Topsham teen earns Korn Ferry tourney spot by shooting 66 at Monday qualifier

Larry Mahoney, Bangor Daily News, Maine
·2 min read

Jun. 22—Topsham's Caleb Manuel, who set the tournament record in winning the seventh annual Downeast Metro Amateur Tournament two weekends ago, earned a spot from Monday's 18-hole qualifier to play in the Korn Ferry Tour's 72-hole Live and Work in Maine Tournament which gets underway on Thursday at the Falmouth Country Club.

The 19-year-old University of Connecticut standout shot a bogey-free six-under par 66 at The Ledges Golf Club in York to earn one of eight slots in the Live and Work in Maine Tournament.

He finished tied for third, two shots behind top qualifier Jace McCarron from Jacksonville, Florida.

Seventy-four golfers were in the field.

The Korn Ferry Tour will be making its first appearance in Maine. The tour is one notch below the PGA Tour and the top 25 money-winners during the regular season and top 25 in the three championship series tournaments earn their PGA Tour card for next season.

This doesn't apply to Manuel because he is an amateur, but it is a tour he aspires to after his college career is over.

Manuel, the Big East Freshman of the Year at UConn, was one of three amateurs to qualify along with five professionals.

The first team All-Big East and All-Northeast Region selection registered six birdies at The Ledges by posting twos at the par-three eighth and 11th holes; threes at the par-four third and 10th holes and fours at the par-five seventh and 12th holes.

Falmouth Country Club golf pro Shawn Warren and Portland Country Club head pro Dan Venezio will also be in the field courtesy of sponsor exemptions.

Five other Maine golfers failed to qualify on Monday.

Auburn's Brian Bilodeau shot an even-par 72 and tied for 24th; Falmouth's Jason Harris shot a 76 to tie for 44th; Gorham's Michael Caron tied for 48th with a 77; Brunswick's Bradley Ross had a 78 which left him in a tie for 52nd and Greg Martin of Boothbay Harbor had an 81 which tied for 61st.

Bilodeau is an amateur while the other four are pros.

Stephen Saleeby from Raleigh, North Carolina, who won the 2019 Downeast Metro Amateur and was a former teammate of 2020 Downeast Metro winner Reese McFarlane at the University of North Carolina-Wilmigton, shot an 83.