FALMOUTH — Golfers are superstitious, at times to a fault.

Mike Doran’s hunch turned into the best round he’s ever carded in the Maine Amateur, and that round was good enough for the first-round lead on Tuesday.

Using the same Srixon ball he used to carve out a bogey-free 67 at Lakewood Golf Course last weekend at a weekly Maine State Golf Association weekly tourney, Doran rebounded from a 1-over-par 36 on the front nine with three birdies on the back to post a 2-under 68, wresting the lead from defending champion Ryan Gay and one of last year’s runners-up, Jason Gall.

Doran, who is also the junior coordinator for the Maine State Golf Association, normally uses a different ball each time he plays, but had a feeling Tuesday after he found his old ball in his bag.

“Golfers are eerily superstitious,” Doran said. “I found this in my bag today and thought it might still have the same mojo, so I gave it a whirl. Usually I play a new ball, but, like I said, we’re superstitious.”

Ignorance also proved bliss for Doran, who’d barely played at Portland Country Club before this week. He knew enough, though, to make sure he kept his ball in play, and in the right position.

Doran’s lone bogey, on the par-5 sixth hole, appeared to inspire him. Through the remainder of his front nine and onto the back, his wedge play was terrific, allowing him to throw down birdies on the 10th and 12th holes, and stay within par range on other holes.

“From eight through twelve, everything was inside of five feet,” Doran said. “I made two of them, but I still made them, and the rest of them were pars.”

Doran posted his 68 less than 10 minutes after Gall, who led last year until the final round, posted a 69 to pull even with Ryan Gay. Gall’s round was up and down, featuring four consecutive bogeys to open the round, and four birdies in a row through the middle part of the round. He made a birdie on the short par-5 16th hole to drop to 1-under.

“I felt like I didn’t have it (after four early bogeys),” Gall said. “I made a couple pars and then had four birdies in a row. It was a great run.”

Gay, meanwhile, is bidding to become the event’s first back-to-back champion since Rocky Jones won in 2003 and 2004. He was out in the day’s first group as the defending champ, and carded a 69, which held as the outright lead until Gall came in some five hours later.

“I just come out and try to make as many birdies as possible,” Gay said. “Hit good shots, that usually does the trick.”

Gay was 3-under after birdies at 15 and 16, but gave a pair of strokes back with bogeys on 17 and 18.

“It’s all about the greens out here,” Gay said. “You have to drive the ball well to give yourself a chance to be on the right part of the green.”

Brian Bilodeau of Martindale Country Club in Auburn, who finished alone in 11th position last year at Kebo Valley in Bar Harbor, had a solid round as well, carding a 1-over 71 to trail Doran by only three.

“I didn’t hit the ball bad, just a couple of putts got away from me,” Bilodeau said. “You get above the hole here, you’re in trouble. You have to be defensive out there.”

Sandwiched between Bilodeau, who is tied for sixth place with Seth Sweet of Madison after one round, and Gall and Gay, who are tied for second, are J.J. Harris and Kent St. Charles, who posted even-par rounds of 70.

Jones and 13-time champion Mark Plummer played early in the day, and each posted a 74 to sit six back of Doran. Another former champion, Ron Brown, who calls Portland Country Club his home, came in at 77.

Other area golfers on the board include Andrew Slattery (Fox Ridge) at 73, Joe Manganaro (Martindale) at 74, Joe Baker (Norway) at 75, Dave Kroll (Fox Ridge) at 77, Andrew Stonehouse (Martindale) at 81, Bob Langlois (Fox Ridge) at 81, Larry Ross (Poland Spring) at 83, Matt Simard (Fox Ridge) at 83, Perry Goodspeed (Fox Ridge) at 85, Mark Laliberte (Poland Spring) at 86, Matthew Gallagher (Martindale) at 86 and Kyle Anderson (Poland Spring) at 89.