Jones swings into a groove, moves into lead at Maine Open

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AUBURN – Ricky Jones of Thomaston feels his golf swing is finally starting to come around, and it couldn’t come at a better time.

“It felt like I finally got it going,” said Jones on Wednesday after playing his fifth tournament round in as many days.

Jones pulled into the lead of the 88th Maine Open Golf Championship by shooting his second straight below-par round, a 71, at Fox Ridge Golf Club. Jones’ two-day total of 141 leads Rich Parker of Lebanon, N.H., by a stroke and first-round co-leader Mike Baker of Glen, N.H., by two. Parker posted a 67 Wednesday for his 142, and Baker followed his opening-round 69 with a 74 for 143.

John Connelly of Oregon, Ohio, who tied for second last year, shot a 70 to move into fourth at even-par 144, and Sean Gorgone (72 Wednesday) of Casselberry, Fla., is fifth at 145.

Maine Amateur champ Shawn Warren (74) of Windham is tied for fifth at 147 with William Ladd II (72) of Oquossoc.

First-round co-leader Rob Corcoran of Melbourne, Fla., was 10 strokes higher in the second round with a 79 to head the group at 148.

The pro cut for today’s 18-hole finale came at 159, while the amateur cut was 161.

Jones, a two-time Maine Amateur champ and three-time Paul Bunyan Amateur winner, is coming off a seventh-place finish in the Barrett East Coast Amateur Tournament in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. That three-day tournament ended Monday, followed by about a 180-mile drive home.

“I got home at 8 p.m. Monday night,” said Jones with a smile. “Then I was up at 4 to get here (for a 7:30 a.m. tee time Tuesday).”

While that travel itinerary might not sound like fun, Jones felt just the opposite.

“I was actually excited about it. Seven days off from work. I was all excited on Thursday,” he said with another, even bigger, smile.

The big advantage for him may have been grooving his swing.

“Once you play those three or four rounds in a row, you get your swing going,” said Jones, “Then, it’s just a matter of making putts.”

Going from one tournament straight into another with a grooved swing may have also provided another benefit.

“It seems like every tournament I get a bad first round,” said Jones, but he was able to halt that streak with his 70 Tuesday.

Also, the Algonquin Golf Club, where the Barrett is played, and Fox Ridge have some similar playing characteristics.

“You’re playing two courses that test your game,” he said. “You get penalized for an errant shot.”

Jones hasn’t had many errant shots over the first two rounds. He missed two fairways Tuesday and made birdie both times, and he played 33 holes before making his first bogey, on the par-3 16th hole.

He followed that with an eagle on the 543-yard, par-5 17th – running up a 5-wood approach shot to 18 feet and draining the putt – but finished with another bogey on 18. His only birdie Wednesday came on No. 11.

He thought he could have been better, of course.

“I’m hitting the ball good. I figure the course owes me a few putts,” said Jones.

Parker started putting better Wednesday and that made his round, which is now the club’s best score from the back tees.

“That was one of the best tournament rounds of golf I’ve ever played,” said Parker, who had no idea that a 67 was in his immediate future.

“Today, I was never comfortable with my swing,” said Parker, who was runner-up in the Maine Open in 2000 and winner of the Greater Bangor Open in 1988. “If I had putted like this (Tuesday), I would have had the same score as today.”

Parker started fast with a birdie on the first hole, birdied the par-3 fifth, and made his third bird on No. 7.

Parker amazed himself with the birdie putt on No. 5, which has the peninsular green surrounded by water on three sides.

“That was a bomb,” exclaimed Parker. “That had to be a 40-footer.”

On the back, he birdied 10, 11, and 13 but bogeyed 16 to fall back to 5 under.

“My goal was to play the front nine even,” said Parker. “When I made the turn 3 under, I was in bonus city.”

Baker also birdied the first hole, but he bogeyed No. 6 to make the turn even. He got under par again with a birdie on 11, then suffered a double-bogey 5 on the 126-yard, downhill 13th and bogeyed 17.

“Thirteen, that’s what killed my round,” said Baker. “It was a hard sand wedge [tee shot] and I make double bogey on that little bitty hole.”