ROCKLAND – A lesson from an old pro helped Ricky Jones of Thomaston win his second Whited Ford Paul Bunyan Amateur Golf Tournament title Sunday.

Jones, who also won this title in 2001, fired a 1-over-par 71 at Rockland Golf Club on Sunday to finish the 40th edition of the three-day event at even-par 212, five strokes ahead Joe Alvarez of Holden and Corey Poulin of Milford and six up on Mike Norris of Newburgh.

Poulin and Norris each shot 75 Sunday. Alvarez shot 70.

Jeff Wass finished with a 221 for fourth place and Toby Spector’s 223 was good enough for fifth. James Frost Jr. shot a 226 to finish sixth, followed by Joseph Finemore and Adam Smith, who were tied at 227. Robert Driscoll of Greene was low net with 206.

Eric Hutchins of Penobscot shot a 236 to lead Division B, while Philip Doherty of Rockport took B net with 201. Steve Norton of Bucksport’s 250 was the top Division C gross score and Dennis Demmons of Hermon was low C net at 203.

Jones’ mood was downbeat after Friday’s round at Bar Harbor GC in Trenton, saying that he was struggling with a duck hook.

On his way home, he stopped in to see Peter Hodgkins, the pro at Northport Golf Club.

“I was dropping the club at the top [of the backswing],” said Jones. “Pete saw it and fixed it in about five minutes.”

After that, Jones felt fine.

“At Bangor, especially, everything was right down the middle,” said Jones, who posted a 4-under-par 67 at Bangor Municipal GC on Saturday to jump into the lead after two rounds.

“My whole goal at Bangor was to shoot good enough to be in the lead or near it,” said Jones. He admitted that he might have preferred trailing.

“For some reason I play better from behind,” he said. “I can be more aggressive.”

With the lead and playing at his home course, he was more conservative.

“For some reason I felt like I was playing not to lose all day,” Jones said.

Poulin and Norris were definitely playing to win, but their style of play is hurt by windy conditions, exactly what happened Sunday.

“The wind was a big factor,” said Jones. “My swing is tailored for here. I hit it kind of low.”

Poulin was tied with Jones twice Sunday. The first came on the 136-yard, par-3 fifth hole when Poulin’s 15-foot birdie putt just fell in. Jones made bogey and the two were tied. Norris also bogeyed and was two back.

Jones regained the lead with a birdie on the seventh hole, but fell back into a tie with Poulin with a bogey on No. 9.

Norris, who won the ’99 Bunyan, made a double-bogey six on the eighth hole when his approach shot from 100 yards squirted way right of the green and under a tree.

“When I pulled the trigger, it went right off the hosel,” said Norris, who felt he had to try to make up for it right away.

“I tried to press a little bit and my swing broke down in the short game toward the middle [of the round],” said Norris.

He also bogeyed No. 9 and added another bogey on 10.

“When I bogeyed 10, I knew I had to do something,” said Norris. He tried to get a stroke back with a birdie on the 282-yard, downhill par-4 12th, but it didn’t work.

“I chunked my chip shot on 12,” said Norris. “It was an easy bird and I ended up making bogey.”

Jones had regained the lead for good with a par on 10 while Poulin made bogey, then padded his lead by a stroke on 14 and another on 15.

“On 16, with a three-shot lead, I figured if I parred in, it would be tough for [Poulin] to catch up,” said Jones.

Jones hit driver on the hole down the right side of the fairway. Poulin also opted to use driver but hit out of bounds on the left.

“That was a bad choice,” said Poulin.

“I took myself out when I saw Ricky hit driver on 16,” added Poulin. “It took me out of my game plan.”

Two years ago, Poulin was leading the Bunyan but six strokes after two days, but he was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard.

He tried not to think about that Sunday, but it was not to be.

“Quite a few people mentioned it to me,” he said. “But my time will come.”

“You live, you learn,” Poulin said. “You learn one big thing every year, I guess.”

Jones can vouch for that.