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Six-time Women’s Maine State Golf Association champion Abby Spector of Waterville turned in a spectacular round recently at Northeast Harbor Golf Club.
Spector fired an 8-under-par 63 in the final round of the Bar Harbor Banking and Trust Co. tournament and became the overall champion – competing against men and women – with a two-day total of 135.
“I missed two 3-foot putts, and I hit in the water on the 10th,” said Spector Monday.
“And I still made par,” she was quick to point out.
Spector, who completed her junior year at the University of North Carolina, made almost as many birdies (seven) as pars (nine). She also had an eagle and one bogey.
One factor for the birdie barrage was the length of the course for women.
“It was about 4,500, 4,600 yards,” said club pro Tom Simons.
“I hit a lot of irons off the tees,” said Spector, who is used to playing 6,000-yard courses in her college matches. “I hit 9-iron on one par 4 [No. 11].”
Because of the many tight, tree-lined fairways and uphill and downhill nature of the course, placement is crucial.
“It’s like a chess game up there,” said Spector, who played No. 2 for the Tar Heels. “You play from spot to spot and hope to make putts.
“And I made a lot of them. I made five 20- to 25-foot putts.”
The 11th hole, a very short par 4, was a perfect example of shot placement.
“I hit 9-iron [off the tee], pitching wedge to the green, and made the birdie,” she said.
“I found if I hit to the 100-yard markers, I would make birdies,” said Spector. “I was thinking I might hit 3-wood off the [11th] tee, but then I figured, ‘Just hit it to the 100-yard marker.'”
The birdies started coming early.
Spector parred the first hole, then birdied the next three. She parred the fifth and birdied the sixth.
“Whenever I have two birdies in a row, I usually have a bunch,” said Spector.
“I aimed at the hole, took a swing at it, and the ball ended up by the hole,” she said. “I love when that happens.”
If the tournament had been held two weeks earlier, it was unlikely she would have been loving it.
“I was actually having a lot of trouble with my irons a week-and-a-half before the tournament,” she said.
She worked with her father, Gary, to fix her problems, and it showed.
“I hit all 18 greens in regulation,” she said.
Some greens were easier to hit than others.
On the par-4 16th, she said, “I hit it on the front fringe with a 3-wood.”
Two holes later, on the downhill par-4 18th, “I hit over the green with a 3-wood.”
Her eagle came on the 15th hole, a par 5 for women.
“I hit driver, 5-iron to about 3 feet [and made the putt],” she said.
Her lone bogey was on 13, but she had a reason for it.
“My brother [Toby] psyched me out,” she said, chuckling. “He said, ‘This putt’s for your round,’ so I missed it.”
Recalling the missed opportunities, she said, “It could have been an insane round.”
What it won’t be is a course record, because the rules under which the tournament was conducted didn’t follow United States Golf Association rules. For one, any ball hit into the trees was treated as being in a lateral hazard.
Spector didn’t have to avail herself of the lesser penalty, but it was enough that she could have.
“Informally, it’s the course record,” said Simons, “but we can’t call it that officially.”
The official record is a 66 by staff member Billy Haynes in 2000.
Spector’s best round previously was 66, twice.
Hit what you need
During a Monday round at Pine Hill Golf Club in Brewer, I was joined by a pair of ladies who were long on fun even as they apologized about being short on distance.
One, a spry 85, would hit woods until she was close enough to the greens to switch to irons.
She wasn’t completely happy with the number of times she had to hit the ball, but as she pointed out, “At my age, I’m happy I can still play.”
The second was just hoping to get that one well-played hole that makes you feel good enough to play again.
On the ninth hole, she did.
She teed off with a driver on the 155-yard par 3 and ran the ball up just short of the green. She chipped close to the pin and sank the par putt that made her day.
During a recent tournament in Canada, the silver tee markers on the first hole were moved back 60 yards to where the golds normally sit. The starter said it was done because players wanted to hit driver for their tee shot. From the middle tees, too many of them were hitting into or close to the large pond between the end of the fairway and the green, he said, so the markers were moved back.
Only the players know for sure if it helped to move back 60 yards to be able to use a club most players hit more erratically.
Those players should have learned what the ladies and others have learned: Use the appropriate club for the situation.
Golf is as much a thinking game as it is a test of strength, maybe more. If you’re still not sure, double-check Abby Spector’s comments about shooting a 63.
It’s for the kids
Grants from the USGA Foundation will help junior golf programs at two clubs in Maine this year.
Sugarloaf Golf Club and the town of Carrabassett Valley are offering a variety of junior golf programs, and the $13,000 from the USGA Foundation will go to expand existing programs and add new ones.
The current Alden McDonald Junior Golf program will be able to offer scholarships to more local children this summer, and the grant also allows for the purchase of more equipment to be made available to participants.
Among the new offerings is a 12-week girls-only program.
A $4,400 grant to Martindale Country Club in Auburn will help pay for transportation and junior memberships.
The grants, according to a Sugarloaf Golf Club press release, are part of the USGA Foundation’s 10-year, $50 million commitment to programs and projects that make golf more affordable and accessible to those who face economic and physical challenges.
Grants must be applied for, and these two are the only ones granted in Maine for this year.
Dave Barber can be reached at 990-8170, 1-800-310-8600, or by e-mail at dbarber@bangordailynews.net.
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