ROCKLAND – Ricky Jones of Rockland and Jay Livingston of Hermon were teammates on the University of Maine golf team several years ago.

“We played at least two years together,” said Livingston. “He was the No. 1 player.”

Sunday, Jones was No. 1 again after winning the 37th R.H. Foster Energy/Mobil Paul Bunyan Amateur Golf Tournament by a stroke over Livingston and two strokes over second-round leader Mike Norris of Newburgh.

Jones charged home with birdies on three of the final six holes and posted a 4-under-par 66 for a three-day total of 2-under-par 210. Livingston shot a 69 for 211, and Norris had a 72 for 212.

Tom Caron of Bangor was fourth with 70-215, followed by Gary Manoogian (72) of Falmouth, defending champion Ryan Day (72) of Lamoine, and Greg Hanna (76) of Augusta at 218 and Jeff Wass of Rockland at 67-219.

Chad Scripture, playing out of Hermon Meadow, took Division B honors with 80-227 and John Cushman of Country View in Brooks was the Division C winner with 73-242.

The key to Jones’ charge was a birdie he didn’t make on No. 12, a short, downhill par-4 made even shorter because a temporary green was being used.

“I thought after 12 I had blown it,” said Jones, who knew he was a couple of strokes behind after he finished the first nine. “I was 10 yards short [of the green] with my drive. I tried to putt it instead of chip it.”

He made his par, but he wasn’t happy.

“I was nervous for the front nine, then anger took over,” he said. “Then I was in charge mode. I tried to take it as deep as I could.”

He birdied 13 from 15 feet, added another birdie on the par-5 15th, and drained a 25-foot birdie putt on 18.

“When I hit it, I didn’t know if it would make it to the hole,” said Jones, playing at his home club. “It was the right line, and it ended up trickling in.”

Then came the wait.

“After that [putt], everyone said I won,” said Jones. “Then I saw Jay birdied 17 and had a chance for birdie on 18.”

Livingston’s putt was almost a carbon copy of Jones’, just longer.

“I hit it exactly where I wanted it,” said Livingston. “I just wanted to hit it to the hole and give myself a chance.

“Five feet out I thought it was in. I thought I was going to the first hole for a playoff.”

Instead, the ball rimmed the cup on the right side and kept going.

Livingston, who started the day two strokes behind Norris and tied with Hanna and played with them in the final threesome, was surprised to be chasing someone other than a player in the lead group.

“I didn’t think anybody would come from behind,” said Livingston. “You don’t think of who you’re not playing with.”

Livingston figured if he could beat Norris, the 1999 Bunyan champ, it would be enough.

“I was gearing myself toward what Mike was doing,” said Livingston.

Norris was in trouble right from the opening drive.

“One swing. On the first hole,” said Norris.

The first hole is a par-5 with out-of-bounds on the left.

“I thought I hit it nice down the left side,” said Norris. “I pulled it a bit and the wind got it. It bounced left off the little hill there – it usually bounces right – and it was out by a couple of feet.”

Norris was disappointed.

“The driver let me down, big time,” said Norris. “And my chipping hasn’t been the best.”

Hanna was still in it until bogeys on 13, 15, and 16 ended his chances.

Jones considers the win “kind of special.”

“I just got back from Arizona in January after four years,” said Jones, who couldn’t play in Arizona because he was working 50-60 hours a week and it was too expensive in the prime winter months. “The only golf I played was in the Bunyan when I was back for vacation.

“Now I’m playing a lot. More than the three rounds of the Bunyan each year.

“That and it’s Father’s Day, and I’m a new father.”

He and his wife Christienne have an 8-month-old daughter, Chloe, and they moved back to Maine because they want her to go to school here.

“We said we would come back by the time she was 5,” said Jones. “Then the job opened up, and we came back earlier.”

Jones, 29, is the accounting manager at Fisher Engineering in Rockland, and he gets to play every day now. He gets out at 4 p.m. and is on the golf course at 4:30.

“I shot a couple of 65s this week [at Rockland],” said Jones. “I thought I had to shoot 65 today.”

Fortunately for him, 66 was enough.

Top finishers

Fr Sa Su Tot

Ricky Jones 74 70 66 210

Jay Livingston 70 72 69 211

Mike Norris 72 68 72 212

Tom Caron 73 72 70 215

Gary Manoogian 70 76 72 218

Ryan Day 74 72 72 218

Greg Hanna 71 71 76 218

Jeff Wass 81 71 67 219

Brian Bickford 76 74 71 221

Ralph Michaud 78 71 73 222

Alan Anderson 75 71 77 223

Michael St Thomas 75 72 76 223

Scott Stone 71 74 78