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Bailey Plourde and Malcolm Oliver tied for first place in the Maine State Golf Association’s Mixed Championship tournament. |
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Malcolm Oliver sizes up the green as his teammate Bailey Plourde looks on. |
On Aug. 17, Bailey Plourde, the 2014 Class B Schoolgirl co-champion, and Malcolm Oliver, the 2011 State B Schoolboy champion, teamed up at the Maine State Golf Associations Mixed Championship tournament at Willowdale Golf Course in Scarborough.
The duo, with roots at Lincoln Academy, tied for top honors with Chris King and Sally Williams. Both teams turned in tremendous rounds of even-par 70.
Plourde is a member at Samoset Resort and Oliver at Bath Country Club.
The event featured 38 amateur teams consisting of a male and a female competing in a Scotch Ball Modified Pinehurst. In this format, both players hit drives from the appropriate tee and then play their partner’s ball for the second shot. One ball is then selected and players alternate hitting until holed out.
Team Oliver and Plourde had a rough start with the format. They were 3 over par after five holes before they got in a rhythm of playing together and feeding on each other’s strengths.
They finished the next four holes 3 under par to finish the front nine at even par. After the turn they held even to par through hole 12. Hole 13 gave them some trouble, they four putted to take them to two over par after 13. They shot two birdies on the next 3 holes to bring them back to even after 16.
Both had tough lies after their drives and neither was able to hit the green in regulation. Plourde overshot the green and Oliver ended up in the bunker on the opposite side of the green.
With a tough out for Plourde to handle, they settled with a bogey to bring them back to 1 over par. On the last hole, a par 5 with a hard dogleg left, carrying 484 yards for Oliver and 461 for Plourde, they were able to place their drives at the corner for a clear shot to the green. Oliver hit his second short just short left of the green enabling Plourde to put the third shot within 6 feet of the hole. Oliver then was able to finish the hole closing out with a birdie and bringing the team to an even 70.
When asked what Oliver thought of the day’s round, he said, “It was like we were playing our own game. Our drives off the tee were pretty much together all day.”
“I really enjoyed playing with a high caliber, low handicap, player like Malcolm,” Plourde said. “I think overall we made a good team.”
Both agreed a team needs two strong players to thrive in the tournament’s format.
Team Oliver and Plourde finished with 6 birdies, 7 pars, 4 bogeys and 1 double bogey.
Oliver will be heading back to Bentley University for his junior year; he studies economics and finance and plays on the men’s golf team. Plourde will be entering her sophomore year at Lincoln Academy where she is looking forward to playing golf with her fellow high school teammates.
Both Oliver and Plourde said they were happy with the results and plan on coming back next year to defend their title.
