Topsham’s Caleb Manuel and Camden’s Cole Anderson look forward to playing with the pros when the second annual Live & Work Maine Corn Ferry Tour begins Thursday at Falmouth Country Club.
The tournament will be 72 holes over four days, with cuts to be made after the second round.
Chad Remy of Fulton, Mississippi, won the inaugural event last year with a 16-under-par 268-over-71, laying out 7,372 yards.
It would be the 21-year-old Anderson’s first time in a major pro tournament, while Manuel made a recent appearance at the US Open at The Country Club in Brooklyn, Massachusetts, shooting 17 above par. 157.
The 20-year-old Manuel played in Live and Work in Maine last year and hit 16 from over 158 and couldn’t score.
Manuel is a two-time All-Big East pick from the University of Connecticut and was last year’s Rookie of the Year. He participated in the medal-winning honors at the Big East Championships this season and finished in a tie for 15th at New Haven Regional.
Anderson, who plays golf in Florida, tied for 40th out of 169 golfers in the NCAA Division I National Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Anderson and Manuel both received waivers from the sponsor to play in the tournament.
The Korn Ferry Tour is one step below the PGA Tour, and the top 25 riders based on points receive their PGA Tour cards for the following season. There is a series of three tournaments after the regular season from which the top 25 also receive PGA Tour cards.
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity,” said Anderson, who played at the Amateur Championships in Pennsylvania last weekend to prepare for the Korn Ferry event.
“I’m happy to be able to play in it, and I’m looking forward to a good week,” Anderson said.
Manuel shot 13 above level 83 in the first round at the US Open on Thursday but bounced back and shot 4 points above level 74 on Friday.
“I learned that I can play with these guys, and I also learned how to handle my nerves better in front of more people and on the bigger stage,” Manuel said. “I hope, this week, it’s going to look a little easier there.”
Anderson said he is satisfied with the current state of his game.
“I’ve been heading in a good direction for a while. I feel very comfortable. I love where everything is going,” Anderson said.
He added that making the cut at a tournament like this requires a number of key components.
“Hitting the ball and the short game are where they are,” Anderson said. “You need to drive the ball fairly straight and you have to hit your iron shots with precision and accuracy.”
Anderson loves the idea of playing against some of the best professionals in the world to see where he faces them.
“At the same time, it’s just another golf tournament. I’m going out and competing against myself more than anything, and where I end up on the leaderboard is where I end up,” he said.
No tee times have been announced, but opponents and former high school friends are happy to play in the same tournament.
“We played in a tournament in Miami during the winter break,” Anderson said. “Before that, it hadn’t been since high school. It would be nice to reconnect with him. It would be fun.”
“It would be great to play against him again for sure,” said Manuel, who played at Mount Ararat High School in Topsham while Anderson played at Camden Hills High School in Rockport.
Anderson won the Class One singles state championship in 2015 and 2016 and shared the title with Anthony Burnham of Scarborough in 2017 before finishing second to Manuel in 2018.
Manuel won it again in 2019.