Norway’s Ladd may turn pro

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Dan Ladd of Norway, who won the Maine Amateur Golf Championship Thursday, is considering a future as a pro golfer.

“I may turn pro late in the summer next year,” said Ladd, 21. “It may be sooner than that or later, depending on what happens.”

Ladd will end his collegiate career at Virginia next spring.

He realizes he needs a little more seasoning before he can give a pro career a decent attempt.

“Some days it looks like you’ve got a shot. Then there are days like today (Thursday) when you’ve got to think about it,” said Ladd.

Ladd’s final round Thursday, while good enough to win, also was rough enough to give him some clues on what he needs to work on.

“My coach (Mike Morgan at Virginia) taught me a lot. He wouldn’t have been happy with me today,” said Ladd.

Ladd gave as an example his birdie attempt from 6 feet on the 12th hole.

“I was concentrating so much on the line, I forgot to hit it hard enough to keep it on line,” said Ladd.

“That’s the kind of error you shouldn’t make in the third round of a tournament, but I did,” said Ladd. “I made a few of ’em.”

It’s those kind of errors he will need to learn to eliminate over the next year.

According to many of the people who watched him play during the tournament, he will also need to pick up his playing pace.

Two-stroke penalties for slow play are becoming more common in pro tournaments and fixing that now could limit future problems.

Qualifying rounds for the American Cancer Society Golf Championship are coming up in August.

Penobscot Valley Country Club in Orono will host a qualifier on Aug. 9 for the 16th year. It will have a 1 p.m. shotgun start.

There are men’s and women’s classes with three divisions for each. The player with the lowest handicap determines which division a team enters.

For men, Division I is for teams whose lowest handicap player has a handicap of 7 or below, Div. II is for teams whose lowest handicap player is between 8 and 16, inclusive; and Div. III is for teams whose lowest handicap player has a 17 or above.

For women, teams whose best player has a handicap of 11 or below will be in Div. I, teams whose best player has a handicap between 12 and 22, inclusive, will be in Div. II, and teams whose best player has a handicap of 23 or above will be in Div. III.

The entry fee is $200 per foursome and players will make up their own teams. The entry deadline is Aug. 4. For information or entry forms, call Richard Hawkins at 989-3966 or the American Cancer Society at 989-6550.

Players will have to make their own arrangements for carts.

There will be a social hour afterward with University of Maine Athletic Director Mike Ploszek as guest speaker.

The Hancock County qualifying round is Aug. 27 at Bar Harbor Golf Course in Trenton.

The divisions are the same as for the PVCC qualifier. Call Charlie Crowley at 667-7505 or ACS (989-6550) for forms or information.

Division winners will advance to the state championship Sept. 25 at Samoset Resort in Rockport.

State winners advance to the national tournament in October.

The first Machias Savings Bank Golf Open will be held Aug. 14 at Great Cove Golf Course in Roque Bluffs.

Prizes will be awarded to the top 10 male and female golfers in both gross and net divisions in the 18-hole event. Net scores will be determined by the Calloway system.

All proceeds will benefit the Machias Savings Bank Scholarship Fund, which awards scholarships annually to local students.

The entry fee is $20, which includes lunch, and the entry deadline is Aug. 7. Registration forms are available from Diane Boughner, Machias Savings Bank, P.O. Box 318, Machias 04654.