Second place never felt so good.
Keegan Fennessy, a recent Poland Regional High School graduate, sat in the Riverside Golf Course lounge munching on a sandwich after one round of his attempt to qualify for the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship recently. His score, an even-par 71, was the best to that point from Round 1. Then, a 69 appeared on the board.
“I had trouble on the first three holes in both rounds,” said Fennessy. “I just had to tell myself over and over not to press too much, just to let things happen.”
Fennessy followed his 71 with a 1-under-par 70, good only for second place.
“Romeo (Laberge, the Maine Golf Association’s tournament director) told me I did well,” Fennessy said, “and that second was good, but now I could focus on qualifying for the Maine Amateur, and he seemed to think I had a good shot at that.”
Fennessy did qualify for the Maine Amateur, firing a 79 at Brunswick Country Club to make the field. The news he got Wednesday, though, made everything else seem insignificant: Fennessy was getting his shot at the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.
“They called me up and said that the other guy that beat me couldn’t go,” said Fennessy. “It’s a U.S. tournament. I think it’s a bigger step for me to play in that than in the Maine Amateur, though part of me wants to do both.”
Fennessy can’t do both. The Maine Amateur starts July 11 at Portland Country Club. Fennessy, meanwhile, will be at Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, Washington. The U.S. Amateur Public Link Championship starts July 10.
“I just have a good feeling that if I can continue to play my own game, that I’ll do all right,” said Fennessy. “From what I’ve seen, the course looks a lot like Point Sebago, where I work.”
Fennessy said he’s been working a lot on his game, mostly the chipping and putting.
“I’ve definitely worked more on my short game,” said Fennessy. “I had a U.S. Junior Tournament qualifier last week, and I am the first alternate for that, but I think I would have done better if my short game were better. That’s kind of what’s stopped me from scoring lower.”
The tournament itself is one of the premier events on the United States Golf Association’s schedule. Last year, teenage sensation Michelle Wie attempted to qualify for the Masters by winning the Pub Links tournament. The winner gets an automatic entry into the annual event in Augusta, Georgia, as well as other PGA tour and USGA exemptions.
Fennessy also plans to play in the New England Amateur July 18-20 at the Woodlands in Falmouth, as well as the Charlie’s Maine Open at Fox Ridge in Auburn on August 8-10. As for college, Fennessy is still on the fence.
“I have three letters of intent at my house right now,” said Fennessy. “I still haven’t signed any of them, though.”
Fennessy said he is leaning toward Louisburg College in North Carolina, one of the top-ranked junior colleges in the country for golf. For now, though, he’s just going to keep swinging.
“The more I play against better competition, that can only make me better,” said Fennessy.
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