The degree of golf difficulty is enormous in Maine. Proof of that is in what is being reported after Caleb Manuel of Topsham qualified June 6 for the 2022 U.S. Open, which will be played June 16-19 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Bill Kennedy, Golf Columnist

Those reports tell us that Shawn Warren of the Falmouth Country Club, who has played in two PGA Championships, is the only other current Maine tournament player to qualify for a PGA major tournament. Warren is not on the PGA Tour, but he is an accomplished player who has won money. Two others from Maine — Casey Borque of Biddeford in 2004 and Sean Gorgone of Topsham in 1991 — made it into the Open field those years. Gorgone was the Maine and New England Amateur champion in 1991.

Manuel, 20, just finished his second year as the No. 1 player on the University of Connecticut golf team, so he has not earned a professional golf dollar. Amateur golfers from Maine generally do not get enough course time over the year to be relevant enough to have a chance to get onto a professional tour.

Many have tried, but few have succeeded, which makes Manuel’s Open qualification extremely special. If his game continues to progress, there may be PGA Tour opportunities down the road for him.

For right now, however, he is a Mainer in rarified golf air.

For Manuel, the road to this point in his golf life has been a nice ride. In 2018 and 2019, he won the Maine Class A high school state golf championship out of Mt. Ararat High School. As the reigning Maine Amateur champion, he has added to his golf resume.

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For UConn during the recently concluded collegiate season, he averaged 70.94 per round and finished the Big East Tournament tied for first. That put him on track for the U.S. Open, as he shot 74 on May 9 at a qualifier in Oxford, Connecticut, to earn a berth in the 36-hole, 92-man district field at Purchase, New York, June 5-6, where he recorded 69-68—137 to tie as medalist. And that earned him a spot in the 122nd U.S. Open.

This is not a fairy tale, but it is a dream come true. And for his caddie, it probably is among the proudest moments of his life. Caleb’s father, Patrick, is on his bag.

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The Women’s Tri-State Championship will be June 13-15 in Salem, New Hampshire, at Campbell’s Scottish Highlands.

This consists of players from Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine playing in three flights — ‘A’-handicaps of 0-14.9, ‘B’-handicaps of 15-21.9 and ‘C’-handicaps of 22-30.

More than 30 women are on the Maine team. Area ‘A’ players are: Ruby Haylock, Jade Haylock and Heidi Haylock, all out of Turner Highlands. Area ‘B’ players are: Kathy-Rae Emmi of Fox Ridge, Catherine Studley of Martindale and Bambi Stevens of Turner Highlands. Area ‘C’ players are: Pearl St. Pierre of Turner Highlands, Norma Michaud of Springbrook and Karen Waltz of Point Sebago.

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The Maine State Golf Association is conducting its Parent-Child Championship on Sunday at Natanis.

The Women’s Play Day will be June 14 at Biddeford-Saco, and the Men’s Play Days are June 17-18 at Lake Kezar.

Maine Amateur qualifiers will be June 14 at Brunswick and June 16 at Bangor Municipal.

Bill Kennedy, a retired New Jersey golf writer and editor now residing on Thompson Lake in Otisfield, is in his 10th season as Sun Journal golf columnist.


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