VASSALBORO — After a bogey on his first hole of the day and with the toughest hole on the Tomahawk Course at Natanis up next, Oxford Hills’ Cam Letourneau wasn’t so much thinking about finishing well as much as he was surviving his round.

“It was tough, I was thinking, ‘Oh, what’s this going to be like now?'” Letourneau said.

But survive he did. And then some.

Letourneau rebounded with a string of pars and offset his five bogeys with two birdies to shoot a 3-over-par 75 on Saturday, earning a share of the Class A state individual golf title.

“I still haven’t taken it all in yet,” Letourneau said. “It really hasn’t sunk in yet.”

Letourneau’s 75 tied him for first place with Chris Billings of Cheverus.

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Letourneau’s win caps a solid season for the Oxford Hills program. The Vikings placed well at the Class A state team competition a week ago at that same Natanis Course, and five of the team’s golfers qualified to play in the individual championship this weekend.

Following Letourneau to the finish Saturday were Mac Kim tied for 16th with an 82, Chris Burns tied in 21st position with an 85 and Ben Morton shot 88 to tie for 27th. Brianna Morris finished eighth overall in the girls’ competition with an 88.

Letourneau’s round started inauspiciously after a bogey on his starting hole, the par-4 eighth. He navigated the ninth hole, which plays as Tomahawk’s toughest, and earned a par. Then he settled in.

“Nine is a pain in the butt,” Letourneau said. “Right after I turned off nine, I started hitting greens in regulation and making my pars.”

He made his turn at 3-over, and then found some birdie magic on the par-5 third and par-4 fifth to move to 1-over on his round.

“Coming down the stretch at one-over with two to go, I knew if I played well the next two, I had a chance to post a low score,” Letourneau said. “That was my mentality coming through.”

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Perhaps too excited, he bogeyed his final two holes, the sixth and seventh holes at Tomahawk, but still posted the 75 to earn a share of the title.

Luke Ruffing of Maranacook was the Class B champion with an all-class low of 71, edging Seward Matel of Lincoln Academy by three.

Robbie Watson of Fort Fairfield equaled Ruffing with a 71 in the Class C tourney, good for a five-shot win over Mitch Lorenz of St. Dom’s and Adam Hachey of Winthrop. Last week’s Class C medalist, Taylor Morang of Winthrop, shot a 77 to finish in a tie for fifth, as did Mike Richard of St. Dom’s.

In the girls’ championship, Bailey Plourde of Lincoln and Jenna Hallett of Presque Isle shared the title with matching cards of 76. Hannah Gallant of Buckfield placed 16th with a 99.


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