Until the 18th hole on Wednesday, Bailey Plourde had been a model of consistency during the final round of the Maine Women’s Amateur Golf Tournament at the Bangor Municipal Golf Course.
In fact, she had been so consistent, her two wayward tee shots on 18 that resulted in a triple bogey eight didn’t even matter.
The 20-year-old from Newcastle, who graduated from Centre College in Kentucky and will play golf as a graduate student at Berry College in Georgia beginning this fall, still won by six shots over 16-year-old Ruby Haylock from Hartford.
Plourde shot a 5-over-par 76 to finish at 6-over-par 219. Haylock posted her third consecutive 75 for a three-day total of 12-over 225. Minot’s Kristin Kannegieser shot a 78 to wind up third at 13-over 226.
Leslie Guenther of the Mingo Springs Golf Course in Rangely was fourth at 233 followed by Carrie Langevin of the Augusta Country Club (234), Maria Cianchette of the Woodlands Country Club in Falmouth (235), Rachel Smith from the Val Halla Golf Course in Cumberland Center (236), Katy Heskett of the Purpoodock Club in Cape Elizabeth (237) and 2019 winner Jordan Laplume of Dunegrass Golf Club in Old Orchard Beach along with Lindsay Cote from the J.W. Parks Golf Course in Pittsfield, who both finished at 238.
Heskett was playing her last amateur tournament because she has earned an LPGA pro teaching certificate.
Haylock, who will be a senior at Leavitt Area High School in Turner this fall, had beaten Plourde in last year’s Maine Women’s Amateur when she chipped in on the first extra hole.
That was Plourde’s third runner-up finish in the tournament, which sandwiched her win in 2018.
“I just kept my head down and kept going today,” Plourde said. “My goal was the same as it has been the last few days: par. Birdies are going to happen. Bogeys are going to happen. I just had to play my own game.”
She admitted that she did think about last year’s loss a little, but said “I’ve been very confident this entire summer. I felt good coming into the tournament and proved I had the game this week.”
Plourde took a six-shot lead over Kannegieser and a seven-shot advantage over Haylock into Wednesday’s final round and her lead was never threatened as she expanded it to as many as 10 shots.
She consistently kept her tee shots in the fairway and outdrove playing partners Haylock and Kannegieser by 20 yards. She also made good approach shots to the green.
All three struggled with the slow, soggy greens.
Plourde had lengthened her lead with a par on the par-four first hole while Haylock and Kannegieser bogeyed it. She gave it back with a bogey on three when she missed a 6-foot par putt, but she bounced back immediately with a birdie on the par-five fourth when she left a 50-foot eagle putt just 3 feet from the hole and tapped it in.
Haylock and Kannegieser parred the hole.
“That was a confidence booster,” she said.
Plourde had four bogeys on the day to go with her triple bogey and she also had a birdie-three on the 10th hole.
“She played really well,” said Hans Stromberg, her boyfriend and caddy. “She hit the driver so well, she was 20 to 30 yards in front of the other girls which gave her a good advantage. And she has been working really hard on her wedge game which paid off this week. Putting was hit-or-miss but she made a couple good putts today and, overall, she played really solid.”
“She has a lovely game,” Kannegieser said. “She hits a very long ball, she hits great irons and she putted well. I’ve seen her putt better but the greens were a little tough. We thought [our putts] were going to break but they didn’t.”
Kannegieser missed short par putts on 11, 12 and 13 and struggled to a four-over 40 on the back nine.
“I let it slip away,” said the 58-year-old Kannegieser, a two-time Maine Amateur winner (2006, ’10). “I putted so poorly on the back nine. I missed those short ones. I can play better than that. I drove the ball really well. I have the game I need to compete but I have to be operating on all 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 out of the Sheepscot Links Golf Club in Whitefield.
“This feels so good. Growing up in Maine, it’s a special group to play with. I’ve been playing with all these ladies since I was 12, 13 years old. They make me feel comfortable. It’s a lot of fun. It feels really good to win again.”