On July 19, Bill Curtis of Bangor was showing some members of the Indian Island Youth Program the basic points of golf when he ended up displaying one of the rarest ones.

Curtis scored a double-eagle 2 on the 454-yard, par-5 fourth hole at Rocky Knoll Country Club in Orrington.

“It seems like it shouldn’t be that rare because there are some real long hitters out there,” Curtis said Wednesday.

Curtis, co-owner of Golf Country in Bangor and a teacher there, benefited from a tailwind that left him with 165 yards to go after his tee shot. He hit a 6-iron to the green and the ball zeroed in on the cup.

“We heard it hit the flagstick,” said Curtis. It seemed to nestle next to the hole, but Curtis wasn’t so sure.

“I told [the program’s guidance councilor] that it might be farther away than it looks,” added Curtis.

The green is elevated a bit and as the four children, the councilor, and Curtis came up to the green, they noticed the ball wasn’t visible anymore.

“My first instinct was to look over the green. I didn’t even look in the cup,” said Curtis.

The councilor did, though, and found the ball nestled inside. She was so excited, it left her nearly breathless.

“I thought I was going to have to get a bag for her,” said Curtis with a chuckle.

Curtis took the opportunity to continue the lessons, teaching the children about how to score a hole, what par means, and what a birdie, eagle, and double eagle are.

“It was more exciting for the kids than it was for me,” said Curtis.

Curtis said he has had a hole-in-one in the past and about 20-25 eagles, but this was his first double eagle.

“I got more pats on the back for that than I did for my hole-in-one,” he said.

Leavitt tourney turns 15

The Bud and Barbara Leavitt Memorial Golf Classic will be conducted for the 15th time on Aug. 1 at Penobscot Valley Country Club in Orono.

The 18-hole scramble tournament, named in honor of former Bangor Daily News Executive Sports Editor Bud Leavitt and his wife Barbara, benefits the Jimmy Fund, the fund-raising arm of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Both Leavitts died of cancer, Barbara in 1990 and Bud in 1994. The tournament was started in 1991 to honor Barbara, who was a big supporter of the Jimmy Fund.

More than $20,000 was raised at last year’s event. That included money raised through the post-tournament auction and raffle.

“There are openings still available,” said tournament coordinator Stephanie Collette of Unicel, whose senior vice-president, Rick O’Connor, is a tournament committee member and a driving force behind the tournament.

“We have 70 registered. We would like to get 100,” Collette said recently.

The fee is $125 per player and companies can sponsor their own four-person teams.

For more information or to preregister, call 745-GOLF or Collette directly at 974-0203.

On Monday, sign-in and registration begin at 9:30 a.m., the tournament follows with a shotgun start at 11:30 a.m., and the dinner is scheduled for 5 p.m. The tournament will be held rain or shine.

Paying the bills

The goal of a lot of the pros playing in the state opens and tournaments such as the Greater Bangor Open is to get through the PGA Tour’s qualifying school and earn a coveted tour card so they can play for the big money.

In the meantime, the bills have to be paid. That’s what led two-time GBO winner Matt Donovan of Pittsfield, Mass., to basically spend last winter away from competition.

“I made it through the first stage of Q-school,” said Donovan, but he was eliminated in the second stage. Rather than competing in some of the winter tours in the Southeast or going to Australia or South Africa, Donovan decided to bank on a steadier income.

“I worked part-time as a caddie at Seminole [Golf Club],” said Donovan. Seminole is an exclusive private club in Juno Beach, Fla.

“I’d play a little, but mostly I was just trying to pay the bills,” said Donovan.

Dave Barber can be reached at 990-8170, 1-800-310-8600, or by e-mail at dbarber@bangordailynews.net.