Speirs tied with 3 for lead at 70 Bouchard, Manoogian, Ellsworth at 1-under

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BANGOR – Birdies on three of the last four holes at Bangor Municipal Golf Course propelled defending champion Jesse Speirs into a share of the lead after Friday’s opening round of the 39th Whited Ford Paul Bunyan Amateur Golf Tournament.

The 16-year-old Speirs finished at 1-under-par 70 along with Jeff Bouchard of Hampden, Gary Manoogian of Westbrook, and Tom Ellsworth of Gorham.

Mike Norris of Newburgh, the 1999 Bunyan champ, was next at 71, with 2001 Bunyan titlist Ricky Jones of Rockland and a pair of Maine Amateur runner-ups, J.J. Frost (2002) of Brewer and Corey Poulin (2001) of Milford, heading a large group at 72.

The leader in Division B was Andy Wilcox of North Yarmouth with a 78 at Rockland Golf Club, and topping “C” was Mike Thibodeau with an 81 at Bar Harbor Golf Course in Trenton.

Play continues today with Div. A at Rockland, Div. B at Bar Harbor, and Div. C at Bangor. For Sunday’s final round, the A’s play Bar Harbor, the B’s are at Bangor, and the C’s at Rockland. The top 12 players are re-paired into the final four threesomes on Sunday.

Speirs’ three late birdies offset a triple-bogey 7 on the long, par-4 12th hole.

“It didn’t make me forget, but it helped even out the triple [bogey],” said Speirs.

Even was how Speirs started his round as he parred every hole on the front nine. He birdied No. 10 to go under par for the first time, but then came No. 12, which doglegs to the right.

“I hit my tee shot left on 12, lost it, and made 7 from there,” said Speirs.

His birdie on 15 earned back one stroke, he parred 16 when he left his birdie putt short, then boomed a drive of nearly 300 yards through a left-to-right crosswind on 17.

The pin was on the far right, halfway back, and required anyone on the right half of the hole to hit over a large bunker.

His approach shot landed on the green short of the pin but rolled near the fringe about 15 feet away. Speirs’ putt crept slowly downhill and turned left toward the hole. The ball hung on the right edge for a moment before falling – barely – to get back to even.

“I gave it just enough speed and it came in the back door,” said Speirs. “It’s nice when those go in.”

He reached the green on the par-5 18th in two. He had a chance to make an eagle, but the big-breaking putt slipped by on the right. He made the comebacker for the birdie and tied for the lead.

Bouchard was playing in the same group with Speirs, but neither really paid much attention to how the other was doing.

“I had no idea,” said Bouchard, 18. “I wasn’t even keeping track of my own score.”

The exception came on No. 12 when Bouchard saw Speirs go into the trees.

“That opened the door, but I didn’t take the opportunity like I could have,” said Bouchard, who owns a one-stroke victory over Speirs in the 2001 Junior Bunyan.

“I thought if I made birdie, I could pick up a few strokes on him,” said Bouchard.

He ran into troubles of his own, but he did pick up a couple of strokes with a bogey. He added birdies on 14 and 15 and led Speirs by two going into the final three holes, but Speirs’ last two birdies closed the gap.

Ellsworth had two birdies and two bogeys on the front, took another bogey on 11, and birdied 15 and 17 for his 70.

Manoogian didn’t par a hole until the No. 6, posting two birdies, two bogeys, and a double bogey before that. He added a bogey on 10, then played the last three holes in 3 under par to shoot 70.

Norris eagled the par-5 15th to get to get under par late in the round, but a bogey on the last hole dropped him a stroke behind the leaders.

Jones started fairly smoothly with a birdie on No. 9 offsetting a bogey on No. 2, but his par on No. 10 was his last of the round.

He bogeyed 11 and 12, then birdied the next four to sit a 2 under heading to the last two holes. He bogeyed 17 and double-bogeyed 18 to end 1 over.

Poulin, who was leading by six strokes after two rounds last year before being disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard, was 1 under par after a birdie on 10. He bogeyed 11 and 15 to fall back, though.

“I had really high expectations,” said Poulin, who had been buoyed by his play in a couple of recent practice rounds at Bangor.

He accepted it, though.

“It was pretty good considering how bad I hit it off the tee,” he said.

Frost bogeyed two holes on the front and never made a birdie until the last hole.

“I had six or seven birdie putts of about 10 to 12 feet. I just couldn’t take advantage,” said Frost.