Hawley’s lead now 3 strokes Bangor’s Jason Harvey tops among amateurs

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BANGOR – This week’s Greater Bangor Open golf tournament has marked the beginning of a new chapter for Jason Harvey of Bangor.

“I thought for myself, it was time to get the experience [of playing in tournaments],” said Harvey. “There are a lot of good players … and my game was at the point where I thought I was competitive, so I decided to give it a go.”

Harvey followed up Thursday’s 1-under-par 68 (a personal-best) at Bangor Municipal Golf Course with a 6-over 75 Friday and leads the amateurs by two strokes with 143.

Scott Hawley of Shrewsbury, Mass., holds the overall lead in the GBO sponsored by Hollywood Slots at Bangor after shooting a 64 Friday for a two-day total of 129.

He leads by three over Brent Wanner of Orleans, Mass., and Sam Corden of Ellicott City, Md. Wanner and Corden each shot 65 Friday for 132.

They are followed at 133 by Michael Carbone (66 Friday) of Brewster, Mass., Jim Hallett (66) of South Yarmouth, Mass., Marc Lawless (66), 2001 GBO winner Jim Salinetti (65) of Lee, Mass., and Dennis Rasku (68) of Deerfield Beach, Fla.

The pro cut for the low 40 and ties was 141, the amateur cut to the low 12 was 153. Those players who made their respective cuts advanced to today’s 18-hole finale. They will start on No. 10 as the nines are reversed for the final round to better handle spectators and for a better set of finishing holes.

Harvey had made a name for himself locally as a baseball and basketball player at Bucksport High School and Husson College (plus a one-year baseball stint at the University of Maine).

His success in the GBO may have come as a surprise, but it’s a sport he has been playing for years.

“I played on the golf team in high school, and the past 4-5 summers I’ve played a lot,” said Harvey.

During baseball season, he would try to play once or twice a week, he said. Neither sport hurt his ability to play the other.

“It doesn’t affect my [baseball] swing,” he said. “I can differentiate between the two pretty easily.”

He said he has always been able to hit the ball well off the tee, but that’s only about a quarter of the game.

“Once I started working on my short game, that’s when I got better,” said Harvey, whose handicap index is about 4.5. “After high school, during the summers, that’s when I worked on my short game a lot.”

His 68 was a surprise, the 22-year-old said.

“I didn’t expect to do what I did yesterday. Low-to-mid 70s is more normal for me,” said Harvey, who will play golf for Husson this fall since his baseball eligibility is used up.

“I thought I’d get somewhat ready for the fall season against good competition,” he said.

“I wanted to see how I’d do, and I’ve done pretty well so far,” added Harvey. “We’ll see what tomorrow [Saturday] brings.”

Hawley found himself in a rare place Friday.

“I was 9 under before in a New England [Pro Golf Tour] event,” said Hawley, “but 129 for sure is the lowest I’ve ever been.”

Hawley could see a difference between the two rounds because of the brief but hard rain that swept through the area Friday. He felt it made his job easier.

“[Thursday] the greens seemed really hard because they had dried out,” said Hawley. “They were sticking better today.

“Because they were slower and softer, it was easier to hit to the hole.”

Hawley’s round included five birdies and no bogeys.

He made about a 7-foot putt on No. 4, the only par 5, then made a 5-footer for birdie on the next hole after hitting his tee shot into the bunker left of the green.

He sank a 6-foot birdie putt on No. 8, about a 4-footer on 13, and a 10-footer on 15.

Corden started hot with birdies on 3, 4 and 5 but didn’t get another until the last hole.

Wanner bogeyed the second hole, but birdied 6 and 7 on the front and 11, 13 and 14 on the back for his 65.

Following the GBO, at about 5 p.m., will be the Chrysler Q-School Shootout, in which the top nine pros and ties compete in a set of skill contests which will determine who receives a paid entry (approximately $4,500) into the PGA Tour Qualifying School in the fall.

The first skill is trying to get closest to the pin from 150 yards (top six advance), then from 100 yards (three more eliminated), and finally, from a greenside bunker. Players get only one chance from each station and the one nearest the pin from the bunker wins the shootout.