Poulin’s 68 leads 1st round Livingston in chase for tourney title

ROCKLAND – Jay Livingston of Hermon finished tied for fourth after the first round of the 38th R.H. Foster/Mobile Paul Bunyan Amateur Golf Tournament and has put himself in position again to win the event.

Livingston, who had thought he had gained control of the lead last year only to find he was a couple of strokes behind eventual winner Ricky Jones of Rockland, turned in a 2-over-par 72 Friday at the same Rockland Golf Club where he finished last year’s event.

Corey Poulin of Jackman, runner-up in the 2001 Maine Amateur Golf Championship, posted a 2-under-par 68 to take a two-stroke lead over Joe Alvarez of Veazie and Rick Sinclair of Hermon.

Poulin and Alvarez both competed in Division A at Rockland. Sinclair, playing in Division B, shot his 70 at Bar Harbor Golf Club in Trenton.

Tied for fourth with Livingston are Greg Hanna and his father, Glenn, of Augusta, and Tom Bean of Kennebunk. Three-time winner Bob Girvan II of Kenduskeag, Alan Anderson of Bangor, and James Frost Jr. of Calais are tied at 73, and defending champion Jones heads a large group at 74.

Livingston would have preferred a better score – as would every other golfer – but he likes his position.

“I’d rather be behind at this point,” said Livingston. “I feel more comfortable in that position.

“I get an inner strength, a feeling of confidence. Any guy who is a competitor, I believe, feels the same way, but I know I’d rather be in that position.”

When you’re behind, according to Livingston, you know what you have to do.

“I definitely like knowing where I stand,” said Livingston. “It helps keep me focused.”

The trouble Livingston – and many of the “A” players had – was a fog that rolled in early and stayed until early evening.

“Probably the most difficult thing was not being able to see the target,” said Livingston.

As an example, the green on the 220-yard, par-3 ninth hole could barely be seen and the pin was nearly invisible. Estimating yardages was difficult.

“I was always unsure of my club selection,” said Livingston. “Fog probably adds 2-3 shots a round. Corey shooting 68, that’s impressive.

“The only time I felt comfortable was on the tee. I hit driver in the fairway three-quarters of the time.”

While fog is not unusual at Rockland, the timing was, according to Jeff Wass of Rockland, who has played at the club for 17 years and shot 75 Friday.

“Never, never,” said Wass when asked if he had seen fog this late in the day before. “Only in the morning. Usually it’s windy [which it wasn’t Friday].”

The weather at the other two courses – Bangor Municipal Golf Course is the third – was sunny and warm compared to Rockland’s foggy and cold.

“We’re just in our own little zone down here,” said Wass, chuckling.

Livingston parred the first four holes, bogeyed the par-3 fifth, parred No. 6, and got back to even with a birdie on 7. A bogey on 8 dropped him back to 1 over par, but he made three straight pars on the three consecutive par-3s, Nos. 9, 10, and 11.

“Any time you go par-par-par on those three, you gain a stroke on the field,” said Livingston.

He parred the next three before three-putting for bogey on the 598-yard, par-5 15th. He birdied 17, but then bogeyed 18 for his 72.

Poulin birdied 2 and 5, but bogeyed 6 to turn at 1 under. On the back, he birdied 16 and parred the rest.

Alvarez, named an NAIA All-American golfer for his performance with the Husson College team at the NAIA men’s championship last month, birdied 2, 4, and 6 on the front, but bogeyed 3 and 9. After the turn, he bogeyed 11 and 12 and birdied 17.

Livingston thinks he has a good chance to catch them, especially if the weather is bad as predicted. Division A plays Bar Harbor Golf Club today and finishes at Bangor Sunday.

“I played really well at Trenton last year, and I’m hoping for the same this year,” said Livingston. “I’m a mudder, a patient player. That lends itself to playing in bad conditions.”

Division B moves to Bangor today and finishes at Rockland Sunday, and Division C is at Rockland today and finishes at Bar Harbor.