Ryan Gay is already in rare company among those who have played amateur golf in Maine.
Winning the Maine Amateur in 2010 pushed Gay into a group of 17 golfers who have earned more than one championship.
Going back-to-back with a victory in 2011 made him one of eight with three or more, and also the eighth to win in consecutive years.
A win this week at one of Maine’s toughest tests — Sunday River Golf Club in Newry — would make him one of six to win four or more, and only the third to win three in a row.
But it won’t be easy for the young golfer from Pittston, who will have to wade through 131 other players in search of his fourth title, including good friend, practice partner and 13-time Maine Amateur champion Mark Plummer. The pair play together at Augusta Country Club, and are paired together for the first two rounds, alongside reigning Maine Mid-Amateur champion Joe Alvarez. Plummer is in the first group as a result of being the reigning Maine Senior Amateur champion.
Ricky Jones of Thomaston, a back-to-back winner himself in 2003-04, and Ron Brown, who won titles in 1975 and 1999, are the only other two former champions in the field this week.
The course at Sunday River is a relatively new track. Opened in 2004, it tips out at nearly 7,200 yards as it twists and turns through the Mahoosuc mountain range and provides a tough test to even the best of golfers.
Many tri-county area golfers have qualified for this year’s tourney, including Joe Baker, Andrew Slattery, Curt Jordan, Andy Stonehouse, Craig Chapman, John Emerson, Anthony Fagone, Zack DeBlois, Chris Cloutier, Will Kannegieser, Bob Langlois and Matt Simard.
Another top area amateur, Brian Bilodeau, will miss this year’s tourney after qualifying for the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. That tournament began Monday in Utah.
Tee times for this year’s Maine Amateur begin Tuesday morning at 7 a.m., and the groups of three will continue to hit the course continuously through 2:10 p.m., with the final groups expected to complete their rounds at about 7 p.m. The same group of golfers will hit the course again Wednesday in reverse order by wave, after which there will be a cut for Thursday’s final round.
jpelletier@sunjournal.com
93rd Maine Amateur golf championship
WHEN: Tuesday – Thursday, July 10-12
WHERE: Sunday River Golf Club, Newry
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Ryan Gay
COURSE LENGTH: 7,130 (black); 6,558 (blue)
PAR: 72
TOP CONTENDERS: Ryan Gay, Mark Plummer, Joe Alvarez, Mike Doran, Jason Gall, Matt Greenleaf, JJ Harris, Ricky Jones, Seth Sweet
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