By Wednesday’s 18th hole, Bailey Plourde was a prime example of consistency during the final round of the Maine Women’s Amateur Golf Tournament at Bangor Municipal Golf Course.
In fact, she’d been so consistent that her two idiosyncratic tees on 18 that resulted in a triple bogey eight didn’t even matter.
The 20-year-old from Newcastle, who graduated from Center College in Kentucky and will be playing golf as a PhD student at Berry College in Georgia from autumn, won with six strokes against 16-year-old Ruby Haylock from Hartford.
Plourde shot a 5 over par 76 and landed 6 over par 219. Haylock scored her third 75 in a row for a three-day total of 12 over 225. Minots Kristin Kannegieser shot a 78 and finished third with 13 over 226.
Leslie Guenther from Mingo Springs Golf Course in Rangely finished fourth with 233, followed by Carrie Langevin from Augusta Country Club (234), Maria Cianchette from Woodlands Country Club in Falmouth (235), Rachel Smith from Val Halla Golf Course in Cumberland Center (236) ), Katy Heskett from Purpoodock Club in Cape Elizabeth (237) and 2019 winner Jordan Laplume from Dunegrass Golf Club in Old Orchard Beach together with Lindsay Cote from JW Parks Golf Course in Pittsfield, both 238.
Heskett played her last amateur tournament because she earned an LPGA Pro Teacher Certificate.
Haylock, who will be finishing high school at Leavitt Area High School in Turner this fall, beat Plourde last year in the Maine Women’s Amateur when she was chipped on the first extra hole.
That was Plourdes’ third runner-up in the tournament, which included her win in 2018.
“I just lowered my head and carried on today,” said Plourde. “My goal was the same as in the last few days: Par. Birdies will happen. Bogeys will happen. I just had to play my own game. “
She admitted that she had thought a little about last year’s loss but said, “I’ve been very confident all summer. I felt good when I got into the tournament and I proved that I had the game this week. “
Plourde took a lead of six strokes on Kannegieser and a lead of seven strokes on Haylock on the final lap on Wednesday.
She kept her tees consistently in the fairway and overtook her playing partners Haylock and Kannegieser by 20 yards. She also made good approaches to the green.
All three struggled with the slow, muddy greens.
Plourde had extended their lead with a par on the first par four hole, while Haylock and Kannegieser screwed it up. She bogeyed it back to 3 when she missed a 6-foot par putt, but she immediately bounced off with a birdie on par-5 fourth when she made a 50-foot eagle put only 3 Left foot away from the hole and pounded it in.
Haylock and Kannegieser parried the hole.
“That was a confidence booster,” she says.
Plourde had four bogeys on her triple bogey that day and she also had a birdie-three on the 10th hole.
“She played really well,” said Hans Stromberg, her friend and caddy. “She hit the driver so well that she was 20 to 30 meters ahead of the other girls, which gave her a good advantage. And she worked really hard on her wedge game which paid off this week. The putting was hit or miss, but she did some good putts today and overall she played really solid. “
“She has a nice game,” said Kannegieser. “She hits a very long ball, she hits great irons and she putted well. I saw her putt better but the greens were a little tough. We thought [our putts] would break, but they didn’t. “
Kannegieser missed short par putts on 11, 12, and 13 and fought his way to a four-over-40 on the second nine.
“I missed it,” said Kannegieser, 58, a two-time Maine amateur winner (2006, ’10). “I putted on the second nine so badly. I missed the short ones. I can play better there. I drove the ball really well. I have the game I need to compete, but I have to work with all the cylinders. I can’t have a weak link. “
Haylock had five bogeys and a birdie on her round.
The win was special for Plourde, who plays at Sheepscot Links Golf Club in Whitefield.
“It feels so good. Growing up in Maine, it’s a special group to play with. I’ve played with all of these ladies since I was 12, 13. They make me feel good It’s a lot of fun. It feels really good to win again. ”
