decades, the junior program of the Maine State Golf Association has produced some of the top golfers in New England. Now under the tutelage of Dan Sweet – who’s mentor was longtime MSGA Junior Director Tom Kimball, the Maine Junior Golf Tour is continuing to produce some of the best golfers in New England.

                Maine Junior Champion Henry Fall and New England Junior Individual Champion Seth Sweet lead this year’s class of junior. As they’ve found out, playing in the Maine Junior Golf Tour is a great way to get them ready for the high school fall golf season. In fact, nearly all the All-State golfers in the state have been participants in the Junior program. The program stresses sportsmanship, etiquette, and friendship in a tournament environment, and focus on the positive values that golf brings its followers.

                We encourage juniors to become involved. We offer a comprehensive tournament schedule and have made it easier than ever to participate by going to an on-line registration process. We encourage players to sign up and manage their own tournament schedules on line. Players should also be aware of our cancellation policy, and parents are asked to make sure they educate themselves as to the rules surrounding  the junior tour. All information about the program is located on the MSGA’s web site at www.mesga.org

                The season will culminate with the Junior Championship on August 3-5 at the MSGA’s home, Val Halla Golf Course in Cumberland. The event will start with the Junior Scholarship Banquet, held in the MSGA’s Banquet Center at Val Halla on Monday, August 2 prior to the first round. Juniors are encouraged to play a practice round in the afternoon and stay for the banquet, which is free for tournament participants and scholarship recipients. Parents and friends can attend for a nominal fee, but must RSVP in advance.

                Check out the Maine Junior Golf Tour and get the most out of your summer golfing experience.

Junior Tour News

     The MSGA is delighted to announce that Dan Sweet of Madison is joining the staff in the position of Junior Director. As Junior Director, Dan will be responsible for handling all aspects of the Maine Junior Golf Program and for teaching golf's values to the hundreds of players who take part. With Dan on board and Emily Bouchard returning, the junior program is in excellent hands.

       Dan Sweet takes over a program that is the late Tom Kimball’s legacy, and as Dan says, how better to honor TK than to assume the job for which TK set the standard.

Parental Expectations for
Maine Junior Golf Tour

     As parents and guardians for our young golfers, we know that you want to help the players succeed at this sport. We have some basic rules for all spectators to follow while watch-ing the golfers on the Maine Junior Golf tour. Please note that breach of these rules could cause a spectator to be asked to leave the golf course, and could also cause the player to be disqualified, so your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

The following are the rules for all spectators:

All spectators must stay 50 feet from players;
 
No coaching or caddies are allowed;

NEVER give a player a ruling, even if you are sure of the rule. Instead, suggest that they play two golf balls and ask an MSGA staff member for a ruling after the round;

Please be aware of other groups and make sure you are standing out of the way of play. Rather than following your player, spectators are asked to walk ahead of the group, where you can help forecaddie;

When applauding for a player, please be aware of other competitors around you and use proper golf course eti-quette;
 
If a player has a medical condition, which would require a parent to have contact with the player during the round, the parent must bring this to the attention of MSGA staff prior to the round. The safety of all of our players is of pa-ramount concern, and we will work with you to ensure a positive experience for all players.