Norris captures Publinx qualifier

BAR HARBOR – Mike Norris’ ball was 50 feet from the second hole. Tom Caron’s approach shot put him on the third tee.

Caron’s chip was just short of the green, but Norris’ shot from 10 feet inside the rough found its way into the hole, breaking the pair’s sudden-death playoff to win the Northern New England qualifier for the 71st U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.

Norris and Caron tied at 9-over-par 149 in a field of 32 golfers over 36 blustery holes to force the playoff at Bar Harbor’s Kebo Valley Club Wednesday. Last year’s qualifier, Casey Bourque, who was tied with Norris at 3-over-par 73 in the morning’s 18 holes, finished third with an 80 in the afternoon to finish at 153.

Norris, a 38-year-old from Newburgh, joins a national field of 156 players who will vie for the national championship July 15-20 at Wailua Golf Course in Lihue, Hawaii.

Norris, who won the same event in 1990 at Bangor Municipal Golf Course, turned play to his advantage on the approach shot to the par-four, 443-yard second hole.

“I was out there in the right rough, and I said, `Well, you know no one’s been near that green all the day because of the wind,”‘ Norris said. “So I took out a two-iron and I opened the blade up and aimed for the left hand side of that green and hopefully the wind will turn it right.

“The wind didn’t turn it at all and it stayed straight and it went just off the fringe,” Norris said. “I saw Tommy on the next tee just off to the right, and I thought `Well, I’ve got an advantage.’

“He chipped up short of the green and I thought `Well, I’ve got a real advantage now.’ ”

But Caron was in the exact same spot in the first round and thought he could pull out a par.

“That’s a very, very long hole and it’s very difficult to hit the green in two,” he said. “Where I was, I was there in the morning, and I got up and down from there.

“I was playing for four and he was playing for the birdie,” Caron said. “He just made the shot.”

Norris had to dodge his own bullet coming out of the clubhouse for the second 18 just to get to the playoff.

“I was putting well on the first 18 and then the wheels started coming off a little bit,” he said. “I went bogey, bogey, bogey and then I went `Uh, I’m just leaking oil right now, something’s got to happen here.’

“I felt like I was going to shoot an 80, and then I got it together and was patient,” he said.

Norris’ tee shot on the eighth wound up in the woods, and his provisional shot splashed down into a small brook, forcing he and playing partners Dave Brown and Dan Carr to search for it.

But Norris wangled out of the tight spot when his ball was found and he pitched to the fairway. He was able to salvage a five on the par-four hole.

Caron had no such luck. His 75 in the second round placed him in the playoff despite chances to win in regulation.

“On 18, I had a four-foot put, which if I had made, I would’ve won outright,” he said. “But it just caught the edge of the hole, and it didn’t want to go in.

“That was my clear shot to win right there and it didn’t happen for me, but I played well,” Caron said.

Bourque had a rough time of it on the second 18 also, taking a triple bogey on the 158-yard, par-3 fourth. His tee shot struck the front bunker, where he took another three strokes trying to get onto the green. A three-putt on the 18th finished off his chances.