Bleile survives back-nine battle for Publinx win> Caron finishes one shot back

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BAR HARBOR – After Wednesday’s opening round of the U.S. National Amateur Public Links Golf Championship qualifier at Kebo Valley Golf Club, Eric Bleile needed a break.

The Wiscasset native had foundered a bit and was four strokes off the lead heading into the final 18 holes.

He went to his car, fired up the stereo, and started “Counting Crows.”

By the end of the day, he was counting birdies, too. Three, to be exact.

They helped propel the 22-year-old Bleile to a one-stroke victory over Tom Caron of Bangor and a two-stroke margin over John Royal of Ellsworth.

Bleile, a spring graduate of Greensboro (N.C.) College and now a resident of Greensboro, followed an opening-round, 8-over-par 78 with a day’s best 72 for a 150 total. Caron shot rounds of 76-75 for 151, and Royal posted a pair of 76s for 152. Ryan Day of Lamoine, the morning leader with a 74, fell to an 80 in the afternoon to head up a group tied for fourth at 154.

With the win, Bleile earned the northern New England slot in the Publinx Championship set for July 12-17 at Spencer T. Olin Community Golf Course in Alton, Ill., near St. Louis.

“I haven’t shot over 77 since March,” said Bleile. “It was a little hard to deal with. I went to listen to music in my car.

“I wanted to take my mind off the morning round. I guess it worked.”

It took a little while to work, though, as he bogeyed three of the first five holes. Still, he managed to stay even with Caron for the round and pick up a stroke on Day as the entire field struggled with Kebo’s slick, undulating greens.

“I knew I had a little bit of a chance [to win],” said Bleile. “If I could get under par, then I would definitely make it. But I made some bogeys and got down on myself.”

He parred the last four holes of the front, though, and pulled himself within a stroke of the leader, Caron. The two would battle neck-and-neck through the final nine holes.

Day, who played Nos. 4 through 6 at 6-over-par to fall out of the lead, was only a stroke behind Bleile, but could not crack the birdie barrier all afternoon and was unable to make up any ground.

“I think I did regroup [on the back nine], but I couldn’t get any birdie putts to fall,” said a discouraged Day.

Day, 20, may have been a victim of his own inexperience. He became excited at the prospect of winning.

“I think I was too pumped up,” said Day.

Bleile, playing one group ahead of Caron and Day, first tied Caron with a birdie on 10. He promptly broke the tie by bogeying 11.

Bleile took a shortlived lead when he birdied 14 and Caron bogeyed 13, but Caron followed Bleile’s bogey on 15 with a par to knot the race again.

Both birdied the short, 258-yard, par-4 16th. Caron gambled and drove the green, but his 9-foot putt for eagle caught the high left edge of the cup and would not fall.

Bleile gained the lead for good when he scrambled to save par on 17 and Caron couldn’t match him.

“I knew I would have to birdie 18,” said Caron, 32 and a two-time winner of this tournament, “but I missed a 9-footer.

“I had some good opportunities, but I couldn’t convert.”

This was an event Bleile wanted to play well in for two reasons.

“I wanted to qualify for the U.S. Amateur and the Public Links because this is my last go-around,” said Bleile. “I want to turn pro at the end of the summer.”

After the Publinx, Bleile will play in the U.S. Amateur qualifier in late July, followed by the Greater Bangor Open.

“If I qualify for the Amateur, then I’ll play the GBO as an amateur, but if I don’t qualify, then I’d like the GBO to be my first pro tournament,” said Bleile, who believes he plays Bangor Municipal Golf Course well.

“Brian [Enman] and Mike [Baker] are good guys,” said Bleile of the Bangor Muni head pro and assistant, respectively. “I like playing in their tournament.”

The other reason he wanted to do well was because “I’ve been playing here since I was 13 in the Junior Bunyan, and I hadn’t done well before,” he said.

“I was third at the Publinx and I think I was 12th at the Maine Amateur [last year],” said Bleile. “Seventy-two is my best round in a tournament here.

“It was a good time for it.”