Westfall returns to try for title again Defending champ Warren out of otherwise strong field for tournament

Todd Westfall of Clendenin, W.Va., will try again to win the Charlie’s Maine Open Golf Championship, but the man who thwarted his effort last year, Shawn Warren of Windham, will not be there to challenge him again.

The 87th Maine Open begins today at Riverside Municipal Golf Course in Portland. The 54-hole tournament continues Friday, and the low 40 and ties after the second round will battle for the title in Saturday’s 18-hole finale.

At least, that’s the theory. Last year, rain washed out the final round with the pro Westfall and the amateur Warren tied for the lead. The Maine State Golf Association, which conducts the tournament, decided to cancel the final round except for a four-hole playoff between Westfall and Warren.

Warren became the first amateur since 1971 to win the Maine Open when he birdied the final hole.

Early last week, though, Warren earned a spot in the Canadian Amateur and is concentrating on that event this year.

That doesn’t mean Westfall will have it easy this time, from either pros or amateurs.

Included in the field, on the pro side, are Matt Donovan of Pittsfield, Mass., William Link IV of Acton, Mass., Ryan Ouellette of West Palm Beach, Fla., Kirk Hanefeld of Bolton, Mass., and Joe Clark Jr. of Holderness, N.H.

Donovan won his second straight $50,000 Greater Bangor Open three weeks ago, Link is a past winner of the GBO and finished fourth at the Cleveland Golf Tour’s Sterling (Mass.) Open on Wednesday, and Ouellette (2002), Hanefeld (’03), and Clark (’92) are among the past Maine Open champs who are competing this week.

Also coming off strong Cleveland Golf Tour performances are Brian Lamberti of Ellenville, N.Y., who won Sterling with a three-day total of 18-under-par 195; Rob Oppenheim of Andover, Mass., who was third at 198; and Eli Zackheim of Portland, Ore., who was sixth with 201. The Sterling Open is the major reason that the dates for this year’s Maine Open were changed from their usual Wednesday through Friday to this year’s Thursday through Saturday.

Last year, the final round at Sterling coincided with the first round of the Maine Open and that held down the turnout.

Among top Maine pros competing are State of Maine Championship victor Terry Hatch of Saco, Mike Baker of Stratton, John Hickson of Newry, Mark Fogg of Westbrook, Bob Darling Jr. of Auburn, and Nick Glicos of Windham.

Hatch and Hickson have qualified for the PGA Tour’s Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton, Mass., this year, and Baker played in last year’s Deutsche Bank.

While Warren won’t be participating, there will be again a number of top amateurs competing for the title.

Heading that list is Maine Amateur champ Corey Poulin of Skowhegan, Whited Ford Paul Bunyan Amateur winner Ricky Jones of Thomaston, 13-time Maine Amateur titlist Mark Plummer of Manchester, and two-time Bunyan champ Jesse Speirs of Bangor.

Speirs shot a 63 for the low round of the day from the white tees in the Maine Open Pro Am Wednesday. The pros used the blue tees.

Speirs will have a busy weekend as he is also competing in the Canadian Amateur due to his runner-up finish in the Barrett East Coast Amateur in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, a couple of weeks ago. Warren earned his Canadian Amateur exemption by coming in fourth at the Barrett.