Kirk Hanefeld finally claims his first Maine Open crown
PORTLAND – After four second-place finishes at the Charlie’s Maine Open, most recently 20 years ago, Kirk Hanefeld had enough.
Taking destiny into his own hands on Friday at Riverside Municipal Golf Course, Hanefeld fired a 4-under-par 68 for a three-round total of 13-under-par 203 to claim a one-stroke win over Mike Meehan and two better than second-round leader Eric Jorgensen.
Hanefeld also finished second in the Greater Portland Open at Riverside.
“If someone had told me in 1982 or ’83 that I would be standing here winning the Maine Open 20 years down the road, I would have thought they were crazy,” said Hanefeld. “You never figure that someone would have that many chances to win after just missing so many times.”
Hanefeld started the round in second place, two strokes back of Jorgensen, but quickly made up ground with a birdie and a par on the first two holes.
Jorgensen, perhaps showing some nerves as a first-time final round leader in a professional event, bogeyed his first two holes to drop him from the lead.
“I got a bit of a gift right from the start when he made two bogeys,” said Hanefeld, who nearly took two birdies on the first two holes if not for a bizarre putt on the second hole.
Hanefeld sent his 15-to-20-foot bid toward the hole. The ball arced left and stopped on the edge of the cup.
“It really seemed to defy gravity,” said Hanefeld. “I think 60 percent of the ball was over the edge.”
After waiting the requisite 10 seconds before approaching the ball, Hanefeld went to tap in the ball, but as he took his final step, the ball fell into the hole. With the 10 seconds allowed by the rules of golf already passed, Hanefeld had to add a stroke to his score, giving him a par.
“That was just one of those things,” said Hanefeld. “I don’t think I’d ever seen that in competition. I waited the 10 seconds, and then at about 15 seconds, it dropped.”
Jorgensen reclaimed the lead one more time with a birdie on the sixth hole, but Hanefeld seized it back for good with a birdie at the ninth.
Meanwhile, playing one group ahead of Hanefeld, Jorgensen and Bob Darling was Mike Meehan. After making the turn at a modest 8-under for the tournament, Meehan carded birdies on the 10th, 13th, 16th and 17th holes to pull within one of Hanefeld, who stagnated at 13-under-par after a bogey on 14th.
“I figured some people would make birdies coming in the back nine,” said Hanefeld. “Those are birdie holes.”
I knew I needed to do it, and I knew I could do it,” said Meehan of birdieing the final holes in succession. “Last year I had eagled 16, and on Wednesday I eagled 17, so I knew it was possible.”
Meehan’s putt for 13-under fell six inches short on the 18th green, giving Hanefeld the opportunity to win with a par on the last hole.
Darling, playing in the final group for the second straight year, played the first nine at 1-over-par 37.
“It’s not that I played all that badly,” said Darling. “I was hitting most of the fairways and almost all of the greens, but not close enough to the pins to make the putts that I needed to make.”
After eight pars on the front, Darling made just three on the back to go with two bogeys and four birdies, including one the final hole of the day to finish at 1-under-par 71 and a tournament total of 207, four back of Hanefeld.
“It’s always nice to finish the tournament with a birdie,” said Darling.
It appeared that Darling might make a run starting at No. 13 with a birdie. On the 14th hole, he drained a 35-footer for another birdie but lost momentum on the ensuing par-3 when another 35-foot birdie putt slid just left of the hole.
Jason Gall of Augusta Country Club finished as low amateur for the week, tying for eighth place with Bill Link at 209. Sean O’Hair tied with Darling in fourth at 207, while Tom Giles closed with a low round of 65 to slip into a sixth-place tie with Billy Downes.
Comments are no longer available on this story