When Zach Zondlo arrived in Carrabassett Valley to take his new job as head golf pro at Sugarloaf Golf Club, it was his first visit to the course.
“I’d never been here. I came in blind,” Zondlo said. “The area is great. I couldn’t ask for a better place to live and work.”
Zondlo is now a few weeks into his new job at Sugarloaf. As the head pro at the club, Zondlo oversees all instruction at the Sugarloaf Golf School.
Zondlo spent the last three years working as an assistant professional at the Heather at Boyne Highlands in Michigan, which like Sugarloaf, is owned by Boyne Resorts. Zondlo also has worked as an assistant pro at Fiddler’s Creek Club in Naples, Florida, along with Sugarloaf assistant pro Corey May.
Zondlo is a graduate of Coastal Carolina University, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Professional Golf Management. Sugarloaf Golf Course reminds him of some of the courses in his native Tennessee, Zondlo said.
“I grew up in the mountains of Tennessee. I felt at ease coming here,” Zondlo said. “This course is very challenging. You can definitely score out here, but you have to be careful.”
Among the improvements Zondlo would like to make are, creating video golf tips, and trying to attract more people to Sugarloaf’s golf academy. Zondlo said he’ll also work to improve communication between the public and course management.
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Thursday was the deadline to register for the Maine Amateur Championship, and there will be three qualifying tournaments played around the state in the coming weeks.
The first qualifier will be on the June 16 at Biddeford-Saco Country Club. There will be another on June 21 at Poland Spring Golf Club, and a final qualifying tournament will be held on June 23 at Penobscot Valley Country Club. The field for the Maine Am consists of 132 players, including those already exempt from qualifying.
The Maine Am will be at York Golf and Tennis Club, July 12-14. Johnny Hayes IV won the tournament last year at Waterville Country Club.
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After playing in a local qualifying tournament last spring to try to earn a spot in the U.S. Open, Lawrence High School graduate Ross McGee elected not to give the Open a try this year.
“I would have but (I) haven’t been practicing or playing that much this season,” McGee said.
McGee now lives in Naples, Florida, and played in a local qualifier last year at Old Corkscrew Club in Estero, Florida. Players who do well in a local qualifier can advance to a regional tournament, then a second qualifier, before earning a spot in the U.S. Open. This year’s U.S. Open will be June 16-19 at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania.
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The team of Tom Ellsworth and Gary Manoogian won the Maine State Golf Association’s senior four-ball tournament held last weekend at Cape Arundel Golf Club in Kennebunkport.
Ellsworth and Manoogian shot a 6-under 63. The team had six birdies with no bogeys to finish one stroke ahead of Colin Ahearn and Michael Hass. Truman Libby and Lowell Watson were third at four under 65.
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM
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