Seth Sweet earned the top seed in the Maine State Golf Association Match Play Championship with his win at the Maine Amateur championship last month.

However, Sweet decided the skip the tournament, which begins Wednesday at the Natanis Golf Course’s Tomahawk Course. This is the Madison native’s last week at home before he heads to Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va. to begin college.

“I decided I want to spend that time with my family,” Sweet said.

After winning the Maine Amateur at Sunday River, Sweet, who recently turned 18, shot a 292 over the three-day New England Amateur Championship at Falmouth Country Club, finishing 13 stokes behind winner Chris Swift.

Sweet will join an Old Dominion golf team that placed third in the Colonial Athletic Assocation last season. Sweet said his goal is to be among the top five players on the team.

“I want to travel and be more than a practice player,” Sweet said. “I’d like to keep my average around 70, 72. It’s going to be tough with those courses down there.”

When Sweet won the Maine Amateur, it made the front page of Old Dominion’s athletic department web site. Monarchs golf coach Murray Rudisill called to congratulate Sweet.

“He was pretty happy about it,” Sweet said.

• • •

Dunegrass Golf Club in Old Orchard Beach will host the 12th Annual Gaudet Invitational Golf Tounament on Friday. The tournament benefits Matt Gaudet, a former Colby College basketball standout who was paralyzed in a diving accident while on vacation in the British Virgin Islands in 2001.

Over the years, the tournament has raised over $150,000, all going to the Matt Gaudet Trust Fund, which helps pay Gaudet’s consdierable expenses.

“The tourney has had a strong showing every year, averaging at least 100 golfers and 130 at dinner,” said Glenn McCrum, one of the tournament organizers. “This consistent turnout is directly attributed to the circle of friends Matt built while at Colby College as well as his star-studded career at Mountain Valley.”

A Rumford native, Gaudet now lives in Minneapolis, Minn., where he works in the mortgage industry. He plans on attending the tournament.

The cost to play in the tournament is $150 per player, or $600 for a foursome. The cost includes your round, a cart, and dinner. There also will be prizes and a raffle.

• • •

Augusta’s Mark Plummer and Jason Gall, and Ricky Jones of Rockland will represent Maine in the United States Golf Association State Team Competition, Sept. 19-21 at Galloway National Golf Club in Galloway, N.J.

A 54 hole, stroke-play tournament, each team’s lowest two scores count in each round. The tournament is played every two years. Jones, who tied for second in the Maine Amateur last month, also represented Maine in 2010, along with Seth Sweet and Matt Greenleaf.

• • •

New England Junior Championship will be Sunday through Tuesday at Taconic Golf Course in Williamstown, Mass. Seven players were selected to represent Maine.

Playing for Maine will be Sam Grindle (Island Country Club), Will Kannegieser (Martindale Country Club), Gavin Dugas (JW Parks Golf Club), Zack DeBlois (Fox Ridge Golf Club), Thomas Murray (Bangor Municipal Golf Club), and Brad Smith (Brunswick Golf Club).

Kannegieser recently tied for seventh place in the Maine Amateur.

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com