VASSALBORO — Mark Plummer hasn’t played as much tournament golf this summer as he normally does.

Apparently, however, that hasn’t had too much of an effect on his game.

Plummer, the state’s most accomplished amateur golfer, made a move toward adding another title to the shelf, shooting a 1-under 71 to take the first-round lead at the Maine Senior Amateur Championship on Tuesday at Natanis Golf Course’s Tomahawk side.

“I played pretty solid. I hit a few squirrelly iron shots, but I drove the ball pretty good and I made some good putts,” the Augusta Country Club golfer said. “I left a few out there but I made a couple of good saves, so I was very pleased with 71.”

Keith Patterson was two shots back after a 1-over 73, while Michael O’Brien, Glenn Furth and Marke Wilcox were third at 2 over. Mark Stasium and James O’Sullivan finished the first round sixth at 3 over, and Thomas Bean, Jim Quinn, Scott Craig and Mike Doucette were tied for eighth at 4 over.

It’s been a quieter season for Plummer, the 13-time Maine Amateur champion who skipped the tournament for the first time in decades — Plummer himself couldn’t remember the last time he missed the Am.

Advertisement

“I haven’t played in that many tournaments this year,” he said. “I didn’t play in the Amateur, I didn’t play in the Match Play (Invitational). … I didn’t really have much interest in playing. I can’t compete with the Caleb Manuels and the Johnny Hayeses, those guys. They just hit it too far. And going up to Bar Harbor, it’s expensive. … I thought this would be a good year to sit out.”

Plummer did play in last week’s Maine Event, tying for 11th at 2 over and finishing first among seniors, and he was in form again Tuesday. He shot 36 on the front and 35 on the back, making three birdies and consistently staying out of trouble.

Daniel Falcone smiles after teeing off on the 16th hole of the Tomahawk Course at Natanis Golf Course during the first round of the Maine Senior Amateur Championship on Tuesday in Vassalboro. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

“We’ve got tournaments at Augusta, they’re not big tournaments but they’re enough to keep your attention and keep you sharp,” he said. “They always say, you can’t win it the first day, but you can lose it. I played a little conservative for the first day, partly because you don’t know the speed of the greens. I hadn’t played here since last year.”

Plummer, a six-time champion, was part of a group that included Dan Falcone, the defending champion who shot a hot-and-cold 6-over 78, and Patterson, the Biddeford-Saco player who birdied three of the first five holes and then held on through a 1-over back nine to give himself a shot Wednesday.

“The greens were a bit tricky, and I hit it in a couple of spots where I couldn’t really go at the birdie, so I just made a bunch of pars,” Patterson said. “And honestly, I was watching Mr. Plummer play, he hits it good. … He doesn’t make many mistakes.”

Wilcox birdied the sixth and 13th holes en route to his score, and Augusta Country Club’s Furth had four birdies on the way to his. O’Brien, another Biddeford-Saco player, rebounded from a double bogey on the ninth hole with a 1-over back.

Advertisement

“I hadn’t made a bogey until nine. There’s that tree in the middle of the fairway, I aimed at it and I hit it,” said O’Brien, who was runner-up last year and lost to Falcone in a playoff. “I was happy with the way I hit the ball, I just don’t know what to do on that ninth tee. I just tried to hit it by the tree, I said ‘I’ll aim for it, I’ll never hit it.’

Michael O’Brien, of Biddeford-Saco Country Club, plays in the early morning fog during the first round of the Maine Senior Amateur Championship on Tuesday at Natanis Golf Course in Vassalboro. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

“That was a little disappointing, but I played solid from there.”

O’Sullivan had one of the day’s wildest rounds, totaling four birdies and seven bogeys, while Stasium’s day was powered by an eagle on the par-5 third hole.

“I left some putts out there, I think I had four three-putts. But I’m still pleased,” said Stasium, who plays out of Val Halla Golf Course. “I felt like I got a better feel for the greens the last six, seven holes. … I think I got the speed down.”

Quinn, who won the event the last time it was held at Natanis in 2009, shook off what he said has been a sluggish summer to put himself in contention going into Wednesday.

“I played really well, given that I haven’t played well consistently this summer,” he said. “I was 3 under at one point on the back, but I gave them back. … (I felt) comfortable, no stress. I just went out and found my swing early.”

Related Headlines

Comments are not available on this story.