Jones among top contenders 88th Maine Amateur to begin at Waterville CC

Two-time champion Ricky Jones of Thomaston heads the field of 126 players for the 88th Maine Amateur Golf Championship, which gets under way today at Waterville Country Club in Oakland.

Jones, who won back-to-back titles in 2003 and ’04, is the closest thing to a defending champion this year as the past two winners – Corey Poulin (’05) and Shawn Warren (’06) – have turned pro.

Jones is also the reigning Maine Open champion and won his fourth Whited Ford Paul Bunyan Amateur Golf Tournament last month.

Competitors are scheduled to play 18-hole rounds today and Wednesday with a cut to the low 40 and ties for Thursday’s 18-hole finale.

Teeing off with Jones in the first group today are Joe Alvarez of Hampden, runner-up in the Bunyan, and current Maine junior champion Johnny Hayes IV of the Purpoodock Club in Cape Elizabeth.

Thirteen-time Amateur champ Mark Plummer of Manchester is also playing. One of his titles was earned at Waterville in 1986.

Other past champs in the field are Ron Brown Jr. (’75, ’99) of Falmouth and Eric Crouse (’98) of Nonesuch River in Scarborough. It will be Crouse’s first amateur event after several years as a pro.

Playing in the same threesome as Crouse are Toby Spector of Waterville and Todd Kirn of Webhannet Golf Club in Kennebunk Beach.

Also, Ross McGee of Clinton and Ben Estabrook of Bangor could be among the title contenders. McGee could be playing his final amateur event before turning pro.

Another noteworthy player is 12-year-old Seth Sweet of Lakewood Golf Club, who is believed to be the youngest qualifier in recent memory.