But you still need to activate your account.
PORTLAND – Three women golfers will be the first to play in a Maine pro golf tournament in 21 years as they tee off Wednesday in a field of 120 at Riverside Golf Course in the first round of the inaugural Greater Portland Open.
The 54-hole event, which runs through Friday, will be the first Maine pro tournament in which men and women have competed together since Jo Ann Avard of Nashua, N.H., played in the Greater Bangor Open in 1975.
“Actually we had two women who were going to compete, but one was sick the first day and couldn’t play,” said Austin Kelly, former Bangor Municipal Golf Course pro. “I think they competed in it prior to trying to get a spot on the LPGA Tour.”
The other golfer was Jo Anne Dost of Green Meadows, N.H. Dost scored an 83 in the practice round prior to the tournament, but called the morning of the first round and informed the starter she would be unable to play due to sickness.
Avard played the same tees as the men and carded a two-day total of 174 – 87 on each day.
Kelly said he is unaware of any restrictions against female golfers in Maine open tournaments.
“I don’t think with the laws that you could keep female golfer out,” he said.
At the Greater Portland Open, the women will be given a distance advantage, reducing the approximately 6,400-yard, par-72 course to around 5,800 yards.
Such a rule can raise problems, as a $36,000 purse is at stake.
“Anne McClure can hit it with the fellows,” said Mimi Brown, an assistant pro at The Woodlands, who is sitting out the tournament because she gave birth to her first child in February. “But when she’s given an advantage off the tee, it’s often looked at as suspect.”
Diane Patterson, of Naples, Fla., defends the need for the differential. “Those guys outdrive me by 100-something yards. I’ll still have longer irons into some of the greens than they do,” she said.
The women are taking the direct competition with male players all in stride.
“I play with a lot of guys,” said Patterson, who has spent nine years on the LPGA tour and nine more on the European tour. “I think if we concentrate on our own game, we’ll be fine.”
“I’m used to it,” agreed Abby Spector, the state high school champ from Waterville, who regularly competes against boys. “No other girls in Maine really play.”
Patterson, Spector and Anne McClure, an assistant pro at the Portland Country Club, are the only women in the tournament.
“We were hoping for more women,” said Dave Grygiel, director of golf at Riverside and tournament organizer. “But in the first year of the tournament we’ve had some trouble publicizing the event itself… I’ve called a lot of people I know and they say, `If we knew it was on the schedule, we could have planned for it.”‘
Comments
comments for this post are closed