CASCO – On the first weekend of June in Maine, one thinks of warm and sunny days as the onset of summer moves to the northeast. This was not the case over the weekend at Point Sebago GC, where a full field of players battled both each other and the elements for 36 holes in the 2023 Mid-Amateur Championship.
Both Saturday and Sunday saw temperatures that lingered in the high 40s all day, with wind and sometimes heavy rain making for less than ideal conditions for the first Maine Golf individual championship of the season. But in the end, it was Ricky Jones of Thomaston who beat the elements, the field, and the golf course to win his record 7th Mid-Amateur Championship. With rounds of 72-73—145 (+1) he outlasted a surging Jordan Jones to win by one stroke.
Ricky Jones just celebrated his 51st birthday in the days leading up to the Mid-Amateur, a championship open to Maine resident amateur golfers who are at least 25 years old. He’s a decorated champion in Maine Golf history, having won the Maine Amateur three times to go with his previous six Mid-Am titles. Also a longtime competitor in USGA championships, Jones won his first Mid-Am back in 2001, then won three more consecutively from 2003 to 2005. However, his last win in this event came a decade ago in 2013.
Despite the tough conditions, the golf course handled the rain well, allowing play to continue unstopped throughout both days that saw periods of heavy rain to add to the already seasonably cold weather. On a day where most of the field was trying to hang on, Jordan Jones made a strong a run at the title on the back nine on Sunday. The 29-year old from Fox Ridge GC made birdies on 12, 14, and 15 to get within one of the lead. After a bogey on the par-5 18th hole, Jordan Jones posted the clubhouse lead at 146 (+2) and waited for the groups behind to finish.
Ricky Jones remained steady and showed the poise of a veteran down the stretch, making pars on his final six holes to take home the title by one stroke. Behind Jordan Jones in third place was Val Halla’s Mike Arsenault, who shot a pair of 74s to finish three back at 148 (+4).
The 2023 Mid-Amateur Championship also serves in part as an extra attempt for golfers to play their way into next month’s Maine Amateur Championship. The top five finishers in this event who didn’t otherwise have an exemption into the Amateur earned an invitation with this weekend’s play. Earning those spots were Drew Kane, Benjamin Leet, Brian Angis, Aidan Boyce, and Joe Walp. This year’s Amateur will be played at Samoset Resort GC for the first time in tournament history. The course also just so happens to be the home course of Ricky Jones.
Maine Golf would like to thank Point Sebago for being a great host for this year’s championship. They had previously hosted the Maine Open, Match Play Invitational, and B&C Championship, but this was the first Mid-Amateur staged at the golf course on Sebago Lake in the town of Casco.
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