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A fee increase highlights a number of changes in this year’s 43rd annual Whited Ford Paul Bunyan Amateur Golf Tournament.
A change in starting times and eliminating free entries for some players have also been instituted.
The fee for the three-day, three-course event – scheduled for June 8-10 – is $110, an $11 increase over last year’s entry.
“The increase goes to the courses,” said Tournament Director Skip Chappelle.
Those courses are Penobscot Valley Country Club in Orono, Kebo Valley Golf Club in Bar Harbor, and Rockland Golf Club.
While the fee has increased by nearly a third in the last two years, it can still be considered a bargain in terms of the usual cost to play those courses at that time of year, which is $165.
Competitors are split into three divisions with handicaps ranging from 0 to 30. The divisions rotate among the three courses each day. The field again will be limited to 360 players.
That was the total last year, and it has been built back up over the last three years. In 2005, the field was approximately 320 players, and in 2004, it was about 250.
“The difficult part for me,” said Chappelle, “is I’m torn between going the inflationary route and increasing the fee accordingly and not keeping it a… I call it a blue-collar tournament because I want to keep it a blue-collar fee.
“A lot of players are there because of the fee, the low entry fee.”
The change in starting times means play will start at the same time each day – 8:30 a.m. – at each course. Last year, only Kebo started at 8:30 while the other two started about 7 a.m.
Also, the last couple of years, the Bunyan has allowed players such as club champions free entry into the tournament, but that won’t be the case this year, said Chappelle. There will be no more comped players, he said.
The prize pool will again be more than $8,500, said Chappelle.
He also said the entry form will be published in the Bangor Daily News for the first time on Saturday. Later this week, it will be available to print from the Web site (www.bunyangolf.com).
Art Guesman passes
Former University of Maine golf coach Art Guesman died last month in his mid-70s.
Guesman, who was a professor of journalism at Maine from 1973 to ’92, became the assistant golf coach starting in 1982, then became the head coach in 1986.
He helped lift the Black Bears out of relative obscurity by setting up an ambitious schedule in Northeast tournaments. That culminated in a berth in the NCAA East Regional in May 1990 after the team’s strong showing the previous fall.
Guesman was named North Atlantic Conference coach of the year in 1989.
Guesman resigned as golf coach in September 1990. He retired from UMaine in 1992.
During his time as coach, the Bears won the ECAC Regional three times, the Middlebury (Vt.) Invitational three times, and the Williams Invitational.
He helped save the program from the budget ax in 1985 but eventually it became a Title IX casualty in 2001 because of its all-male makeup.
Guesman is survived by his wife Ann; son and dauther-in-law, Jeffrey A. and Gail Guesman; daughter and son-in-law, Lee and Tom Szelog; grandchildren Erin, Kerri, and Bryan Guesman, and special nieces Kim Laird and Janet Snyder.
TCU honors Speirs
Jesse Speirs of Bangor was named Male Athlete of the Month for March at Texas Christian University.
Speirs, a sophomore on the golf team, finished tied for 15th at the USC Intercollegiate with a three-round score of 216, then followed that with a career-best tie for eighth in the Morris Williams Intercollegiate with a 36-hole total of 142.
He was the top scorer in both events for the Horned Frogs, who are ranked 30th in the country, according to Golfweek Magazine.
Two among 100
Sugarloaf Golf Course in Carrabassett Valley and Belgrade Lakes Golf Club in Belgrade are again ranked among Golf Digest’s America’s 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses.
Sugarloaf is ranked 45th in this year’s biennial listing. Sugarloaf was No. 30 in 2005 and No. 45 in 2003.
Belgrade Lakes is No. 93 this time, after being No. 63 two years ago and No. 72 in 2003.
A panel of more than 800 male and female golfers, including club pros, course superintendents, and low-handicap amateurs, evaluates the courses based on shot values, resistance to scoring, design variety, memorability, aesthetics, conditioning, and ambience.
The rankings of the top public courses as well as America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses are in the May issue, which is out now.
According to Golf Digest, the state’s top five courses are: Sugarloaf, Belgrade Lakes, Portland Country Club in Falmouth Foreside, Sunday River in Bethel, and Samoset Resort in Rockport.
Dave Barber can be reached at 990-8170, 1-800-310-8600, or by e-mail at dbarber@bangordailynews.net.
Bunyan tourney
TEEING OFF
Dates – June 8-10
Entry fee – $110
Courses – Penobscot Valley Country Club (Orono), Kebo Valley Golf Club (Bar Harbor), Rockland Golf Club
Prize pool – $8,500
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