Amateur Jones tops the pros Baker finishes second

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AUBURN – Ricky Jones of Thomaston wasn’t sure how he felt after becoming the second amateur in three years to win the Charlie’s Maine Open Golf Championship on Thursday.

“It’s difficult to put in perspective,” said Jones, who became only the fourth person to win both a Maine Amateur and a Maine Open.

That was the whole point of entering, though. Even if he was facing pros as well as amateurs.

“I just go out to play a tournament and win,” he said.

Most of the amateurs the two-time Maine Amateur champ had faced before, and the pro count was down because of competing tournaments.

“I figured no one really stood above the field,” Jones said.

Jones, the second round leader, rode a roller coaster round of golf to finish with a 3-over-par 75 Thursday at Fox Ridge Golf Club, good a three-day total of 216 and a one-stroke victory over Mike Baker of Glen, N.H. Baker shot a 74 for a 217 total and earned the top cash prize of $6,500.

He was followed by Rich Parker of Lebanon, N.H., who shot a 76 Thursday for a 218 total. Next at 219 were John Connelly (75) of Oregon, Ohio, and Michael Ryan (71) of North Providence, R.I.

John Hickson (70) of Litchfield and first-round co-leader Rob Corcoran (73) of Melbourne, Fla., tied for sixth at 221.

Parker, who was playing in the last group with Jones and Baker, didn’t realize Jones was leading until he was talking with Baker in the middle of the 18th fairway.

“We were all playing so bad, I thought somebody like Connelly was leading,” said Parker, the 1988 Greater Bangor Open champion and 2000 Maine Open runner-up.

“I had no idea Jones was leading – and I had his card,” added Parker.

It was an understandable error considering the uneven play of all three competitors.

Jones bogeyed four straight holes starting with No. 3. He made the turn at 3 over and played the back even with one birdie and one bogey.

Baker offset two birdies on the front with a double bogey on No. 5, then bogeyed 11 and 12 on the back.

“The fifth hole, that was painful,” said Baker of the long par 3 that has a green that sticks out into a pond. And he didn’t even hit it in the water.

Several of his birdie attempts just missed on one side or the other, and he had a big spinout on a birdie try on 14.

“They looked good when I looked up,” said Baker. “I would’ve thought that some would’ve gone in. I only needed one.”

Putting was the problem for Parker as well.

“I kept misreading my long putts. It finally got to me (on 16),” said Parker, who rapped his 18-foot putt 2 feet past the hole, then missed the comebacker and made bogey.

Parker was still only two strokes behind at that point, but he didn’t know it.

“I was so consumed with my own game, I had no idea I was still in the tournament,” Parker said.

Jones pretty much closed everyone out with a birdie on 17, but he almost blew it, too.

After his drive, he had nearly 260 yards uphill to the green. He hit 5-wood about 5 yards short of the green.

The cup was cut about 15 feet in from the front and on a left-draining slope. He decided to chip on instead of putting it, even though he said he had been putting well all day.

“I thought it was easier to chip it over the fringe. I didn’t want to leave it short,” said Jones, who pointed out that he had done that once already.

He hit it too firm and rolled it about 12 feet past the hole.

“I thought it was an easy bird,” said Jones. “I guess I was pumped up and hit it too hard.”

Jones curled in the birdie putt, though, to hold the lead by himself for the first time since he bogeyed the third hole.

At that point, he was one ahead of Baker and two up on Parker.

On the final hole, which involves an approach shot over a pond, Jones put his second up against the collar on the right back side of the green. Parker went all the way back left, and Baker was sitting about 18 feet right of the cup and slightly beyond it.

Jones didn’t get a solid hit on his first putt and left it 6 feet short of the hole. Parker’s birdie try for a possible tie missed by a couple of inches on the left, and Baker’s birdie try slid by on the right.

That left Jones facing his downhill putt to ensure the win.

He rolled it smooth and straight into the cup.

“When I hit the first one, I knew it was on line and straight,” said Jones. So he just hit the second one on the same line.

The putt was also important to Baker, who was left with a 3-footer back up the hill for par and first-place money.

“Ricky made my putt easier,” said Baker. “I hadn’t made anything over 3 feet all day. My hands were shaking, but I knew it was straight in.”

He made it, and it would be reflected in his check.

“I figure that putt saved me about $2,300,” said Baker with a smile.

Jones was happy, too.

“That was fun. I enjoyed it,” said Jones of his round.

As long as he didn’t have to hit that last 6-foot putt again.

“I’m still sweating over that last putt,” he said.