ORONO – Chipper doesn’t quite describe Ricky Jones’ mood Sunday, but it does describe what held his game together Sunday en route to winning the 43rd Whited Ford Paul Bunyan Amateur Golf Tournament.
“Chipping was the only thing I did right,” said Jones, who posted a 1-over-par 73 at Penobscot Valley Country Club in Orono for a three-day total of 4-over-par 216.
In winning his fourth Bunyan, Jones finished four strokes ahead of Ross McGee of Fairfield and Joe Alvarez of Hampden. McGee shot a 74 Sunday for his 220, while Alvarez fired a 69.
Adam Duplisea, playing out of Bangor Municipal Golf Course, finished fourth with 77 for 226. Steve Lycette of Westbrook (80) and Tom Ellsworth (78) tied for fifth at 227.
Joseph Alexander III of Winterport topped Division B with a 78 at Rockland for 234, and Pete Webb of Hermon Meadow Golf Club won Division C after shooting 88 at Kebo Valley Golf Club in Bar Harbor for 256.
Lycette, who played in the final group with Jones and McGee, marveled at Jones’ chipping prowess.
“I see now why he’s been champion. I’m learning a lot from him [about chipping],” said Lycette, a Bangor native who used to be a pro for six years.
“He’s probably one of the best chippers I’ve ever seen,” said McGee, who realized his title hopes were pretty much over after a particular chip.
“When he chipped in on 15, I figured at that point … it was pretty much smooth sailing [for Jones],” said McGee.
The 30-yard chip-in for birdie on the par-5 15th probably saved Jones emotionally as much as it did his score. He was frustrated by his first three strokes on the 465-yard hole.
“I thought from the [2004 Maine] Amateur that I could hit 3-wood [off the tee] and be over the bunkers,” said Jones.
Instead, he had a severe sidehill lie in the grass just before the second bunker. Jones had to stand in the bunker to get a swing at it.
He tried to hit it hard to get to the fairway, but it slammed into the upslope at the back of the bunker and popped out into the heavy rough, still nearly 200 yards from the green.
“I was frustrated I was in the rough again,” he said.
His next shot ended up in the fairway on the left side about 20 yards short of the green.
Jones’ chip ran beyond the pin but curled to the right and came back down the green slowly until dropping in. McGee, who was four back, and Lycette also made birdies but lost opportunities to make up any ground on Jones.
McGee parred No. 16 to cut Jones’ lead to three, but they all birdied 17, and Jones’ bogey on the final hole was good enough to secure the title.
Jones, who played the front nine even par, was baffled about what happened on the back.
“I couldn’t tell what it was,” he said. “I thought I was hitting it good, then it all went south.”
It started with his drive on the 501-yard, par-5 10th when he hit it a little thin and pulled it into the left rough. His shot from there went about 10 yards, maybe.
His third shot landed in the fairway but rolled into the rough again.
“I started coming over the top,” he said, “and I couldn’t stop it.”
Swing and putting trouble afflicted Lycette as well. He started the day four strokes back but never could get closer.
“If I could have made a couple of birdie putts early, I think I would have been in it,” said Lycette. “Once I three-putted, that put pressure on me and I started overswinging.”
“I hit it pretty well all day,” said McGee, whose goal was to make four or five birdies.
He made five, but he also had three bogeys and two double bogeys.
“It’s hard to shoot under par with two double bogeys,” he said.
Alvarez, who started eight strokes behind Jones, didn’t think he had much of a chance to catch him.
“I figured for me to even have a chance, I would have to have some help from Ricky and shoot 67,” said Alvarez.
“Ricky didn’t help me and I would have had to shoot 65,” he added.
Final round scores for Bunyan tournament
DIVISION A
Jones, Ricky 70 73 73 216
McGee, Ross 70 76 74 220
Alvarez, Joseph 75 76 69 220
Duplisea, Adam 72 77 77 226
Lycette, Steve 71 76 80 227
Ellsworth, Tom 73 76 78 227
Buteau, Tobey 74 74 81 229
Caron, Tom 75 77 77 229
Barnicle, Scott 73 81 75 229
Estabrook, Ben 76 78 75 229
Salfi, Kent 76 77 77 230
Dalfonso, Daniel 78 77 76 231
Hawley, Ray 74 81 77 232
Reading, Jim 76 77 81 234
Glidden, Jerry 77 78 79 234
Sankey, Chris 80 80 74 234
Downing, John 78 77 80 235
Worster, Dana 81 78 76 235
Tibbetts, Ronald 78 76 82 236
Harvey, Jason 77 86 73 236
Wass, Jeff 74 82 82 238
Wohl, Brandon 78 78 82 238
Norton, Philip 77 78 84 239
Reading, Brian 77 78 84 239
St. Thomas, Mike 74 81 84 239
Dery, Ronald 77 79 83 239
Kus, Tom 78 85 76 239
Bouchard, John 76 82 83 241
McFarlane, Alex 75 83 83 241
McFarlane, Jim 74 81 87 242
O’Brien, Michael 78 77 87 242
Burrell, Jay 81 79 82 242
Chambers, Dave 79 83 80 242
Fray, Thomas 77 85 80 242
Allen, Butch 79 81 83 243
McGuire, Michael 76 88 79 243
Spaulding, Mitch 78 74 92 244
Guyer, Mark 84 73 87 244
Gray Jr., Vance 81 83 80 244
Jacobsen, George 76 82 87 245
Burt, Jack 78 84 83 245
Hobart, Barry 83 81 81 245
Garland, Scott 82 83 80 245
Plourde, Dave 82 77 87 246
Welch III, Donald 77 84 86 247
Self, Doug 84 83 80 247
Haskell, Tom 84 78 86 248
Eastabrook, Tim 76 87 85 248
Fitch, Erik 84 82 82 248
Kelley, Richard 87 83 79 249
Wilbur, Brent 84 86 79 249
Duplisea, Dale 81 80 89 250
Boucher, Chris 81 85 84 250
Lyons, Neil 84 83 84 251
Manganello, Ed 75 87 90 252
Kirby, Sean 82 85 85 252
Wilkens, Brad 83 84 85 252
Catell, Casey 84 84 85 253
Hurley, Walter 81 82 91 254
Wiseman, Cash 82 79 94 255
Hotham, Dan 84 84 87 255
Hanscom, Ken 85 85 85 255
Kimball, John 89 80 87 256
Hutchins, Eric O. 82 90 86 258
Lee, Brian 79 86 94 259
Altvater, Mark E. 86 89 84 259
Fasulo, Fred 80 90 90 260
Kenney, Tim 87 85 88 260
Johnson, Brian 87 91 85 263
Robichaud, Andy 89 89 87 265
Laroche, Pat 87 93 94 274
Wyatt, Matt 87 95 92 274
Pearson, Chris 94 85 97 276
Smith, Richard 94 90 100 284
Arms, Travis 91 88 107 286
Missel, Jerome wd wd wd 0
Winchester, Nick wd wd wd 0
Royal, John 78 wd wd 78
Winchester, Lon 83 wd wd 83
Freeman, Dustin 79 79 wd 158
Hall, Dennis 80 83 163
Curtis, Mark 84 86 nc 170
Nichols, Paul J. 85 86 171
Bednar, Mike 86 86 wd 172
DIVISION B
Alexander III, Joe 75 81 78 234
Stewart Jr., Will 86 84 74 244
Greer, Jim 82 81 84 247
Benner, Arnold 81 83 83 247
Ireland, Gregory 84 83 83 250
Backman, Ralph 80 86 85 251
Howard Jr., Emery 84 85 82 251
Vanidestine, Jeff 83 86 82 251
Goodwin, Mike 82 88 81 251
Albert, John 85 83 85 253
Corriveau, Dan 85 86 82 253
Moreau, Roger 90 83 81 254
Townsend, Terrie 84 85 86 255
Williams, Andrew 82 88 85 255
Fancy, Brett 88 85 83 256
Smith, Duane 90 85 81 256
Callicoat, Larry 88 80 89 257
Hayward, Rick 86 83 88 257
Davis, Robert 84 89 84 257
Dephillipo, Ed 82 86 90 258
McKay, Kevin 89 84 85 258
Roach, Timothy 83 89 87 259
St. Pierre, Marc 89 92 78 259
Leavitt, James 89 86 85 260
Fowle, Eric 86 92 82 260
Owen, Bucky 87 89 86 262
Trafford Jr., Tom 90 86 87 263
Richards, Chris 92 88 83 263
Hardy, Jonathan 90 87 87 264
Tweedie, Gregg 88 89 87 264
York, Donovan 85 96 83 264
Pellitier, Bruce 88 86 91 265
Treadwell, Brian 86 91 89 266
Merrill, Tom 85 87 95 267
Doucette, Norman 85 93 89 267
Rowe, Gary 91 91 86 268
Doherty, Philip 99 85 84 268
Kneeland, Otis 95 84 90 269
Clukey, Scott 89 91 89 269
Cough, John 94 89 86 269
Bragdon, Wayne L. 89 92 89 270
Meo, Edward 98 85 87 270
Annas, Bill 91 96 83 270
Fahey, Jim 88 88 95 271
Bannister, John R. 89 89 93 271
Jameson, Chuck 91 87 93 271
Starr, Chuck 87 92 92 271
Gregory, Kevin 96 87 89 272
Poirer, Carl 97 86 89 272
Gilman, Matthew 91 97 85 273
Dagley, Bill 86 104 84 274
Robinson, Dave 87 98 91 276
Guida, Andy 92 95 89 276
Chipman, David 98 92 86 276
Rowe, Donald 90 99 89 278
Fortin, Tom 94 95 90 279
Clark Jr., Norman 100 90 89 279
McDonald, Tom 94 91 95 280
Barnicle, John 92 96 92 280
Hinton, Charles 94 95 91 280
Ciley, Stanley M. 99 93 88 280
Chambers, Doug 98 98 85 281
Wetmore, Britt 91 92 99 282
Mogan, Mike 90 95 97 282
Welch III, Ben 91 96 95 282
Doucette, Mer 96 92 94 282
Hopkins, Terry 95 97 91 283
Trafford , Thomas 92 100 93 285
Pickering, Chris 100 93 93 286
Kotredes, John 100 94 92 286
Lincoln, Chris 89 101 97 287
Driscoll, James 96 95 96 287
Bourgoin, Gerry 97 98 92 287
Ripley, Edward 89 101 101 291
Throckmorton, T 96 94 101 291
Wiswell, Dan 98 98 95 291
Benner, Darrell A. 93 100 105 298
Smith, Robert 95 101 102 298
Smith, Clinton 104 99 97 300
Cull, Wade 95 110 97 302
Albert, Tom 110 104 104 318
Theriault, Terry 92 NC NC 92
Urquhart, Glynn 86 87 NC 173
Brooks, Jason 90 85 NC 175
Davies, Bruce 93 95 WD 188
Tracy, Bob 107 98 NC 205
DIVISION C
Webb, Pete 86 82 88 256
Sudsbury, Steve 96 74 87 257
Rollins, Joe 89 82 89 260
Buie, Chandler 94 86 81 261
Gray, Alan W. 83 88 91 262
Neagle, Chris 92 92 80 264
Cloutier, Bill 87 89 91 267
Gray, Darin 91 93 84 268
Tozier, Michael 93 87 89 269
Gammon, Dana 91 92 87 270
Brackett, Carl 100 87 84 271
Baltzell, Frank 86 91 95 272
Gammon, Richard 89 96 87 272
Tozier, Kevin 92 90 91 273
McLay, Mel 97 84 93 274
Belcher, Ken 96 91 87 274
Hanson, Rob 92 88 95 275
Grover, Chris 93 95 87 275
Carlow, Darren 92 93 91 276
Koukos, Louie 95 87 94 276
Grant, Clyde S. 95 90 92 277
McCormack, Jim 93 91 93 277
Labree, Kevin 92 93 93 278
Jacques, Paul 95 93 91 279
Johnston, Joseph 93 94 92 279
Durgin, Brian 92 89 99 280
Salimen, Richard 96 93 92 281
McLaughlin, Tim 95 93 94 282
Hogg, Scott 98 92 93 283
Smith, Dennis 101 96 86 283
Blake, Thomas W. 91 98 96 285
Fiandaca, Frank 95 96 94 285
Sturgeon, Don 95 92 99 286
Wagenknecht, Rich 89 93 104 286
Browning, Mac 101 90 97 288
Harmon, Jim 102 91 96 289
Rhodes, Mark D. 103 88 98 289
Marston, Duke 101 92 97 290
Cormier, Phil 96 100 94 290
Barrows, Neil H. 91 96 103 290
Bergren, Wally 103 92 96 291
Jackson, Randy D. 105 91 96 292
Carr, Nathan 98 89 105 292
Schencks, Edward 102 95 96 293
Chotkowski, David 104 92 98 294
MacInnis, Craig 103 95 96 294
McCrea, Brian 102 100 94 296
Leavitt, David 103 94 99 296
Worster, Gary 100 91 106 297
Koeglis, Robert 104 91 106 301
Casey, Michael 111 94 101 306
Parker, Gary 107 99 103 309
Howerton, Larry 102 98 110 310
Carlow, Joe 114 98 100 312
Cook, Gary W. 100 98 115 313
Hall Sr., Tom 104 107 106 317
Douglas, Steven 102 99 118 319
Greenwood, Mike 106 104 110 320
Kendrick, Jon 107 109 105 321
Wescott, Seth 123 109 93 325
Gerrow, Stuart 111 106 108 325
Libby, David 110 104 111 325
Grant, Bruce 107 109 117 333
Newhall, Donald 115 108 112 335
Beane, Herbert 117 104 119 340
Bowden, William 119 114 110 343
Wiersma, Bruce WD WD NC 0
Howard, Skip 99 DQ NC 99
Norton, Steve 99 91 NC 190
Bowman, David 113 108 NC 221
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