Andrew Slattery liked his chances in the Maine State Golf Association Amateur Championship held this past week at The Woodlands, even before the calendar crept into July.

He expressed as much while working at Martindale in the pro shop on June 26, as several members of the 2014 State Amateur field were there attempting to qualify.

“I finished eighth last year,” he said.

What went unsaid is that he felt he was a much better and more experienced player this year – and he was correct in that assessment. Slattery posted a three-day total score of 214 to win the Amateur on Thursday, one shot ahead of Joe Walp.

The road to the state title was not an easy one for Slattery, a West Minot resident who played one season at Poland High School. In addition, he is working to pay his way to complete studies for a degree at the University of Southern Maine. There never has been a silver spoon in Slattery’s mouth, only the work ethic  to develop his golf game.

Although some people might be surprised that Slattery has become the state amateur titlist, the signs have been there. He was a member of the Maine team which won the Tri-States (Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine) championship in 2012 and 2013.

So, hats off to the 25-year-old Slattery, who not only is a Maine champion, but a fine young man.

Exotics Tour update

The third stage of the Exotics Tour Pro-Am Series of 2014 will be Thursday at Old Marsh with some impressive professionals joining a large field of more than 40 foursomes.

Kirk Hanefeld, 58, of Acton, Mass., who has played in 16 Champions Tour events, will be in Wells for the tournament. He played in the 2011 U.S. Senior Open and in the same season was tied for 60th at the Senior PGA.

Hanefeld grew up in New Hampshire and won that state’s Junior Amateur three times 1971-73. He then took two New Hampshire State Amateur crowns in 1974 and 1976. As a pro, he won the New Hampshire Open in 1982, the Rhode Island in 1999, the New England PGA in 2000, 2001 and 2003, and won the Senior PGA Pro National Championship in 2008.

Also in the field is Sean Gorgone of Orlando, Fla., who works at the World Elite Performance Golf Academy in Windermere, Fla.

If that name sounds familiar, it should. Gorgone grew up in Durham and was Maine State Amateur champion four times in five years (1987, ’88, ’90, ’91) and was runner-up to Mark Plummer in 1989. He was inducted into the second class of the Maine Golf Hall of Fame in 1994, and is also is believed to be the only Maine golfer in the Miami (Fla.) University Hall of Fame.

“Sean has played in the U.S. Open,” said tournament director Johnny Johnston, who works for Harris Golf, founder of Maine’s Exotics Tour last year. Johnston said Gorgone is in Maine this summer, visiting his mother, who lives in Westbrook.

Another entry is David Cummings, who grew up in Bath and lives in Cape Elizabeth. He was a boyhood friend of Johnston who is now a golf designer and a former Maine Open titlist.

They will join the winners of the first two events of the season Rich Berberian of Windham, N.H., and Sean Warren of Falmouth. Also entered is LeAnna Wicks, a former LPGA and Futures tours player, now a New England representative for Ping.

The tour’s top 10 money leaders going into this event are: Warren ($3,958.30), Berberian ($3,330), Dick Ayers of Falmouth ($1,216.66), Ryan Gay of Augusta ($1,050), Michael Hersey of Samoset ($926.16), Leon Oliver of Bath ($841.65), Tim Desmarais of Purpoodock ($810.40), Jeff Seavey of Samoset ($800), JJ Harris of Penobscot Valley ($650), and Gerry DiPhillipo of Portland ($500).

MSGA busy

The Maine State Golf Association has a huge schedule this week, starting tomorrow at Bangor Municipal, where it will run a combination senior-junior tournament. Tuesday the MSGA will oversee a U.S. Amateur Qualifer at The Ledges and a junior event at Biddeford-Saco. Wednesday is another junior tournament at Gorham, with a fourth junior tourney on tap Thursday at Clinton. The regular Friday and Saturday tournaments will be at Diadema.

Copy the Story Link