Baker, Maine pros struggle in Hogan

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The Golf Scene

FALMOUTH – Mike Baker of Bangor squeaked into the second annual Ben Hogan Tour New England Classic at The Woodlands Club here Friday afternoon when Tim Loustalot of Santa Cruz, Calif., withdrew.

Baker originally tried to make it into the field through Monday’s qualifier, but lost out in a playoff for the final two of the 14 available spots.

Baker’s entry made it a baker’s dozen of Maine players in the 135-player tourney field.

“I knew two days ago that I was in,” said Baker, who is working out of Kebo Valley Golf Club in Bar Harbor.

Unfortunately, the difficult course reached up and grabbed Baker, and he finished at 15-over-par 87.

“I’ve been playing good,” said Baker. “I shot 75 Monday (in the qualifier). It isn’t great, but it’s all right. I think the course gets to you. Once you get off track on other courses, you’ve usually got a couple of holes where you can get back into it.

“Here, if you get off track, you’ve got to get it back in a hurry.”

Most of the Maine players struggled in the first round.

Mark Fogg of Gorham Country Club was the low Maine pro with 76, followed by Bob Darling Jr. of Martindale Country Club in Auburn at 77.

Behind him were Tim Angis of Riverside Municipal Golf Course and Bill May of Bath Country Club at 78, Randy Hodsdon of Paris Hill Country Club and amateur Mark Plummer of Augusta at 79, Steve Chandler of Va-Jo-Wa Golf Course in Island Falls at 80, home club pro Chris McClure at 81, Jerry DiPhilippo of Falmouth Country Club at 84, Jim Knowles of Sugarloaf Golf Course in Carrabassett Valley and Don Roberts of Bethel Inn and Golf Club at 88, and Orono native Tom Giffin at 90.

DiPhilippo suffered the worst hole of the first day when he took a quintuple-bogey 10 on the 560-yard sixth hole. —

Other scores of note to followers of Maine golf: 1988 Greater Bangor Open champion Rich Parker of Lebanon, N.H., opened with a 71. 1989 GBO winner Gus Ulrich of Garner, N.C., didn’t fare as well, shooting a 76. John Elliott of Westerly, R.I., who won the Massachusetts Open earlier this week, started well with a 1-under 35 on his first nine. But he shot himself out of contention with a 44 on the front nine, including a quintuple-bogey 10 on No. 3 and a quintuple-bogey 9 on No. 5, which ballooned his score to a 79. —

Jeff Gallagher of Marion, Ind., is the only golfer to play in every Ben Hogan Tour event, 30 last year and 17 so far this year. —

Hot weather seems to be following the New England Classic wherever it falls on the schedule.

Last year’s temperatures in the 90s were more expected since the tournament fell during the middle of July.

Temperatures in the 90s in June are usually rare.

Maybe the tourney dates should be moved to the first week in February. Personally, I would enjoy seeing some 90-degree weather during what seems to be the coldest month of the year. —

Golfer Steve Haskins of El Paso, Texas, who is third after firing a 69, is the son of University of Texas-El Paso basketball coach Don Haskins.

With the senior Haskins as coach, UTEP, then known as Texas Western, interrupted UCLA’s string of NCAA Championships with a victory in 1966.

UCLA won in ’64 and ’65 and from ’67-73. —

In other golf news:

Bangor Municipal Golf Course and Hermon Meadow Golf Club will be co-hosts for the Captain Nick’s Golf Tournament Sept. 28-29.

Each player in the $5,000 tourney will play one round at Bangor and one at Hermon Meadow. The event is almost a resurrection of the Jimmy’s Place Open of the mid-’80s.

There will be gross and net prizes for Classes A, B, and C.

The tournament will benefit the Children’s Dental Clinic.

The entry fee is $50 and entries should be sent to Brian Enman, 278 Webster Ave., Bangor 04401. —

The fifth annual McCain Foods Open will be held Aug. 17-18 at Presque Isle Country Club.

This tournament, which also carries a purse of $5,000, will benefit the Opportunity Training Center. More than $25,000 was donated to charity from last year’s event.

The entry fee is $45 and entries must be mailed to McCain Foods Open Amateur Golf Tournament, P.O. Box 157, Easton 04740.

The deadline for entry is Aug. 7.