Bangor’s Speirs qualifies for two amateur tourneys Teen may get a late start at TCU

Jesse Speirs of Bangor spent the winter in South Carolina completing his senior year of high school and preparing for college. Ironically, he may not start with his classmates when classes begin at Texas Christian University later this month.

“I’ll be starting about five days late,” said Speirs. “I’ll have to do some catching up.”

That’s because he’ll be piling up the road miles as he has qualified for both the Canadian Amateur and U.S. Amateur golf championships.

“As soon as I’m done with the Canadian Amateur, I drive straight to Pennsylvania,” said the 18-year-old Speirs, who has already talked to school officials and golf coach Bill Montito about the possibility of his delayed arrival.

“The administration is fine with it,” he said. He will see Montito, though, before arriving in Fort Worth, Texas.

“He’s going to be coming up [to the U.A. Amateur] to watch. Two other [TCU players] also qualified,” said Speirs.

The Canadian Amateur begins Aug. 14 at Bay Bell Golf Club in Baddeck, Nova Scotia. The U.S. Amateur begins Aug. 22 at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa.

“If [the Canadian Amateur] was any farther [away], I wouldn’t be able to go,” said Speirs.

Each tournament has a two-day, 36-hole stroke-play qualifier followed by six rounds of match play, similar to the format of last month’s Maine Amateur.

“It feels nice to qualify for these events,” said Speirs. “If you’re good enough to play in the qualifier, there’s a chance you’ll make it. I was fortunate this year to qualify.”

Speirs earned his spot in the U.S. Amateur by finishing second in the 36-hole qualifier at Sanford Country Club on Thursday. Jay Livingston of Kennebunk won the qualifier with a 1-under-par 143 total, edging Speirs – Livingston’s houseguest – by two strokes.

Speirs qualified for the Canadian Amateur by finishing tied for second Monday in the Barrett East Coast Amateur at The Algonquin Golf Course in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. This year the top five earned exemptions into the Canadian Amateur; last year, only the winner gained the exemption.

“The Barrett is a great tournament. It’s one of my favorites,” said Speirs of the invitation-only event which draws players from eastern Canada and New England. “Now that the top five qualify for the Canadian Amateur, it’s even better.”

Speirs secured his spot in the Barrett top five when he shot a tournament-best 3-under-par 68 Monday for a three-day score of even-par 213. He opened with rounds of 72 and 73. Brodie Flanders of Fawcett Hill, New Brunswick, won with a 210 total.

Shawn Warren of Windham, the 2003 Barrett champ and 2004 runner-up to Ricky Jones of Thomaston, finished fourth at 218 and will also go to the Canadian Amateur.

“We’ve always done well,” said Speirs of Maine golfers in the Barrett.

“It’s probably one of the best tournaments in [the Northeast],” he added. “If more [Maine golfers] who were invited went, it would be even better.”

Among other Mainers who went, Jones finished 12th at 222 and J.J. Frost of Brewer tied for 13th at 223.

Headed for PGA Championship

Jeff Martin of Westbrook, a regular on the Cleveland Golf Tour, qualified for the PGA Championship by finishing in the top 15 in this year’s PGA Club Pro Championship. As a result, he asked his coach, Tim Roggero, the head pro at Island Green Golf Center in Holden, to accompany him.

The tournament is being held at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J. It will be Roggero’s first time going to one of golf’s major tournaments.

“It’s going to be great,” said Roggero, who has been working with Martin in Florida for about seven years. “I’ll definitely be down Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. If he does well Thursday, I’ll probably stay.”

Roggero, who was an assistant pro at Penobscot Valley Country Club in Orono in the 1990s, thinks Martin will have a shot at making the cut.

“It’s always good to see local guys play well,” he said.

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