Seventeen-year-old SJ Welch came a whisker away from forcing a playoff with Max Woodman at the 11th annual Downeast Metro Amateur Golf Tournament last weekend.
Welch’s 12-foot eagle putt on the last hole that would have forced the playoff hit the back of the cup and bounced to the front, and was hanging on the edge. But it wouldn’t drop in.
Still, Welch served notice with his second place finish that he is someone to keep an eye on the future.
Woodman, who edged Welch by a stroke to win the tournament, was impressed by the young golfer, who will be a senior at Nokomis High in Newport in the fall.
“He is going to be a force to be reckoned with,” predicted the 24-year-old Woodman. “He is one of those young guys who is going to be really, really good.”
The Downeast Metro tournament is split between the Kebo Valley Golf Club in Bar Harbor and the Bangor Municipal Golf Course.
Welch shot a bogey-free, four-under-par 67 on Sunday at the Bangor Muni with four birdies. He had shot a two-over-par 72 in the rain at Kebo on Saturday and shared the first round lead.
“I can’t congratulate him enough and hope for him enough to go do something big,” Woodman added.
Welch’s two-under-par 139 marks the first time he has scored under par at a tournament, Welch said.
“It’s good to see everything coming together in my game,” said Welch. “I’ve been working really hard.”
It was particularly satisfying in lieu of his performance in last year’s Downeast Metro.
“I played awful last year. I was in the mid to upper 80s for both rounds. It was really gut-wrenching. I played so much better this year,” said Welch.
His longtime golf coach, Mike Dugas, said Welch has made significant strides.
“He has really matured, mentally,” said Dugas, who owns and manages the J.W. Parks Golf Course in Pittsfield, which is Welch’s home course.
Dugas, the former Husson University coach, said Welch doesn’t let poor shots bother him any more.
He called Welch a “hard worker” who keeps hitting the ball longer off the tee as he gets older.
“He is a good ball striker,” said Dugas.”And he’s going to keep getting better.”
Welch had an unfortunate incident at the KVAC Tournament in the fall, a year after he shot his team’s lowest score to help them win the tournament and advance to the state Class B tournament.
He played the wrong ball in the 2024 tournament and was disqualified and his team failed to qualify for the state tourney by three shots.
“It was a weird situation. We were contenders going into it. It was a learning experience. That will give us more motivation for next year,” said Welch.
Dugas pointed out that Welch reported his mistake to the officials.
“He’s a stand-up kid,” said Dugas.
Welch’s goal is to play at the Division I level in college and his performance in the Downeast Metro has given him a big boost.
“This is a pretty good step for me. It gives me confidence in my game,” said Welch. “I’ve been emailing some coaches. Hopefully, this will help a little bit.”
Welch said he has a busy schedule this summer including an American Junior Golf Association tournament at Sugarloaf.
Dugas said Welch is definitely good enough to play in college and called him a “diamond in the rough” when it comes to the Division I level.
He is hoping a Division I coach will give him an opportunity.
Dugas said in addition to being a quality golfer, Welch is a “great kid.”
