James Dornes blasts out of the bunker on the final hole of Tuesday’s Charlie’s Maine Open at the Augusta Country Club in Manchester close enough to the hole to make a putt to seal his victory over Geoffrey Sisk who was 2 back.
MANCHESTER — James Dornes was two years old when Geoffrey Sisk won his first and only Maine Open in 1996.
Dornes started and finished his first Maine Open like a wily veteran to hold off Sisk and win by two strokes at the Augusta Country Club on Tuesday.
A 23-year-old Lancaster, Pa. native who turned pro eight months ago, Dornes followed up a fierce 7-under 63 in the rain on Monday afternoon with an unshakable 3-under in the sun-splashed final round to finish at 10-under par 130 and take home the $9,000 winner’s check.
“This is probably the biggest event I’ve won so far,” said Dornes, who has also picked up a win on the West Florida Golf Tour while on break from the PGA Latin America Tour until the end of August. “I’ve been playing some really good golf as of late, just putting up some good numbers back home. I knew coming here if I could give myself some good looks and just kept it in play off the tee, I was going to be able to do more of the same. That showed yesterday, and just to be able to hang in there was pretty nice.”
Matthew Campbell, the 2015 champion, finished third at 6-under 134. Nicholas Pandelena, Ryan Lenahan and 2011 champion Michael Carbone tied for fourth at 5-under.
But first place was a two-man battle most of the day.
Dornes started the day with a two-shot lead over Sisk and Jason Thresher of West Suffield, Conn. He birdied the first two holes to quickly widen the margin to four, then fell back to a three-stroke lead with a bogey at No. 4.
While Thresher, who won last weekend’s Greater Bangor Open, faded on the front nine with three bogeys and a double bogey, Sisk rallied with birdies on the fourth, sixth and eighth holes, all par-4, to pull within one shot of Dornes.
Sisk, 52, was trying to top four-time winner Jim Browning’s mark of 19 years between Maine Open championships (1938 to 1957). The Marshfield, Mass. native didn’t bogey the entire tournament.
“I was just a little disappointed with how I played the last four or five holes,” Sisk said. “I hit a couple of little squirrelly iron shots, a squirrelly little L-wedge shot I hit on 16. But for the most part, I hit it pretty solidly.”
“You know, (Dornes) played great,” he added. “He played really well and I tried to put the pressure on him. He withstood everything except for the putt on 17.”
Dornes regained a two-stroke lead with a birdie at the par-4 11th. He maintained that cushion until he three-putted for bogey on the 155-yard par 3 17th, opening the door for Sisk, who parred to pull within one shot.
“That was a disappointing three-putt, really just not a very good shot in there and then a bad first putt,” Dornes said. “I knew 18, if I had a good drive, I’d have an iron in, and that’s what I did. I probably hit my best drive of the day on 18.”
Dornes’ drive at the 540-yard downhill 18th landed on the left side of the fairway and left him about 215 yards to the green. Sisk had about 240 yards to the green from the middle of the fairway.
Both hit their approach shots into sand traps fronting the green, Dornes on the right, Sisk on the left, a little closer to the pin. Both found the green with little trouble, Dornes within about seven feet of the hole, Sisk within about three feet. But Dornes cooly, and quickly, sank his birdie putt to clinch the title before Sisk missed his.
Dornes, who made eight birdies on Monday, looked poised to match that performance with birdies on the first two holes on Tuesday.
“It was nice. Just more of the same from yesterday,” Dornes said. “I was just giving myself good looks and a good spot to the green and I was able to make those two putts early. That kind of got me going.”
A two-stroke swing with his bogey and Sisk’s birdie at four didn’t seem to rattle him much, as he matched Sisk with a birdie at eight for the second day in a row.
Dornes gave himself a little more breathing room again with a birdie on the par-4 11th after Sisk missed a short birdie attempt.
“It was good to make a birdie there,” Dornes said. “I was going on a little bit of a stretch there. I’d hit a bit of a wall, so it was good to just keep hitting good shots. I knew that the greens are good out here if I keep giving myself good looks. That was definitely a big birdie to put back up two with the last seven to play.”
“I had a good read on 11 and I just didn’t play enough break or a little more speed,” said Sisk, who won his 1996 title at Point Sebago in Naples. “That 10, 11 and 12 was a stretch that I needed to make a couple of putts.”
Thresher finished tied for 18th at 1-under. Jack Wyman of South Freeport was the top amateur and tied for 11th overall at 3-under.
Geoffrey Sisk blasts out of the bunker on the 16th hole during the final round of Tuesday’s Charlie’s Maine Open at the Augusta Country Club in Manchester.
James Dornes chips onto the green on the 16th hole during Tuesday’s Charlie’s Maine Open at the Augusta Country Club in Mancheste.
James Dornes prepares to hit his drive from the 17th tee during the final round of Tuesday’s Charlie’s Maine Open at the Augusta Country Club in Manchester.
James Dornes tries to get a look at where his ball landed after hitting his tee shot on the 17th hole during the final round of Tuesday’s Charlie’s Maine Open at the Augusta Country Club in Manchester.
Geoffrey Sisk, right, congratulates James Dornes after they finished the 18th hole.
Charlie Shuman, right, hands the Charlie’s Maine Open trophy to James Dornes for winning the 2017 golf tournament at the Augusta Country Club in Manchester Tuesday afternoon.
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