The Maine Golf Hall of Fame will induct six more standouts at its annual banquet to be held Sept. 15 at Poland Spring Golf Club and Resort. The banquet will be preceded by an 18-hole scramble tournament at noon.

There will be a social hour from 5 to 6 p.m., with the dinner and inductions to follow.

The following people will be inducted.

• Wilfred Benoit, a longtime professional serving at Poland Spring, Norway, Fairlawn and Summit Springs. As an amateur, he won two father-and-son titles. Benoit promoted golf through lessons, and he still plays the game at the remarkable age of 96.

• Andrew Lano II, a PGA tour caddie since 1987 who has worked for tour pros D.J. Brigman, Kenny Perry, Jim Carter, Trip Kuehne and Michele Wie. Lano has caddied at the Masters, the Ryder Cup, the U.S. Open and the British Open. Lano has been a good player in his own right.

• Helen Plourd, who has been an integral part of the Women’s Maine State Golf Association for many years, serving as president, on the board, on the rules committee, and also chairwoman of the ladies’ Tri-State team. Plourd is a two-time state senior champion and a champion at Rockland for 20 years. She has been a strong promoter of golf in the state.

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• Larry Rowe, who won the 1937 Maine Open. Rowe was a longtime pro who served under legendary pros Alex Chisholm and Alex Smith. He was pro at Purpoodock Club from 1925 to 1941 and was the architect of the course’s original nine holes. He also was the owner, architect and builder of what is now South Portland Municipal.

• Gregory Searle, who has been one of Maine’s top course superintendents for over 30 years. He has worked at Biddeford-Saco, Cape Arundel and Deep Brook and is presently at the Abenakee Club in Biddeford. He is a past president of the Maine Golf Course Superintendents’ Association and has served on the United States Golf Association green committee.

• Michael Verrier, who has been a coach for 22 years at Thornton Academy, where he has built one of the best programs in Maine. His teams have won three state titles, 13 divisional titles and five SMAA championships. Verrier has been program director for the Tri-City junior golf program.

TEE TO GREEN: The 93rd Maine Open will be played June 21-22 at Falmouth Country Club. The pro-am will be June 20. With an entry deadline of Wednesday, the tournament had received 80 entries as of last Thursday. The Maine State Golf Association expects entries to pour in over the next three days. Defending champion Dennis Cone of Port St. Lucie, Fla, is entered. Also entered are former winners Shawn Warren of Windham, the assistant pro at Falmouth, and amateur Ricky Jones of Thomaston.

On Monday, Warren plays in a 36-hole U.S. Open sectional qualifier at Canoe Brook in Summit, N.J.

Nate Nealey shot a 9-under 63 at Dunegrass in Old Orchard Beach on May 28. Nealey had 10 birdies and one bogey. His score was one off the course record set by Mike Doucette last September.

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Staff Writer Tom Chard can be contacted at 791-6419 or at:

tchard@pressherald.com

Twitter: TomChardPPH

 


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