BOOTHBAY, ME (July 15, 2005) -- Corey Poulin, by virtue of seed, teed off first in the finals of the 2005 Maine Amateur Championship this afternoon. He's facing two-time defending champion Ricky Jones of Rockland. Please stay tuned for hole by hole descriptions, as well as running total results.
Ricky Jones misses a short birdie putt on the first hole, and both players end up with their routine pars. All square after one.
On the par 3 second hole, both players hit their tee shots over the green. Corey Poulin was able to recover with a par, while Jones made a bogey. Poulin, one up.
On hole 3, both players hit the ball to within about 100 yards of the green, Poulin in the fairway, Jones in the right rough. Jones hits to the front of the green with a front hole location, while Poulin is long. Jones makes par, while Poulin makes bogey, tie the match.
On the fourth tee shot, Ricky Jones blows one deep into the woods while Poulin hits his tee shot to about 100 yards from the green, just short of the hazard. Jones finds his ball, but may not have a shot to the green from where he is. Poulin hits his second shot to the front half of the green. Jones deliberates on club selection from the woods. He makes it out of the woods, but is still short of the green. Both players lie two, with Poulin on and Jones chipping. Jones' chip goes to the back fringe, leaving him with a 20-footer for par. Poulin leaves his first putt about six feet short. Jones is three feet past the hole on his first putt. Poulin's putt is just short, Jones makes his to keep it all square after three.
Jones' drive is huge on five, leaving him only about 60 yards from the green while Poulin has about 105 yards in. Poulin's second shot lands pin high and spins back to about 17 feet. Jones bounces his on from the rough to about 10 feet. Poulin makes his birdie putt, as does Jones All square after 5...
Jones' drive on the first par 5, the sixth hole, is just short of the fairway bunker while Poulin's is about 10 yards shorter, dead center of the fairway. Poulin hits his second shot to within 50 yards of the green, Jones -- after taking relief for a drainage area -- hits it just short of the left greenside bunker. Both players lie two. Jones chips to about 18 feet, while Poulin is close. Both players are putting for birdie. Poulin makes his birdie putt while Jones just misses. Poulin is one up.
On seven, Poulin leaves his ball short of the hole location, about 40 away under a ridge, while Jones is about 10 feet under the flag. Poulin makes a great putt, leaving it about three feet left of the hole. Jones leaves his putt about six inches short; Poulin concedes, then makes his three footer to stay up by one.
On the par four eighth, Poulin's drive is just over the hazard, in the left rough, while Jones finds the hazard, also on the left. Jones is forced to drop and hits his third shot short of the greenside bunker. Poulin's second shot is to the center of the green. Jones nearly chips in for his par, and Poulin concedes the next shot, then proceeds to two-putt for his par to go up two.
On the par five ninth, both players hit it to about 225, with Jones left center of the fairway with a a downhill lie. Jones will have to bend it around the corner while Poulin, on the right side, has a shot to the green. Poulin slices his second shot into the trees while Jones leaves himself in the center about 0 yards from the green. Jones spins his chip shot to about six feet while Poulin's shot out of the woods last short of the green. Poulin chips close, but Jones sinks his birdie. Poulin is one up.
Jones pulls his drive on 10 into the fescue, while Poulin is in the fairway. Jones has a pretty good lie, considering where he is. He hits it to about seven feet, in line for another birdie. Poulin also hits it tight, to about four feet, and he'll also be putting for birdie. Both players sink their birdie putts; Poulin remains one up...
The 11th hole drive finds Poulin in the rough, while Jones is in the fairway. Both players hit to the fringe on their second shots, Poulin long and Jones left. Poulin chunks a chip to about six feet, while Jones putts to about three feet. Poulin misses the par putt, while Jones sinks it to square the match...
Both players put their drives in the fairway on 12. Both players hit the green, Poulin about six feet away and Jones on the front edge. Jones just misses his putt while Poulin drains his to go back up one...
With the honors on 13, Poulin pulls it left to a side hill lie in the rough, while Jones is in the middle of the fairway, only about 60 yards from the green. Both players hit to the fringe, with Jones closer. Jones lips out his birdie putt while Poulin makes a great recovery to sink his birdie and go two up...
On 14, both players find the middle of the fairway. Both second shots find the front fringe, each gets up and down for par. Poulin's two up with four to go.
Poulin finds the green with his tee shot on the par 3 15th, while Jones misses in the rough, and proceeds to chunk his tee shot to about 12 feet and he fails to make the putt. Poulin's putt is 3 feet short, which he misses, also for bogey. He remains two up with three to go.
On 16, both players hit drives and reach in two. Jones has about eight feet for birdie while Poulin has about 10 feet downhill. Jones makes the birdie to pull back within one, heading to 17...
Jones hits it just over the bunker on the right while Poulin hits his tee shot on the par three to the back of the green, leaving him with another downhill putt. Jones' chip sneaks by the hole and rolls about eight feet past. Poulin's putt from the fringe hits the flagstick, tries to drop but doesn't and trickles by about two feet. Jones concedes the putt. He now must make it to force the match to the 18th hole...
Jones JUST misses and Poulin wins the match, 2 and 1...