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BOOTHBAY – Joe Alvarez of Bangor has advanced past the first round of match play in the Maine Amateur Golf Championship for the first time in three tries, so he has an excuse if it looks like he’s still working on his strategy.
After eliminating No. 1 seed Shawn Warren of Windham 2 and 1 in Thursday morning’s Round of 16, Alvarez posted a 4 and 3 win over Eric Higgins of Kennebunk in the afternoon quarterfinals at Boothbay Country Club.
Alvarez was 5 up after 11 holes, but Higgins kept the match going by winning the next two holes and halving 14.
“I was trying to knock [the ball close], get it over with, and I overdid it,” said Alvarez.
He knows better.
“Even par is a good number on this course right now, and that’s the way to play,” he said.
A case in point was 15 as he sank a 21/2-foot putt for par to oust Higgins.
Two-time defending champion Ricky Jones of Thomaston, Corey Poulin of Skowhegan, and Todd Kirn of Kennebunkport also won two matches Thursday to advance to this morning’s semifinals starting at 7:30.
The championship match between the morning winners will be this afternoon.
Jones defeated Marc Siewertsen of Falmouth 1 up Thursday morning and Scott Dewitt 2 and 1 in the afternoon. Poulin nipped Nate Nealey of Gorham 1 up and J.J. Frost of Brewer 2 and 1. Kirn downed Bob Adams, who plays out of The Ledges in York, 4 and 3, then edged Blake Eldridge of Winthrop 1 up.
In the other morning matches, Frost rolled over Tom Bean of Augusta Country Club 7 and 6, Eldridge topped Jason Gall of Augusta 3 and 2, Dewitt defeated Scott Stone of Toddy Brook in Yarmouth 2 and 1, and Higgins nipped Jeff Wass of Rockland 1 up.
Alvarez had to pull a rabbit out of his hat to beat Warren in the morning. Warren had five birdies on the front and was 3 up with eight to play, but Alvarez hung in, birdied 11, 13, and 14, evened the match and finished it on 17.
“My putter started to come alive, and it wasn’t on the front,” said Alvarez.
“Fourteen was about a 20-, 25-footer uphill,” said Alvarez. “He was 5 feet behind me on the same line, and I got a little bit of a read off it.”
On the next hole, he drained a 15-footer. Two holes later it was all over.
“I just had to stay focused and come back and that’s what I did,” said Alvarez. “My ball-striking was better today than it has been, and that’s a good sign for me.”
Dewitt made six birdies in his match against Jones.
“He was draining putts from everywhere,” said Jones.
But they weren’t enough.
“I seem to come through somehow when the pressure is on,” said Jones, who made four birdies of his own.
Jones came close to missing the afternoon round when his 3-up lead against Siewertsen evaporated. He sank a 13-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to pull out the victory.
“I can’t play this course no matter how hard I try,” said Jones, smiling, after that match. “I’m always on the wrong side of something.”
Poulin won the first hole against Frost and stayed ahead the rest of the round, but the lead was never more than two holes.
Poulin was 1 up when they reached the 17th tee, where Frost suffered an unfortunate calamity when his pitching wedge snapped on the tee shot for that 135-yard downhill par 3.
The ball dropped in the bunker short of the green, leaving Frost to blast up to the green, which was well above his head. The green actually slopes downward from front to back, making it difficult to get close to the pin.
“I hit it 25 feet past,” said Frost.
“I wanted to get to 18 where I could reach it in two,” added Frost of the 545-yard par 5. “I wanted to make him make birdie to halve [and send the match to a playoff].”
He never got the chance as Poulin drained a 15-foot uphill putt for par on 17 to eliminate Frost.
“Coming in I made some clutch putts,” said Poulin.
He’ll be looking to make more today when he takes on Alvarez in the morning.
“Definitely the key [Friday] is putting because we’ll both be hitting it close,” said Poulin. “It’ll be birdies that win holes, not bogeys.”
The Kirn-Eldridge match went down to the wire after Eldridge sank a 50-foot putt to win 17 and even the match.
Kirn turned it right around on 18 when he holed out a 40-yard pitch shot from the left rough for eagle. Eldridge’s 35-foot putt to tie came up short.
Kirn will take on Jones in the other semifinal.
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