KENNEBUNK — Carrie Langevin knows most of the focus coming into the Maine Women’s Amateur golf tournament is on the young golfers. And that’s fine with her.

All Langevin did Monday in the first round of the tournament at the Webhannet Golf Club was set a standard of consistency that put her atop the leaderboard.

The 53-year-old Langevin, who lives in Winthrop and plays out of both the Portland Country Club and Augusta Country Club, parred 17 of the 18 holes to shoot a 1-over 73. That gave her a one-stroke lead over Kristin Kannegieser and tournament favorite Jordan Laplume.

“Who knew?” said Langevin with a smile. “It was one of those days where it felt easy and that’s a rarity for sure. The putts went in. I saw the line and kept my stroke on line, and they went in. That helped. I was striking the ball well. I had one (sort) of  bad hole and that was it.”

That one bad hole was the par-4 12th, which resulted in her only bogey. But even then Langevin recovered easily.

“I was trying not to think about anything too much,” she said. “When you’re writing down your score, keeping track, it’s kind of hard to not realize it’s par, par … par, par. So I was just just trying to stay in the moment and not think ahead, and sometimes that’s the hardest part.”

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But she stayed focused. Take the par-4 16th: Her tee shot went into the rough on the left and her second shot to the far right backside of the green. She just missed a birdie with a long downhill putt, then tapped in for par.

Langevin, who played all winter on the West Coast, wasn’t alone with solid, consistent rounds. Laplume, the 18-year-old from Old Orchard Beach and Dunegrass, and Kannegieser, the 57-year-old from Minot and Martindale Country Club in Auburn, were right there as well.

Laplume started the day with three bogeys, then regrouped with a birdie, par, birdie. The birdie on the par-5 fourth gave her a confidence boost.

“Those first three holes, I just put it in the wrong spot, and then nerves added on to that was a bad combination,” said Laplume, who will be a sophomore at Merrimack College in the fall. “The (fourth) hole really fit my game. I hit a really good drive and I was inside 200 yards, so I knew I could hit it on the green and I did. That really started the momentum for the rest of my round.”

Laplume finished the round with a birdie and four pars. “A little bit better would have been awesome,” she said, “but you can say that on every round.”

Kannegieser, meanwhile, was enjoying her round with Laplume and 20-year-old Erin Holmes, who plays out of Val Halla Golf Course in Cumberland. Playing with them may have reinvigorated her.

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“You look around here and all you see is young girls,” she said. “It’s sweet. A few years ago I was a little concerned about the state of women’s golf. And now we see all ages.”

Like Langevin, Kannegieser had no specific goals entering the tournament.

“It’s about getting a feeling (for the course) and trying not to shoot yourself in the foot,” she said. “I just really tried to play every shot. And I had some luck out there.”

Holmes, who will be a junior at Bucknell in the fall, was tied for fourth with Mary Brandes, a senior division golfer from The Woodlands Club. Both shot a 6-over 78.

Holmes had a couple of tough holes that inflated her score. She had four bogeys and two double-bogeys. “I came out here and practiced (Sunday) so I had a pretty good feel for the greens,” she said. “Definitely (Tuesday) I’ll feel more confident in my decision-making, playing some holes a little more safe, going after different ones.”

Rachel Smith, the 18-year-old recent Greely High grad, was next with an 8-over 80, finishing with a bogey, double-bogey, bogey.

“I wanted to set a good ground for myself,” said Smith. “I understand there’s going to be hiccups. I kind of expect that. I don’t expect myself to play perfectly, especially on the first day, with the first-day nerves and that stuff.”

With rain into the forecast for Tuesday’s second round, especially in the morning, the course will play differently. “The ball’s not going to run as far,” said Smith. “The greens will probably be softer, rolling slower. It’s almost like it’s going to play like a whole different course. You’ve just got to adjust.”


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