Winslow native and PGA Tour caddy Jeff Willett is working with a new player this year. After caddying for Justin Hicks last year, Willett is on the bag for Chez Reavie this year.

“I’ve just been with (Reavie) a few weeks,” Willett said.

When Hicks got hurt, Willett connected with Reavie.

“It’s just networking between players and caddies,” Willett said.

Reavie has been a regular on the tour since 2008, when he played in 30 events. That rookie season, Reavie won the Canadian Open. In 2011, Reavie had five top 10 finishes and finished in 10th place in the FedEx Cup standings. Reavie missed most of last season after wrist surgery, and played in just two events. In 12 events this season, Reavie has earned $85,870, and is ranked 179th in the FedEx Cup standings.

Reavie last played in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at the end of April. He shot 75-71 and missed the cut. Willett said that now, three tournaments into working with Reavie, the golfer and caddy are starting to develop a rapport. “The first (tournament), we were getting used to each other. By the third or fourth week, we’re able to finally work together,” Willett said.

Willett will be with Reavie later this month in Irving, Texas, for the Byron Nelson Championship. After that, Reavie is scheduled to compete in the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio.

• • •

Belgrade Lakes Golf Course opened for the season on May 1, on the heels of an offseason in which the course earned a number of honors.

The course was 87th in the nation in Golf Digest’s annual ranking of public courses. Belgrade Lakes also was named the top course in Maine by Golf Digest, Golf Magazine and Golf Week.

The honors are nothing new for Belgrade Lakes, which was ranked 63rd in Golf Digest’s public course list in 2005-06 and again in 2009-10. This year, Belgrade Lakes is the only New England course included in Golf Digest’s public course rankings.

“You’re not brand new anymore. There’s a lot of great new courses out there,” course director Kyle Evans said. “It’s always a surprise. It makes us feel good when we’re recognized.”

The ranking means Belgrade Lakes can expect golfers from out of state to come to Maine to play the course.

“The pressure’s always there. We want to live up to the hype,” Evans said.

Rankings in each magazine are based on customer service, course design and maintenance, Evans said. Among the course improvements Belgrade Lakes made in the offseason are the cutting down of trees to improve air movement and add sunlight to some holes, Evans said.

“All we do is golf,” Evans said. “We’ll continue to improve and make the course better.”

• • •

The 13th annual Shawn Walsh Memorial Golf Classic will be on Monday, July 20 at Martindale Country Club in Auburn. Registration begins at 8:15 a.m., with a shotgun start at 9:30. The banquet and auction starts at 3 p.m.

The tournament is held in memory of Shawn Walsh, who coached the University of Maine men’s ice hockey team to national championships in 1993 and 1999. Walsh died in 2001 after a 15-month battle with cancer.

The proceeds from the tournament support capital improvements or other purchases that benefit the University of Maine men’s ice hockey program but are not covered by the regular operating budget. In the past, funds have been used for technology for analyzing player performance and a facelift for the Alfond Family Lounge and hockey office at Alfond Arena.

To register, visit www.shawnwalshgolf.org. Entry fees are $150 per individual and $600 per team. For more information, please contact tournament director Frank Jordan at 745-8501, or email veazieflash@yahoo.com or Cherie Damon at cdicemom2@aol.com.

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM

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