ORONO, Maine — Defending champ Staci Creech of Veazie will take a three-shot lead into Wednesday’s final round of the Maine Women’s Amateur golf tournament after shooting a two-under par 71 on Tuesday at the Penobscot Valley Country Club.
The 43-year-old Creech, a native of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, has a 6-under-par 140 while 16-year-old Bailey Plourde from Newcastle, who was tied with Creech after the first round, is at 143 after shooting a 1-over 74 on the sultry day.
Play was suspended for over half an hour by a torrential downpour before players returned to the course.
Calais native Lori Frost shot a second straight 76 to pull into third place at six-over-par 152.
Cumberland’s Sarah Hansen followed her opening-round 74 with an 83 to wind up tied with Minot’s Kristin Kannegieser for fourth at 11-over-par 157.
Hansen was the Centennial Conference’s Player of the Year at Division III Gettysburg College (Pennsylvania) this past season. Her grandfather, George Hansen, and uncle Tom played golf at the University of Maine.
Sarah Hansen, who will be a senior at Gettysburg, was the medalist at the conference tournament and is a two-time All-CC first-team choice.
Portage Lake native and former UMaine basketball star Liz Coffin and Cecily Whiting from the Woodlands Club in Falmouth are tied for sixth with 13-over 159s. Two shots back are Stephanie Rodrigue from the Fox Ridge Golf Club in Auburn and Liz Wiltshire from the Natanis Golf Course in Vassalboro.
“I was pleased. I was pretty consistent,” said Creech, who had three birdies and a bogey. “There were some putts I wished had dropped. I had a couple lip outs.”
Creech sank a 20-foot putt for a birdie on the first hole and nailed a 10-foot birdie putt on the eighth hole. Her only bogey came on the par-four 13th when she drove it into the right rough and her par putt “drifted on me.”
But she birdied the par-five 13th when she chipped her second shot onto the green, and she two-putted.
Plourde had a round with three birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey on the par-four fifth hole.
She had a string of 10 consecutive pars snapped at the 18th when she bogeyed the par-four.
“I didn’t leave myself any birdie putts,” said Plourde. “I always had to work for pars. It seemed like I was scrambling more than yesterday.
“It still felt solid, but it was frustrating that the birdie putts weren’t falling,” said Plourde, who will be a senior at Lincoln Academy in Newcastle this fall.
Creech said she is happy to be taking a lead into the final round but said she’s “not taking anything for granted.”
“You can shoot a 69 one day and a 79 the next day,” said Creech, wife of UMaine Athletic Director Karlton Creech. “I’m going to play my game, play hard and, hopefully, my hard work will pay off.”