Golf: Auburn’s Zack DeBlois rounds into form at The Maine Event

Zack DeBlois’ job doesn’t allow him to play a lot of competitive golf. The 2013 St. Dominic Academy graduate is an assistant golf pro at Point Sebago Resort in Casco, so his days are usually spent in the pro shop or giving lessons.

Zack DeBlois hits a drive on the 18th fairway during the Maine Event golf tournament Tuesday at the Augusta Country Club in Manchester. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

However, this past week DeBlois was able to play in two tournaments: the New Hampshire Open from June 22-24 at Bretwood Golf Club in Keene, New Hampshire, and The Maine Event at Augusta Country Club in Manchester this past Monday and Tuesday.

He missed the cut at the New Hampshire Open, shooting 9-over for the first two days, which provided him valuable experience for The Maine Event, where he finished in sixth place at 1-over par.

“It was awesome. It was a great tune-up — the competition at the New Hampshire Open was incredible,” DeBlois said. “There were some really good players there this week, and the first round, I played great, and the second round, I struggled a little bit. It helped me so much for these two rounds for this event (The Maine Event) — making connections, playing in a really competitive field, and struggling a little bit.”

The Auburn native had a slow start to The Maine Event by recording three bogeys in his opening nine holes of the first round, and had two more on the back nine. He had three birdies on his card to finish the day at 2-over, 72.

In the final round, DeBlois shot 1-under, 69.

“I played great, I battled really hard, and the course, Augusta, was playing great this week with the weather we got,” DeBlois said Tuesday night after the tournament. “We got really lucky, and the way they had the course set up, they had some tough pins. I feel like I played really solid and didn’t get ahead of myself. It was tough to make putts. I think I played great today.”

DeBlois said he missed some putts on Monday, which caused him a few strokes.

“Today, I played great. Yesterday, I had a few three-putts that left me contemplating shipping off my putter to a different state,” DeBlois said. “It was terrible; I stuck with the putter. I called three different people after my round (Monday) and said, ‘Take my putter from me.’ I stuck with it (Tuesday), and I putted really well.”

He said with tournament golf, the pressure that’s there really comes into play on the greens, compared to a non-competitive round.

“In tournament golf, you know where you stand at every shot,” DeBlois said. “Over the last few days, I missed three, four putts inside 5 feet. I have been looking back on it: playing rounds after work, those are easy tap-ins. In tournaments, those 5-footers are the difference between you shooting a really good round or struggling a little bit. It’s unbelievable the amount of pressure you put on yourself in a tournament round. I think that’s fun because that means that round means something to you. It’s not just a round of golf; you are trying to play well.”

A standout at St. Dom’s, DeBlois got to compete again against one of his high school rivals, Winthrop graduate Taylor Morang.

The two competed multiple times in high school, as St. Dom’s was in the Mountain Valley Conference during DeBlois’ time.

DeBlois didn’t realize Morang was an assistant pro at Augusta Country Club.

“I talked to him (Tuesday) after and said, ‘Dude, I haven’t seen you since high school,'” DeBlois said. “I was working out of Pittsburgh for a while, and I just moved back home a few years ago. It was really cool to see him, and he played awesome today. He also shot 1-under today — he played really good.”

Morong wasn’t the only other high school opponent that DeBlois played against at The Maine Event. There are a few others that are trying to work their way into the golf industry.

“It was cool to see (Morang), Gavin Dugas (from Pittsfield), and his brother (Eric Dugas),” DeBlois said. “We are all pros now, and we all grew up playing amateur golf together. Now we are in Maine, playing as pros, is cool.”

DeBlois said he always wanted to get into the golf industry and has been working at golf courses since graduating from the University of Southern Maine in 2015. He has had stops at Nonesuch River Golf Club in Scarborough, Portland Country Club in Falmouth, John’s Island Club in Vero Beach, Florida, and Clair Country Club in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, before joining the staff at Point Sebago in 2021.

“I went to college, I golfed so much, and I always wanted to get into the industry,” DeBlois said. “They have a (PGA Golf Management University Program) that you can do online. I got out of college and worked at golf courses because that’s what I like to do, and as a perk, you get to play golf for free.”

DeBlois’ goal is to become a head pro, either at a course in Maine or in the Pittsburgh area.

After a strong showing this week, DeBlois does want to play more competitive golf.

“I haven’t played much tournament golf the past two, three years because I have been working a lot,” DeBlois said. “But I am trying to get back into it. And I have been playing really good, and I am really trying to maximize my potential playing.”