OAKLAND — It became apparent quickly that during Tuesday’s first round of the Maine Event golf tournament at Waterville Country Club that the back nine was going to be nobody’s friend.
The back nine features the narrowest holes on the course. That, combined with challenging pin placement, made players hoping for a rebound after a tough front nine shrug their shoulders. Golfers who had a strong front nine were thankful they banked some birdies.
“That stretch, 11 through 13, maybe 10 through 13, is the hardest stretch of the course. It’s a lot narrower and you’ve got to make some putts. The short game’s got to be sharp there,” said playing pro Jack Wyman of South Freeport. Wyman played even over the back nine to finish his round at 2-under 68.
Wyman and Shawn Warren, a teaching pro at Falmouth Country Club, were tied for the overall lead after the first round.
The tournament, created by the Maine State Golf Association last year when pandemic travel restrictions made it impossible for pros from out of state to come to Maine to play the Charlie’s Maine Open, features the top pro and amateur players in the state, men and women.
The two-day tournament concludes Wednesday. Pro John Hickson of Cape Neddick sits one shot behind the leaders at 1-under 69. Hickson, Warren and Wyman will play in Wednesday’s final group, teeing off at 1:30 p.m.
Thea Davis of Plymouth leads the women entering the final round, at 9-over 82. She is two strokes ahead of Windham’s Karen Waltz and three ahead of Erin Leland of Portland.
Warren was 3 under on the front, and played even on the back until a bogey on 17.
“There’s a lot of tight holes back there, and they actually had a few pins, not knowing the golf course that well, you just couldn’t get above them. I mean, it’s treacherous. The greens are in such great shape and they’re quick. It was one of those things, you had to putt to protect it on the back nine,” Warren said. “I hit the ball fine on the back, but it just ends up being where you just get a little bit off, and I wasn’t able to convert a couple of the birdie putts I had an opportunity to, and I three-putted 17.”
Wyman birdied holes seven and nine to make the turn at 2 under. He bogeyed 11, 16 and 17 to go with birdies on 12, 14 and 18 to finish his back nine even and preserve his 2-under total score.
“I made some good par putts today. I made a lot of fairways and greens, so I made it easy for myself,” said Wyman, who won back-to-back Maine Amateur championships in 2017 and 2018 before going pro.
Caleb Manuel, the 19-year old from Topsham who in July won his first Maine Amateur title, had a fast start, making birdies on four of his seven holes. Manuel sank a 15-foot putt for a birdie on one, and a 20-foot putt gave Manuel a birdie on two. A bogey on 10 set the tone for Manuel’s back nine. The rising UConn sophomore bogeyed four holes over the back nine, erasing the 4-under cushion he had built and ending Manuel’s round at even 70.
“For me, I just wasn’t hitting it. I missed the green on 10 and hit a wayward tee shot on 12, and I kind of lost the momentum there. I kind of dragged my way in,” Manuel said. “The putter all day was pretty good. I didn’t make anything long on the back nine, but I also didn’t miss anything (short).”
Manuel and Warren noted that Waterville’s back nine includes no par-5 holes. The course’s two par-5 holes, three and nine, are on the front. Warren birdied both and Manuel parred each.
“The front nine has a couple par 5s as well we were able to reach. The back nine, even when you felt like you had a good look, you had to be a little bit defensive,” Warren said.
Mark Plumer, winner of a record 13 Maine Amateur titles, also finished his round at even par. Plummer, 69, got through the tough back nine with par on each hole. In classic Plummer style, he downplayed his success.
“I’m playing from the senior tees, so I’m not really in the ballgame with them. I was pleased with the way I played. I could’ve made a few putts that I left out there, but I was happy with the way I played … Pins are in spots where you can’t really be aggressive putting at them. You can hit to them, but if you’re not careful you can three-putt pretty easily out there.” Plummer said.
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