Auburn’s Gabe Vincent turns hobby into New England Amateur Disc Golf U18 championship

Gabe Vincent, 13, of Auburn throws from the tee pad Wednesday at Dragan Field in Auburn. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

Gabe Vincent missed most of his older sister Mya’s run to the semifinals of the state tennis singles championships last week.

“I wish I was there,” Gabe said.

But the 13-year-old Auburn resident and Central Maine Christian Academy student was busy competing in his own tournament, the New England Amateur Disc Golf Championship — a Professional Disc Golf Association-sanctioned tournament played at three different courses in or around Manchester, New Hampshire.

Gabe Vincent scouted the three courses — Hollows North (in Manchester), Hollows South (Manchester) and Birch Park (Amherst) — by playing practice rounds two weeks ago.

All three courses are wooded and require players to shape their shots around trees and corners. Vincent’s advanced scouting gave him an idea of what to expect.

“Some holes you couldn’t see (from the tee), and (I) knew where they were (for the tournament),” Vincent said.

Vincent cruised to victory in the under-18 division with a three-round score of 160.

“I was taking everything shot-by-shot and not focusing on the whole round, just focusing on the next shot,” he said.

Vincent’s 160 score put him at 5-under par and 15 shots ahead of the runner-up. It also would have been good enough to win the men’s intermediate division by four strokes, and would have placed him just outside the top ten in the advanced open division.

Gabe Vincent, 13, of Auburn shoots a putt toward a basket Wednesday while playing a round of disc golf at Dragan Field in Auburn. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

The tournament started Friday, May 20, on Hallows South. Vincent bogeyed the opening two holes, and later birdied holes five and six to get back to even. He bogeyed seven and nine and was 2-over through the first nine holes. His round included two more birdies and two more bogeys, and he finished at two-over for 18 holes for a 57.

“There was a lot of nerves going into day two,” Vincent said. “Day one was the hardest course out of the three. I thought I played pretty well. I just took it shot-by-shot.”

Vincent didn’t show any nerves the second day, May 21, shooting a blistering 5-under 50, and a bogey-free round, on the par-55 Hallows North course.

Vincent said his putts — in disc golf, shots that are usually between 40 and 50 feet — were much better the second day than the first.

Vincent took an 11-shot lead into the third and final round, which was played at Birch Park, the Amherst course, on May 22.

He shot a 2-under 53 to capture the crown and the $50 payout.

Gabe Vincent, center, of Auburn plays a round of disc golf Wednesday with his 9-year-old brother, Elliot, and mother, Sarah, at Dragan Field in Auburn. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

“There were a little bit of nerves going into round three — not as much as round one or two,” Gabe said. “I knew as long as I played my game, I had (the tournament won).”

Meanwhile, at Lewiston High School, Mya Vincent, a junior at Edward Little High School, defeated Erskine’s Julia Barber in her first match at the Maine Principals’ Association state singles tournament on May 20, then beat Scarborough’s Amber Woods in two sets in the quarterfinals May 21 to advance to Monday’s semifinals.

Mya Vincent, the fourth seed, fell in the semis to top-seed and eventual state champion Lidia Gomez of MCI.

Gabe and Mya’s mother, Sarah Vincent, said both children put in a lot of time and effort to achieve their accomplishments of that weekend.

“It’s pretty awesome. I am so proud of them and all of their hard work is paying off with these kinds of results,” Sarah Vincent said. “It’s about the day-to-day, you go out and you try your best, you stay in the moment, then you do it again the next day.”

FAST-GROWING PASSION

Like many Americans two years ago, Gabe was in need of something to do to occupy his time during the early days of coronavirus pandemic. The Vincent family decided to try disc golf.

“I always liked being outside, and I find it satisfying throwing a frisbee around,” Gabe said.

He was hooked from the get-go, and the rest of the family had difficulty keeping up with Gabe, who took time on his own to learn the ins and outs of the game.

“It’s interesting to note: He wanted to go to disc golf all the time, so we ended up getting a basket at home,” Sarah said. “As soon as we got a basket at home, every second he can, he’s out there shooting discs in the basket in our yard. As it progresses, we keep going disc golfing. And all of a sudden, he’s keeping up with my husband, and (then) he’s exceeding my husband on what he can on the disc golf course.”

Gabe Vincent started competing in tournaments in 2021. He played in seven tournaments, winning the recreational division of the Tip of the Tournament and the green division at the Thorndike Memorial.

Gabe Vincent, 13, of Auburn pulls his cart of discs Wednesday while playing a round of disc golf at Dragan Field in Auburn. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

He recently finished a month-long league at Pine Acres Disc Golf, finishing fifth in the intermediate division. He also plays in a league in North Yarmouth.

Playing in area tournaments made him want to compete in out-of-state tournaments, such as the New England Amateur Disc Golf Championship.

“I always want to play, any tournament, anywhere,” Gabe said.

He plans to participate in a few more tournaments this year, including the MVP Open, a PDGA playoff event in Leicester, Massachusetts, in late September.