After successful high school and college careers, Winthrop native Taylor Morang is preparing for the next chapter of his golf career, but first he’ll play in his fourth Maine Amateur this week.

Morang qualified through the Poland Spring qualifier. He was one of the unlucky ones June, when his round was halted because of heavy rains. He only got through 10 holes that Thursday and had to return the following Monday.

The break did him well, though. Before the storm, he was sitting at 8-over through 10 holes, which put him on the eventual cut line.

“It was helpful knowing what score I needed to put up on the back nine to be able to make it,” Morang said of the weekend break. “I just went out and practiced and played a bunch over the weekend, and I was able to get it done.”

He went 2-under for the final eight holes to shoot a 6-over 77 and earn his spot in the 100th Maine Amateur field at Portland Country Club, which starts Tuesday.

Morang said his mentality has changed over the years when it has come to the Maine Amateur.

“I have a bunch of tournament experience under my belt,” Morang said. “The first year I was playing in it, I was excited to make it down, that was the one down (at York Country Club), and I have steadily started playing better through the years. Hopefully I will be able to play better at Portland and make the cut, which I haven’t done yet.”

Last year at Belgrade Lakes Golf Club, he missed the cut by four strokes. His first two years he missed it by five strokes.

Morang hopes to build off his outstanding collegiate career at Husson University and his high school career at Winthrop and get over the proverbial hump of making the Maine Am cut.

The three seasons he played for the Eagles — he started his college career at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, New Hampshire — the Eagles made it to the NCAA Division-III national tournament by winning the North Atlantic Conference championship.

At this year’s Division-III champioship, Morang shot an 83 and an80 in the two rounds as Husson missed the cut. After the season, he earned Division-III Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar honors, which are awarded to juniors and seniors who have a stroke average under 79.0 and maintain a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.2.

“Finishing the last year with the (same) group of guys for three and a half years was pretty interesting, but we had four guys that played basically every (tournament) for the last four years,” Morang said of himself, Mackenzie Clow, Gavin Dugas and Daulton Wickenden. “It was sad to see it come to an end, but we had a great run, it was a good year.”

While at Winthrop, he helped the Ramblers to the Class C team championship in 2014.

Morang spent much of his childhood during summers on the golf course, and he wants to turn his passion into a career as a teaching professional when he graduates from Husson.

“That’s what I like to do the most,” Morang said. “Right now, (I) get to help out with clinics and junior clinics, and I really enjoy doing that, seeing people get better, being able to help out with that process.”

He said he has the ability to see a golfer’s swing and identify how it can be improved.

Morang, who currently works at Augusta Country Club, still has a semester remaining to before he earns a Business Administration degree from Husson. He plans to work his way up to an assistant pro position and eventually into the PGA Pro program.

Right now, he really enjoys working with the kids.

“I like doing the junior clinics, because the kids, they have a great imagination,” Morang said. “They play how they see it, they don’t think too much about it.”

With his collegiate playing eligibility he can focus on his one remaining semester of classroom work. And, he said, the Husson golf program will do fine without him.

“It’s going to be a little different, but I think I left the program a little bit better than when I started,” Morang said. “I know coach (Mike) Dugas has got it in good hands.”

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