SACO — Saco resident Emily Bouchard knocked in six birdie putts during Wednesday’s final round of the Maine Women’s Amateur golf tournament, but it wasn’t enough as Veazie’s Staci Creech was as close to perfect as a golfer can get on her way to capturing the title at Biddeford-Saco Country Club.
“What else can you do? You can’t birdie every hole, unfortunately. I wish I could,” said Bouchard, who shot a final round 75 and finished with a three-day total of 229, which put her seven shots back of Creech in second place.
Bouchard gave credit to Creech, who fired a two-under par 70 in the final round, which was the only below-par round of the entire tournament.
“Like I said, you can’t beat someone who doesn’t make mistakes, you can’t do it,” said Bouchard. “I make mistakes out there, you know, I’m human. She certainly is human, but she recovers, she’s steady, she doesn’t make mistakes and if she does make mistakes, she finds a way out of it.”
Bouchard, who won the tournament in 2012 and 2013, was happy with her round despite a couple bad holes.
“I played well,” said Bouchard. “I hit the ball well, I made a couple mistakes down the stretch and, again, a couple putts didn’t fall that I thought might.”
Despite the loss, Bouchard loved playing with Creech.
“(It was) the most fun round I have played in my entire life and I’ve played golf for 14 years,” said Bouchard. “It’s motivating, it’s good competition, it’s good for the game. I hope everyone that was watching enjoyed it because I tell you what, we were having fun (going) back-and-forth.”
It was also nice for Bouchard to play against the state’s best at her home course.
“It’s special. Obviously, I wish the outcome could have came out a little differently than it did. I don’t know, I mean it’s just special. I grew up here,” said Bouchard.
Wednesday’s final round could be the last 18 holes Bouchard plays in the Maine Women’s Amateur as her work could take her out of the area at any time.
“I mean the possibilities are endless. I don’t choose and I don’t know when I go,” said Bouchard, who works for the Federal Aviation Administration as an air traffic controller. “I’m literally on a thread and they pull me when they need me. If I’m here next year, I’ll be surprised.”
With the chances of this being her last state amateur, the fact that she was able to play in front of her friends and family was memorable.
“It was special. The support was incredible ”¦ second to none,” said Bouchard, who is a Thornton Academy graduate.
And no matter where her job may take her, Saco will always be home.
“These are my roots ”¦ I’ll always be from here.”
— Sports Editor Pat McDonald can be reached at pmcdonald@journaltribune.com or at 282-1535 ext. 322.
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