BELGRADE LAKES – Age is just a number, and the old adage was proven true again yesterday at Belgrade Lakes, as the team from Augusta CC that had the youngest and oldest competitors in the field took home the title in the first Maine Golf championship event of the 2023 season.
The annual Club Team Championship was staged at the scenic Belgrade Lakes GC for the 17th straight year on Sunday to kick off the men’s championship season. This event features teams of four players representing the same golf club, with all players playing their own ball and counting the two best scores on each hole.
At day’s end it was the team from Augusta CC that won the event, anchored by 14-year old Jack Quinn shooting the round of the day with a 66 on his own ball. Playing alongside Quinn was 71-year old Mark Plummer, a 13-time Maine Amateur champion and the most decorated Maine golfer of all time. The two were the youngest and oldest players in the field, and were joined on the team by Sean Goggin (48) and Mike Nowak (62).
All four players are in different decades of their lives, but combined for some stellar play on a windy day at Belgrade Lakes. On the round, the four Augusta players teamed up for eleven birdies and a final score of 134 (-8) to win by one stroke over a team from Val Halla GC.
The team got off to a hot start, making two team birdies on the first hole and adding three more in the next two holes to find themselves at -5 through three. They cooled off after the hot start but slowly picked up a few more shots along the way, all the while never making a team bogey on the day.
The Augusta team arrived at the 18th hole with a one-stroke lead over the Val Halla team in the clubhouse at -7. With it looking like a potential dropped shot for the team with most players in trouble, Quinn rolled in a 40-foot birdie putt on the last green to secure the victory. Despite a bogey as the other team score on the hole, the birdie and par offset each other to keep the team at -8 and one shot clear for the victory.
Fox Ridge GC tied with Biddeford-Saco CC for third place with a score of 136 (-6). Waterville CC and Northport GC rounded out the top five with a tie for fifth at 137 (-5).
Maine Golf would like to thank tournament host Belgrade Lakes GC for their continued support and for providing a wonderful venue to start the championship season.
ONLINE: Tournament Scoring | Past Champions