Ruby Haylock, of Turner Highlands Country Club, plays during the Maine Women’s Amateur on Tuesday at the Rockland Golf Club. (Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal Photo)

ROCKLAND — Ruby Haylock didn’t have the lowest round of the day, that belonged to Erin Holmes, but she may have had the most impressive round on the second day of the Maine Women’s Amateur at Rockland Golf Club on Tuesday.

The 13-year-old fired a 5-over 78 and has positioned herself into the final group on Wednesday, as she sits tied for third overall at 12-over.

She credits reaching the green in regulation as the key to her success.

“I think my putting was pretty strong and being on the green was really helpful most times,” Haylock said. “Putting for birdie made me feel good.”

After having two double bogeys Monday, she had none Tuesday.

“Starting the tournament, we didn’t expect to be this good,” Harry Haylock, Ruby’s father and caddy said. “The goal was 80 to 82, which I thought was pretty aggressive. I thought it would be more 85 to 87. This morning we said: ‘You know what? You had a couple doubles yesterday, if you didn’t make those doubles, you would be at 78, maybe 77.”

She’s five shots behind her playing partner tomorrow, Jordan Laplume, who’s the leader at 7-over, and four shots behind Bailey Plourde, who will also be in the final group.

Laplume shot a 77 on the afternoon while Plourde had a 78. Holmes, with the low round of the day, shot a 2-over 75 and is in fifth place.

Haylock has been playing some of the best golf of her career in the past week, as she tied her lowest round on Saturday at Turner Highlands’ Club Championship, shooting a 76 on her home course. She also shot a 76 last summer at the Gorham Junior Championship.

She started her second round with bogeys on the first four holes (a par-5 followed by three par-4s. She made a birdie on the 131-yard, par-3 fifth hole but gave that shot right back on the sixth hole with her fifth bogey in her first six holes. Her first par came on the par-5 seventh. She made her sixth bogey on the front nine on the par-4 eighth hole.

Despite the bogeys on the front nine, Harry Haylock was impressed with how his daughter was striking the ball.

“She was hitting good iron shots,” Harry Haylock said. “She had three, four birdie opportunities (on the front nine). Iron-striking is her weakness. She was hitting her ball OK, but hole-by-hole you don’t know what’s going to happen. You hope it stays compact and put together. I think she did a good job today.”

The round started to turn on the par-4 ninth when she made her second birdie of the day to open the front nine with a 41. Haylock became a par machine on the back nine. She made seven straight pars to start her back nine. The lone hiccup came on the 17th hole, where she made a bogey on the par-4. She closed her day with her eighth par on the back nine at the par-3 18th hole.

“I like to keep track how I am doing throughout the round just to push myself a little bit more,” Ruby Haylock said.

Elizabeth Lacognata, who was one of Haylock’s playing partners on Tuesday, and the reigning MPA Girls’ High School champion was impressed with Haylock’s round. She knew Haylock was about to break through and start challenging the high-school-aged players.

“She started to creep up on us and totally expected it out of her this summer,” Lacognata said. “If anything, it’s not a shock. I am proud she can be up here with us.”

Rodrigue and Kannegieser have tough starts

Both Stephanie Rodrigue and Kristin Kannegieser had front nines they would like to forget. The two playing partners in the third-to-last group on Tuesday each shot matching nine-over 46s.

Kannegieser’s front nine was attributed to mental errors.

“The front nine, I kept missing those three-foot putts,” Kannegieser said. “I was over-reading them and I missed three or four of them. It just stunk. If I made those, it would have kept my interest.”

She finished the day with an 84, but could have been an 83 if it wasn’t for a mishap on the 14th green.

“As I came to pick up my ball, my ball was resting on a white mark, probably a bird turd” Kannegieser said. “Stephanie (Rodrigue) thought it was actually spray paint where the the pin was going to be. The ball was there and I picked it up and I didn’t put a proper mark down.”

The group consulted with a rules official on what needed to be done and Kannegieser was assessed an one stroke penalty.

She’s in a tie for eighth at 19-over.

Rodrigue bounced back a little on the back nine, shooting a 39. Her two mistakes on the backside came at 16, where she made a double-bogey, and she made a bogey at 18 to close her round out with an 85.

She’s tied for 10th at 21-over, 14 shots behind Laplume. Being out of contention on the third day will also allow her just to play golf.

“Just play with more consistency as I want to play good golf, both on the front and back nine, not just one nine,” Rodrigue said. “I just want to play my game, not worrying about who’s in the lead or whatever, just play my own game.”

Other local scores

Winthrop’s Carolyn Langevin, who was in the final group, had a tough day, shooting an 85 to fall from third place to seventh place and sitting at 18-over. Mia Hornberger sits in 16th place at 25-over after shooting an 84, three shots better than her score Monday. Martindale’s Melissa Johnson is in a tie for 17th with an 82 after shooting a 90 on day one.

Prudence Hornberger is in 25th at 36-over with a second-round 88, six shots better than Monday. Fellow Turner Highlands member Karen Richardson is in 27th at 37-over after she shot an 89. Other Turner Highlands members competing Tuesday were Morghan Dutil (49th, 59-over) and Jade Haylock (56th, 65-over).

Springbrook members Debbie Murphy (41-over) and Rachel Newman (57th) are in 31st and 57th, respectively. Martindale’s Danielle Rock is in 48th (56-over) and Neila Nelke 51st (62-over).

Harry Haylock, left, caddies for his daughter Ruby Haylock, of Turner Highlands Country Club, in the Maine Women’s Amateur on Tuesday at the Rockland Golf Club. (Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal Photo)

Stephanie Rodrigue, of Fox Ridge Golf Club, plays during the Maine Women’s Amateur on Tuesday at the Rockland Golf Club. (Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal Photo)

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