Rockland golfer wins first amateur title
ORONO – Ricky Jones picked a fine time to become a better bunker player.
Jones, 31, a former University of Maine golfer and current member at Rockland Golf Club, made a near-impossible sand save from a buried lie in a wet bunker on the 16th hole of Friday’s final match against former Maine teammate Jay Livingston, 31, of Kennebunkport.
The sandie gave Jones his first lead of the match. After Livingston pulled his drive on the 17th hole, Jones celebrated his first-ever Maine Amateur title, 2 and 1 over Livingston, as the rain that had fallen intermittently throughout the day continued to soak the course.
“If you had asked anyone before this week what the worst part of my game is, I think they would all agree that I stink out of the sand,” said Jones. “I guess on that shot, it was a bit easier because I had already seen Jay hit the ball to the opposite fringe, so it wasn’t as big to get it close.”
After Jones made a 15-to-20 foot putt for eagle on No. 15 to square the match, both he and Livingston found the right green-side bunker on the 16th. Livingston’s ball held on a downhill lie, while Jones’ buried halfway into the sand.
“I thought I had hit mine pretty well,” Livingston said of his bunker shot. “I had my club nick the ball and I thought it would have been just right. I saw the ball rolling to the far end of the green and I just couldn’t believe it.”
Now down for the first time in four rounds of match play, Livingston watched as Jones sailed a perfect drive to the center of the fairway on No. 17.
“My tee shots had been going to the right all day,” said Livingston. “I tried to correct it on the tee and I overcorrected it.”
The result was a hooking drive that found the waist-high fescue to the left of a tall tree, some 75 yards short of the green on the shorter par-4.
After a five minute search, Livingston found his ball. The grass ensnared Livingston’s club and his second shot traveled less than 10 feet. By this point, Jones had landed shot No. 2 in the center of the green, and the rest was merely a formality.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” said Jones. “I love playing with Jay and I wish it had been a bit better out there. I’d rather have won by sinking a putt for three than because he messed up, but it’s still a good feeling to win.”
Livingston shot out of the gate during the final match, winning four of the first six holes to take a 3-up lead.
“I think I started too quickly,” said Livingston. “I think I got a bit too relaxed out there, and he started making putts, too.”
For three previous matches, Jones had struggled with putts in the six-to-10-foot range, but on the seventh hole of the final, Jones seemed to get his touch back.
“I told myself on the seventh tee just to relax,” said Jones. “I looked around and I knew all these people were out here to see the match and I didn’t want to keep playing like a 20-handicapper in the finals of the Amateur. The putt on seven really helped me turn that around.”
After a drive to the left rough, Jones ran a shot to 20-feet in front of the green. A good pitch left him with six feet for birdie on the short par-5. Jones also birdied No. 8 to pull within one, and the lead never grew bigger.
“I wish I could say that I played my best,” said Livingston. “I just didn’t have it today.”
Jones became the first player in four tournaments other than Mark Plummer to win the Maine Amateur, and the second to win under the current format.
In the semifinal matches, Livingston never trailed in taking care of Scott Dewitt of Biddeford-Saco 3 and 2, while Jones came from behind to defeat Corey Pion of Penobscot Valley 1-up in 19 holes. In that match, it was a bunker shot on the 16th hole to two feet that allowed Jones to catch Pion. The match was decided on the first playoff hole when Pion found the deep rough on the backside of the green. Jones made a par to win the match.
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