The summer tournament schedule heats up this week in the state with three tournaments. At the State of Maine Championship at the Sugarloaf Golf Club, Mike Worroll of the Purpoodock Club in Cape Elizabeth will look to defend his title.

The 20th State of Maine Championship brings together pros and top amateurs from the state for 36 holes of stroke play. The tournament starts on Tuesday, following Monday’s Sugarloaf pro-am tournament.

The Southern Maine Women’s Golf Association Championship is Monday and Tuesday at Old Marsh Golf Club in Wells. The tournament has been played since 1977.

The Greater Bangor Open, sponsored by Hollywood Slots, wraps up the week with its 54-hole tournament Thursday through Saturday. The pro-am will be Wednesday. A field of 100 is expected for the tourney, which carries a top prize of $11,000.

Worroll won his second State of Maine title a year ago with rounds of 73-69. That made up for his disappointing finish in 2008, when he couldn’t hold a one-shot lead on 18. Worroll said the difficulty of Sugarloaf makes the tournament unpredictable.

“You can go into the tournament feeling good about your game, but you can never tell with Sugarloaf,” said Worroll.

“Pars are good scores in this tournament. You can’t be greedy and shoot for birdies. Every hole can be a potential disaster. Bogeys are OK. Guys in this tournament make big numbers because of the difficulty. I think it’s a beautiful course. I’m looking forward to getting up there and focusing on golf for two days.”

Worroll said he went into last year’s tournament without any expectations, and he feels that was a reason he played so well.

“Sometimes you play better when you don’t have any expectations,” he said.

“I feel I’m playing better than I was last year going into the tournament.”

Worroll expects a tightly contested tournament. The tournament is open to only Maine players. Bob Darling Jr. of Fox Ridge in Auburn is a five-time champion. Amateur Mark Plummer of Augusta has won the tournament four times. John Hickson, a pro who represents Dick’s Sporting Goods in Topsham, won in 2007. Nick Glicos of Martindale, Ben Morey of Spring Meadows and Ron Bibeau of Riverside, the top three point leaders in the Maine Chapter Player of the Year standings, are entered. Greg Sandell of Boothbay and Dave Grygiel of Bethel are players who could contend.

“We have a lot of good players in the Maine Chapter,” said Worroll, who won his other State of Maine championship in 1997.

The amateur competition has four divisions — regular, seniors (age 50 and over), super seniors (62 and over) and juniors (17 and under).

Tournament sponsors are Five Star Golf Cars and Utility Vehicles, Cleveland Golf and Srixon, Shipyard Brewery, Sky Caddie and Gepetto’s Restaurant.

This is the 44th annual Greater Bangor Open. Bangor Municipal is changed to a par-69 for the tournament. Last year’s Maine Amateur champion, Jesse Speirs, who turned pro in May, will return to his hometown to play. Also returning to his home state to play will be Sean Gorgone, formerly of Brunswick, and a four-time Maine Amateur champion, who teaches pro and mini-tour players in Florida.

Other top names entered are Dustin Cone, the winner of the Portland/Maine Open; Sean Warren, Eric Egloff, Kyle Gallo, Joe Cioe, Jeff Seavey, John Hickson, Ross McGee and Jason Parajeckas.

Defending champion Leslie Guenther of Norway heads the field for the Southern Maine Women’s Golf Association Championship at Old Marsh. Laurie Hyndman of The Woodlands Club is another favorite. Hyndman, a Maine Golf Hall of Fame inductee later this summer, is a six-time winner. Cindy Choate of Bridgton Highlands, the tournament’s first winner, owns six SMWGA titles.

Mary Brandes of The Woodlands has won three championships and could be in contention once again. Barbara Rondeau of Brunswick is a three-time SMWGA senior champion.

There are 42 players in the tournament. The low handicap players will be first off on Monday. The leaders will tee off last on Tuesday. 

TEE TO GREEN: Bob Darling Jr. of Fox Ridge and John Hickson of Dick’s Sporting Goods in Topsham tied for first place in last week’s New England PGA’s Stroke Play Championship at Mt. Pleasant in Boylston, Mass.

The 10th annual Matt Gaudet Tournament will be held on Aug. 13 beginning at 1 p.m. at Dunegrass in Old Orchard Beach. All proceeds from the tournament go to help Gaudet, a quadriplegic, pay for his medical expenses. Gaudet was an All-American Division III basketball player at Colby College before he was injured in a diving accident. The entry fee for the scramble tournament is $150 per person, which includes dinner. The contact is Glenn McCrum at 878-4431 or glennmcrum@hotmail.com. For more information go to gaudetgolf.com.

The 28th annual Harvey Lamontagne Pee Wee Championship will be played Aug. 1 at Paris Hill. Boys and girls age 11 through 13 play 18 holes. Those age 10-and-under play nine. All players must have caddies. Entry fee is $10.