REXFORD — On the 160-yard, par-3 13th hole, both Pat Mayne and Sue Kahler were in trouble after each player hit her approach shot behind some trees in the right rough.

Mayne had a small window to the left side of the green; Kahler was almost completely blocked by the trees.

Kahler, the defending champion, tried to chip the ball under the tree limbs, but failed to get on the green and ended up with a double bogey. Mayne, the 2006 titlist, got up and down for par with a fine pitch shot and a 10-foot putt.

That hole ended up being the turning point of the final round, as Mayne captured the 66th annual Northeastern Women’s Golf

Association Championship by one shot over Kahler Tuesday at The Edison Club.

Mayne, from Pinehaven Country Club, finished the second round with a five-over-par 77 and a two-day total of 156, while Kahler shot a 78-157.

“I knew the 13th hole was cruc­ial,” said Mayne. “I knew I couldn’t let Sue get too far ahead of me. When I saw her tee shot go into the right rough, I wanted to get on the green, but then I hit my shot over there, as well. I couldn’t see the pin, but I knew I had a shot to the green. I made a nice pitch shot, and I had a good feel for the putt. It was probably one of the key holes in the match.”

Kahler, 10-time Ballston Spa Country Club women’s club champion, agreed.

“I had to keep the ball low, and I was hoping to bounce the ball on the green,” she said. “But it didn’t work. I was playing very steady golf on the back nine until that double bogey.”

“That match was tough,” said Mayne. “Sue played the steadiest golf over the two days, but I didn’t have a double bogey either day, and I think that was the key to winning the tournament.”

Both Mayne and Kahler shot 79 in the opening round, and they each registered eight pars on the front nine. The big difference was that Mayne had only one bogey, while Kahler triple-bogeyed the ninth hole.

“I had a bad lie in the bunker on the ninth hole, and I ended up pitching out. Then I hit the ball over the green,” she said. “That triple bogey on the ninth hole and the double bogey on the 13th hole were

really my only bad holes. I thought I played the steadiest of anyone. I

really settled down, and I tried to stay positive on the back nine

after that triple bogey. I thought the rough was thick and wet. I had a hard time getting out of that stuff and getting the ball into the air, because I’m not that strong.”

At the turn, Mayne owned a two-shot lead, but she came up short on her approach shot on the 10th hole, and settled for a bogey.

Mayne extended her lead on the 120-yard 11th hole when she nearly scored an ace. The ball went dir­ectly over the flag, spun back

toward the hole and nicked the flag before nestling four feet from the cup. Her birdie stretched her lead once again.

But Mayne wasn’t as accurate on the rest of the back nine. She overshot the green twice, settling for bogeys each time, and she also bogeyed the 16th and 18th holes, allowing Kahler to stay close.

Kahler stuck her approach shot to 15 feet on the par-5 17th hole, but she missed her birdie attempt.

“If I had made that putt, it would have been interesting,” she said.

Both players bogeyed the final hole.

“I played pretty well on the front nine, but I got juiced up a little on some holes on the back, and I misjudged some of my shots,” said Mayne.

“I knew we were close, but I didn’t know that I won for sure until we were done.”

Mayne said she enjoyed winning her second title even more than the first.

“It’s harder to get that second one,” she said.

Karen Feldman of Olde Kinderhook, Mayne’s regular partner in best-ball events, shot the low round of the day with a 75, and was third in the championship flight with a 160.

Other flight winners were Chan Lee (78-160) of Mohawk Golf Club in the first flight, Heather Morr­ison (88-172) of Burden Lake Country Club in the second flight, Sue

Moses (89-178) in the third flight, Joan Taylor (91-180) in the fourth flight, Carol Aiello (102-192) in the fifth flight and Maie Ilves (99-193) of Albany Country Club in the sixth flight.

RESULTS

(Par 72-144)

Championship flight — Pat Mayne 77-156, Sue Kahler 78-157, Karen Feldman 75-160, Leslie Arakelian 85-165, Pam Gabel 85-168, Gail Brophy 88-169, Ella Kellogg 87-171, Anne Jorgenson 90-184.

First flight — Chan Lee 78-160, Diana

Ramos 79-162, Jennifer DiIorio 87-168, Linda Kolnick 89-176, Pam Farhart 90-180, Suzie Mansfield 90-186, Darcie Trapasso 93-188, Maxine Tucker 99-199.

Second flight — Heather Morrison 88-172, Ilene Gaffney 86-179, Helen Lawson 93-181, Anne Poulin 92-181, Patricia Healey 90-181, Cynthia Walkanowski 94-184, Mary Law Powell 97-187, Sue Chambers 90-191.

Third flight — Sue Moses 89-178, Susan Johnson 94-183, Suzanne Ryan 93-190, Barbara Ashbee 98-194, Bonnie Taylor 96-195, Jeannine Mannix 96-199, Judy Mysliborski 107-207, Linda Hudson 102-207.

Fourth flight — Joan Taylor 91-180, Mel­ody Irving 92-184, Liz Darling 96-187, Audrey VanAlstine 97-188, Mary Assey 101-195, Peggy Peck 96-199, Donna Heskett 103-203, Sharon Naftzger 99-206.

Fifth flight — Carol Aiello 102-192, Mary Ann Keeler 94-196, Gloria Dugan 102-197, Patricia Adamkoski 94-197, Diana O’Hare 104-200, Betty Chiffolo 99-201, Mary Jane Ellis 100-208.

Sixth flight — Maie Ilves 99-193, Jari Whitehead 100-201, Rosebud DiGesare 100-207, Joey Laiacona 105-207, Betty Cushing 107-210, Jean Prockup 106-212, Winnie Brown 106-218, Amy Upjohn 118-222, Jeannine Goodale 119-232.