SACO – High winds Tuesday caused scores to skyrocket in the opening round of the Maine Amateur Golf Championship at Biddeford-Saco Country Club here.

But as expected, Sean Gorgone of Topsham opened defense of his crown by taking the lead after the first round.

Unexpectedly, though, his 1-over-par 72 was matched by home clubber Scott DeWitt of Biddeford.

DeWitt and Gorgone, who has won this tournament three times in the last four years, hold a one-stroke lead over Bill Nason of Oakland.

Tom Greene of Saco and Jim Mita of Hollis, both also members of the host club, are tied for fourth at 74.

At 75 are seven-time Maine Amateur titlist Mark Plummer of Augusta, Marc Siewertsen of Scarborough, and Bourke O’Brien of Freeport.

“It was very tricky out there. The wind was very difficult,” said Gorgone, who recently learned the meaning of difficult when he pfirst two rounds of the U.S. Open at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn.

The United States Golf Association is known for making the Open courses as difficult as is practical in order for the cream to rise to the top.

After playing a tournament such as the U.S. Open, “You compare how hard conditions are to what the course can be,” said Gorgone. “You always have to compare how you have to hit the ball to how you’ve had to hit it before.”

Gorgone scored as well as anyone, but he wasn’t completely happy with the way he played.

“I didn’t hit the ball good. I had to be careful,” said Gorgone.

The two nines at Biddeford-Saco are distinctly different, requiring slightly different approaches.

“You have to be more precise on the back,” said Gorgone, who shot a 1-inder 35 there, the best of the day on that side.

Gorgone opened with a pair of pars, but bogeyed the par-5 third hole. He got that stroke back with a birdie on No. 5, a long par-4, but he bogeyed the final two holes on the front to make the turn at 2-over 37.

Gorgone birdied both par-5s on the back, Nos. 12 and 17, to offset a bogey on 16.

DeWitt started off well, making the turn at 2-under 33, getting birdies on the third and fourth holes and parring the rest.

He struggled some on the back, though, making a bogey on 11, then bogeying 16 and 18 to finish the second nine in 39 and post a score the others made runs at but couldn’t surpass.

“I made everything I looked at,” said DeWitt.

Because he was in the second group off the first tee, the wind didn’t start bothering him until midway through his round.

“I really noticed it about the eighth or ninth hole,” said DeWitt.

On No. 9, a 438-yard par-4, DeWitt hit driver and 1-iron “and I still didn’t get there,” he said.

On 18, he hit a 6-iron from 150 yards and was still short of the green.

Still, local knowledge helped.

“The biggest advantage to being from the home club was knowing club selection and how the wind would react,” said DeWitt.

Nason came in late in the day with his score.

Nason was even through the first six holes, but bogeyed Nos. 7 and 9 to make the turn at 2 over par.

On the back, his only bogey – on No. 12 – was matched by a birdie on 15. All the rest were pars.

Greene, 43, was as surprised as anyone that his score was close to the lead.

“I played real safe today,” said Greene.

“Being an ex-jock, you’re used to going through an opening that wide (holding his hands about 18 inches apart),” he added. “You can’t play too aggressive out here, though. The back nine will eat you up in a hurry.”

The back nine chewed on his game for a while Tuesday as he made double bogeys on 11 and 16.

“Both tee shots were in the woods,” said Greene, who chipped out and then hit on both times, but who also three-putted each green.

Greene made a birdie on the fourth hole, but gave that stroke back on the next hole. He also bogeyed No. 9 to turn in 36.

He posted birdies on 14 and 17 to partially offset the double bogeys.

All in all, he was quite happy with his round.

“This is a good 74 today. It felt like a shot a 68,” said Greene.

Mita started fast, getting birdies on the first two holes. He was on a course to match Gorgone and DeWitt, but a double bogey on 18 dropped him off the pace.

The Maine State Golf Association, which runs the tournament, will cut the field to the low 40 and ties after Wednesday’s round for Thursday’s finale.

Maine Amateur Golf Championship

SACO – First round scores Tuesday from the Maine Amateur Golf Championship at Biddeford-Saco Country Club (6,192 yards, par 71): Sean Gorgone 37-35–72 Scott DeWitt 33-39–72 Bill Nason 37-36–73 Tom Greene 36-38–74 Jim Mita 35-39–74 Bourke O’Brien 36-39–75 Mark Plummer 38-37–75 Marc Siewertsen 37-38–75 Steve Kavanagh 37-39–76 Jon Ladd 36-40–76 Eric Starr 37-39–76 Pat Baldwin 36-41–77 Ron Bibeau 39-38–77 Ron Gagnon 35-42–77 Jason Gall 41-36–77 Dan Ladd 40-37–77 Sean Lewis 40-37–77 Shawn McKague 38-39–77 Jamie Place 40-37–77 Maynard Chipman 38-40–78 Todd Kirn 40-38–78 Romeo Laberge 37-41–78 Brian Lawton 41-37–78 Pat Lewis 41-37–78 Chris Marco 41-37–78 Lance McAllister 37-41–78 Garrie Murray 39-39–78 Keith Patterson II 38-40–78 Randy Sawyer 39-39–78 Chris Swan 40-38–78 Warren Walker 37-41–78 Stan Ayer 39-40–79 George Bell 37-42–79 Mike Cloutier 38-41–79 Dewey Gosselin 37-42–79 Dave Goyet 36-43–79 Jim Hadlock 37-42–79 Tom Hansen 41-38–79 Gary Manoogian 38-41–79 Jim Nickerson 38-41–79 Mike Salisbury 38-41–79 Jeff Seavey 40-39–79 Dave Thompson 39-40–79 Jeff Wass 40-39–79 Jim Berube 40-40–80 Tom Binnie 39-41–80 Al Bouchard 42-38–80 Arnie Clark 40-40–80 Len Cole 38-42–80 Mike DiPhilippo 40-40–80 Tim Flaherty 37-43–80 Mark Hanley 40-40–80 Gale Jameyson 42-38–80 Jim Knaffle 36-44–80 John Lano 40-40–80 Kevin MacDonald 38-42–80 Bobby Myers 38-42–80 Butch Reilly 40-40–80 Brian Bickford 40-41–81 Ron Brown Jr. 38-43–81 Tom Caron 39-42–81 Eric Crouse 42-39–81 Mike Francoeur 37-44–81 Ted Gardner 40-41–81 Bob LeBlanc 39-42–81 David Mitchell 37-44–81 Scott Peters 41-40–81 Dave Poulin 39-42–81 John Riccio 42-39–81 Kevin Roberts 38-43–81 Ted Vallee 39-42–81 Andy Carbone 37-45–82 John Conley 45-37–82 Nick Glicos 41-41–82 Joe Hearns 38-44–82 Charlie Tartre 42-40–82 Dana Worster 40-42–82 George Blaisdell 36-47–83 Dale Brown 39-44–83 Ray Convery 42-41–83 Elliott Favier 41-42–83 Clay Graybeal 42-41–83 Sheldon Hamilton 42-41–83 Mike Knox 40-43–83 Jim Ladd 42-41–83 Adam Padget 44-39–83 Roy Pinette 42-41–83 Steve Plummer 42-41–83 Charlie Pray 39-44–83 Dan Sargent 38-45–83 Dave Sibley 39-44–83 Fred Warner 42-41–83 Ted Bonville 37-44–84 Bob Brickel 41-43–84 Ken Cota 44-40–84 K.C. Hughes 38-46–84 Nathan Nealey 43-41–84 Mike Nowak 41-43–84 Terry Ricker 40-44–84 John Royal 40-44–84 Tom Burnham 42-43–85 Bruce Gerrity 42-43–85 Dave Higgins III 42-43–85 Jim McFarlane 42-43–85 Mike St. Thomas 42-43–85 Mark Snow 44-41–85 Dick Everett 43-43–86 Bruce King 41-45–86 Brian MacGillivray 44-42–86 Mike McNaboe 41-45–86 Bryan Shubert 43-43–86 Jeff Harris 44-43–87 John Johnson 46-41–87 Keith Mahaney 43-44–87 John Paquette 42-45–87 Allen Cochrane 40-48–88 Gary Laliberte 47-41–88 Don Lessard 43-45–88 John Turner 43-45–88 David Welch 45-44–89 Frank Reynolds 44-46–90 Pete Greenwood 46-45–91 Jason Marco 47-47–94 Dana Dube 47-48–95 Scott Guimond 49-46–95 Matt Ray NC