If history is any indicator, competitors in this week’s 41st Whited Ford Paul Bunyan Amateur Golf Tournament may just want to award defending champion Ricky Jones of Thomaston the winner’s trophy already.

Shortly before his first victory in 2001, Jones and wife Christienne had celebrated the birth of their first child, daughter Chloe.

The Joneses recently welcomed their second child, son Rhys.

“He’s 3 weeks old,” said Jones.

The extra workload has cut into his playing time, what wasn’t already washed out by May’s unseasonably wet weather.

His short game has suffered as a result.

“I just haven’t had time to practice – with work and the new baby,” said Jones. “It cuts into your time quite a bit.

“Sometime, you have to grow up, I guess.”

Tournament play begins today for more than 325 golfers in three divisions at three courses – Bangor Municipal Golf Course, Rockland Golf Club, and Kebo Valley Golf Club in Bar Harbor. The divisions will rotate among the three clubs over the course of the three-day tournament.

Division A starts at Rockland today, goes to Bangor on Saturday, and finishes at Kebo on Sunday. For Division B, the rotation is Kebo today, followed by Rockland, then Bangor; Division C is Bangor, Kebo, Rockland.

Kebo returns to the rotation this year for the first time since 2001.

The top players in each division after the first two days will be re-paired at the end of the field for Sunday’s final round.

Jones has been playing well overall since his first Bunyan win – he’s also the two-time defending champion in the Maine Amateur Golf Championship – but he said his start this year has been slow.

“I’m starting to get back into it now that it’s sunny,” he said. But is he back to where he was last year? “Not yet.”

Jones usually plays Saturdays in the MSGA Southern Division weekly tournaments, but those have been few and far between this spring.

“I’ve only played three [of seven scheduled] this year [due to rainouts],” said Jones, last year’s MSGA Player of the Year. “It seems strange being this far into the season [and playing so few].”

He did tie for first in one of them, at Webhannet in Kennebunk, and he has been playing more since the sun started making more frequent appearances.

“I’ve played seven or eight times at Rockland,” he said. “I’m getting my timing back, strengthening my legs.”

It has helped, he said.

“I’ve been pleased with the way I’ve been playing the last couple of days,” said Jones, who thinks he’s catching a break because he’s opening at his home club.

He is also looking forward to the competition.

“Usually I play better when I play in a tournament. I have trouble focusing when I’m playing around,” he said.

Jones will have his share of challengers.

Jesse Speirs of Bangor, who won in 2002 and 2003 and was second in the 2002 Greater Bangor Open, is back, along with Toby Spector of Waterville, who won last weekend’s Bar Harbor Bank and Trust Open.

Other contenders include Cash Wiseman of South Portland, whom Jones defeated in the Maine Amateur final last year, and Jeff Wass of Rockland, who was fifth behind Jones a year ago.

Mike Norris of Newburgh, the ’99 Bunyan champ and fourth last year, had already committed to playing in Sunday’s MSGA Father-Son Championship and won’t play. Also not back from last year are runner-ups Cory Poulin of Milford and Joe Alvarez of Holden.

There are 15 champions from MSGA member clubs, including Alan Anderson (Bangor Muni) of Bangor and Gary Manoogian (Falmouth Country Club) of Westbrook.

Entries are up 30 percent over last year with players coming from all six New England states, Canada, New York, Florida, Texas, and North Carolina.