While the final day of the New England PGA championship didn’t go in Mike Dugas’ favor on Wednesday, the J.W. Parks-based pro said the tournament was a good experience.
After two solid days at the tournament — played in Concord, Mass. at Concord Country Club and Nashawtuc Country Club — Dugas struggled on the final day at Concord. Dugas shot an 81 in Wednesday’s final round and finished tied for 46th place.
“It was just one of those things. For whatever reason, I just lost my swing,” Dugas said.
On Day 1 at Concord and day two at Nashawtuc, Dugas was able to overcome his mistakes. In his first round, Dugas hit just six greens, and on Tuesday, just nine. Still, he was able to score 71 and 75, respectively. On Wednesday, the flags were often hidden behind bunkers, and at the back of the greens, Dugas said.
“The last day, my miscues just got worse,” Dugas said. “I hit it over the back (of the greens) a few times, trying to be aggressive.”
Only four players finished the tournament under par. Overall, Maine’s golfers had a good showing at the tournament. Shawn Warren, of Falmouth Country Club, finished sixth place at 1-over 213. Samoset’s Jeff Seavey tied for 18th (218), while Allan Menne, of Poland Spring Country Club, tied for 27th (220).
Bob Darling, of Fox Ridge Golf Course, who won the state championship last week at Sugarloaf, shot 234 to finish 58th. Waterville Country Club’s Don Roberts missed the cut.
Rich Berberian, of Derry, N.H., won the tournament for the second straight year.
Dugas said he’ll continue to play in the tournament, hoping to qualify for the national championship for the third time. Dugas played in the national championship twice, in 2013 at Sun River Resort in Bend, Ore., and 2014 at Grande Dunes in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
“That’s what inspires me to keep trying, knowing I can do it if I put the work in,” Dugas said.
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A new junior event is scheduled to take place at J.W. Parks Golf Course in Pittsfield on Friday and Saturday, the first North-South Junior Cup.
Sponsored by the Maine chapter of the New England PGA, the North-South Junior Cup will feature teams of 12 golfers from north of Augusta competing against 12 golfers from south of Augusta in a Ryder Cup format tournament. The tournament will feature 36 holes on Friday and 18 holes on Saturday.
Each team features eight juniors ages 15 or older, two players 14 and younger, and two girls. Selection was based on points earned from specific events. The winning team earns a trophy, which will stay at the winning team’s site.
The American Junior Golf Association will host the Coca-Cola Junior Championship at Sugarloaf next week, Monday through Thursday. Golfers from around the country, and some international players, are registered for the tournament. One hundred and 13 boys and 29 girls are scheduled to play.
Among the players representing Maine are Eric Dugas, of Pittsfield, Cole Anderson (Camden), Reese McFarlane (Cape Elizabeth), Carter Pearl (Newport) and Erin Holmes (Cumberland).
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Bailey Plourde won the Janet Drouin Memorial Open, held at Natanis on Monday and Tuesday. Plourde shot a two-day score of 145. Plourde also was the junior champion of the tournament.
The tournament began in 2009 in honor of Janet Drouin, a volunteer, historian, statistician, and scorer for the Women’s Maine State Golf Association.
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High school golf teams around the state began practicing this week. The Maine high school golf season is a sprint. The first matches can be played on Aug. 28 after 3 p.m. The team championships are scheduled Oct. 10 at Natanis Golf Course in Vassalboro. The Class A and B championships will be on Natanis’ Tomahawk course, while the Class C championship will be played on the Arrowhead course.
The individual state championship match will be on Oct. 17, also at Natanis. Class A and B golfers will compete on the Tomahawk course, while the Class C and girls championship will be on Arrowhead.
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM
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