BRUNSWICK — Emily Bouchard of Saco survived an eventful round and outlasted a pair of worthy challengers Wednesday to successfully defend her title in the Maine Women’s Amateur golf tournament at Brunswick Golf Club.
Bouchard, 23, shot 4-over 78 for a 54-hole total of 235, six shots ahead of 17-year-old Monica Austin of Yarmouth and seven in front of Calais veteran Lori Frost.
The champion’s round included four birdies, five bogeys and a bizarre triple bogey three holes from the finish.
Her 4-iron off the tee shanked far right and struck a tree before hitting spectator Bob Bazinet, a longtime friend of her family, on the left shoulder.
Although Bazinet was only momentarily stunned and cracked jokes about the close call almost immediately, it took Bouchard a while to collect herself. She later needed two shots to escape a greenside bunker before putting out for a seven.
But she got a par on the 17th, and with a gallery of several hundred watching from an observation deck, she birdied the picturesque, two-tiered 18th to finish in style.
Austin, who is a protege of Bouchard’s through the state junior program, shot 79 in the final round for a total of 241.
Frost had a triple bogey one hole before Bouchard and stumbled down the stretch to an 83.
First-round leader Kris Kannegieser matched her opening-day 79 and was fourth at 243.
Bouchard also was victorious a year ago, when the Southern Maine Women’s Golf Association and the Women’s Maine State Golf Association consolidated their championships for the first time.
She won the WMSGA title in 2011.