June is the month when tournament activity heats up in Maine. We can only hope the weather follows and helps those courses hit hard by the tough winter return to top condition.

This weekend, the 50th Paul Bunyan Tournament is being played at Penobscot Valley in Orono and Kebo Valley in Bar Harbor. Also today, the Father and Son Tournament is at Natanis Golf Course in Vassalboro.

On Thursday, the state qualifier for the U.S. men’s Public Links tournament will be played at Bath Country Club. There will be 28 players vying for one slot.

The deadline to enter the men’s Maine Amateur was last Thursday, and Mike Doran, director of player development and tournament administration for the Maine State Golf Association, reports his office received more entries this year than usual.

“Everyone wants to play The Woodlands,” said Doran of the private course in Falmouth where the tournament will be played July 8-10.

Ricky Jones of Thomaston will defend his title won last year at Augusta Country Club.

Thursday was also the deadline for the state Senior Four Ball championship, which will be played June 17 at Poland Spring Country Club.

For those players not already in the Maine Amateur, they had to chose among three qualifying tournaments for their route to the championship venue. The first Maine Amateur qualifying tournament is June 19 at Biddeford-Saco. The next one is June 24 at Brunswick and the final one is June 26 at Penobscot Valley.

The Club Team championship, postponed from last month, will be played June 22 at Belgrade Lakes.

The Women’s Maine State Golf Association holds its popular Metropolitan on June 16-17 at Turner Highlands, and the annual Tri-State tournament with New Hampshire and Vermont will be June 24-26 in St. Johnsbury, Vt.

The Southern Maine Women’s Golf Association will hold its Metropolitan on June 23-24 at Val Halla in Cumberland.

THE SECOND annual Action Andy Memorial Golf Classic on July 26 at Val Halla has a full field of 30 teams, but organizers are starting an alternate list in case some players drop out. The tournament is in memory of Andy Lano, a football, basketball and baseball star athlete at Portland High in the mid-1940s. The tournament is run by the Lano Family Foundation. The foundation’s purpose is to raise college scholarship funds to further the education of student-athletes who graduate from Portland High.

Money raised goes to the Handy Andy Scholarship Award that is given to a Portland High male or female student-athlete who letters in two or more sports. Lano earned the nickname “Handy Andy” for his versatility in playing several positions.

Nick Volger won the inaugural scholarship award in 2013. Justin Zukowski won this year’s award. The award is a one-time stipend.

Other criteria for the award: maintaining a minimum 2.2 grade-point average, participation in football, field hockey or girls’ soccer, basketball, baseball or softball.

For more information on the scholarship, go to www.thelanofamilyfoundation.org

THE 12TH ANNUAL Shawn Walsh Memorial Golf Classic will be played Monday, July 21, 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 event is held in memory of Walsh, the former University of Maine hockey coach, and provides an opportunity to support the program that was close to him.

The goal this year is to raise $30,000. Proceeds help support capital improvements or other purchases that will benefit the hockey program but cannot be afforded under the regular operating budget.

Support of the tournament can be achieved as a sponsor and as a player. Sponsorship opportunities range from $100 tee sponsors to the $5,000 Shamrock Sponsorship. It’s a $150 entry fee for an individual and $600 for a team.

To register, visit www.shawnwalshgolf.org. For more information, please contact Frank Jordan, the tournament director, at 745-8501 or email veazieflash@yahoo.com.

TEE TO GREEN: Shawn Warren captured the Maine chapter of the New England PGA Championship last week at Dunegrass Country Club in Old Orchard Beach with a 36-hole total of 141. Brian Bickford of Val Halla was second with a 147, followed by John Hickson, the pro at Dick’s Sporting Goods in Topsham, with a 148.

Tommy Stirling of Gorham, a senior at Southwest Oklahoma State, was named honorable mention to the All Great American Conference team. Stirling said he’s been working on a swing change so he can take it to the next level.

He will play in this week’s Public Links qualifying tournament at Bath. He finished second to Jones last year and also placed second to him at the Maine Amateur. Stirling will play in the Maine Amateur at The Woodlands. Last week, he shot a 1-under 71 at The Woodlands.

Tom Chard can be reached at 791-6419 or at

tchard@pressherald.com

Twitter: TomChardPPH

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