Plummer opens Amateur defense today Spector puts NEWGA crown on line

Mark Plummer of Manchester and Abby Spector of Waterville open defense of two of their golf championships today.

Plummer will try to hold on to his Maine Amateur Golf Championship at Falmouth Country Club as he and 125 challengers compete over two days of medal play to decide the 16 qualifiers for two days of match play.

Spector will be vying with more than 110 women in the New England Women’s Golf Association Championship at Portsmouth Country Club in Portsmouth, N.H. That tournament covers three days of stroke play.

“I’m looking forward to it,” said Plummer, a 12-time winner of the Maine Amateur. “If it goes the same, it’s all right with me, as long as the result is the same.”

Plummer was pushed to two extra holes by Corey Poulin of Jackman, who is also back.

Poulin gave Plummer all he could want in a challenger “and then some,” said Plummer, whose victory came at his home course of Augusta Country Club in Manchester.

Several players are capable of dethroning him, according to Plummer.

Ricky Jones of Rockland and Al Bouchard of Falmouth were two he cited specifically, along with Poulin.

“[Jones] can hit the ball a long ways and he’s a good player,” said Plummer of the 2001 Paul Bunyan Amateur Golf Tournament champion.

Bouchard is a member at Falmouth.

“I think he’s been playing pretty good,” said Plummer. Bouchard is also a past Bunyan champ.

Plummer points to the greens as being the deciding factor in this year’s tournament.

“They have pretty severe undulations and they’re normally fairly firm,” said Plummer.

Spector is looking forward to defending.

“It’s definitely a different feeling,” said Spector.

She thinks it might be easier to win this year than last year, though.

“In my experience, it’s easier to defend than win for the first time,” she said.

Spector has been working hard on her game recently, preparing for this event, although it doesn’t go to hours on end.

“I try to have quality rather than quantity practice,” she said. “I’ve been working on my swing fundamentals, putting, too.

“I’m trying to get everything tuned up.”

Spector’s challengers will include Mainers Tiffany Shoppe and Alyssa Hayes, and 2001 runner-ups Natalie Galligan of Massachusetts and Haley Gildea of Rhode Island.