VASSALBORO — Bailey Plourde of Lincoln Academy and Erin Holmes of Greely High each birdied the final hole of their high school golf careers Saturday to finish as Maine schoolgirl co-champions.

So why was Holmes crying when she crossed the Natanis Golf Course parking lot on the way to record her score?

“I thought I lost,” Holmes said. “So it was a surprise when we matched cards.”

In the boys’ competition, Logan Thompson of Mattanawcook Academy was the only player to break par. Thompson shot a 5-under 67 on the 5,876-yard Arrowhead layout to win his third straight Class C title, by eight strokes.

Camden Hills sophomore Cole Anderson repeated as the Class A winner. His 1-over 73 on the 6,077-yard Tomahawk course edged Lucas Roop of Gorham by a stroke.

Eric Dugas, a senior at Maine Central Institute, shot 73 on the Tomahawk course to win Class B by four strokes over Tyler Worcester of Fryeburg Academy.

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Holmes said she thought she was trailing by a stroke going to the final hole. She made a twisting 15-foot uphill birdie putt, but thought she had lost when Plourde made birdie with a 6-foot downhill putt.

Plourde, a three-time champion, knew otherwise.

“I knew I needed to make mine to tie. When she made the putt I was like, ‘wow, I really need to make this.’ Quite the pressure on that putt, but I had the confidence that I could make it,” Plourde said.

Both players finished at 1-over 73 on the Arrowhead course.

Plourde shared the title as a freshman in 2013 and beat Holmes by two strokes in 2015.

It’s Holmes’ first championship.

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“I was beating Bailey through nine holes and then it really came down to the last four holes last year, and I bogeyed out,” Holmes said. “That one really was emotional for me, just because I didn’t finish strong. This year, I’m really proud of how I ended.”

Plourde and Holmes have played against each other multiple times over the years and both intend to play in college.

“It’s like loving competition with all the girls. We of course want to do well, but we also all want each other to do well,” Holmes said. “I think we’re both deserving of it.”

“We definitely deserved to win it today,” Plourde said. “I do think it’s fitting that we tied. We’ve worked hard.”

Thompson, a junior, capped a year that included the Maine Junior Championship this summer and the low round of 68 last Saturday on the Arrowhead course to lead Mattanawcook to the Class C team championship.

“It just helped me know that I could do it again, that I could put up a low number and I could defend for the second time,” said Thompson, who made seven birdies. “Being the last tournament of the year, I really wanted to end well, and defending was really important to me.”

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No boy has won four state titles. Whitney Hand of Bucksport was the girls’ co-champion four straight years (2003-06).

Anderson’s length off the tee and high approach shots with lots of spin helped him go eagle, birdie, birdie, birdie on the four par-5s. When he tapped in a short birdie putt on the 15th hole (his 16th hole of the day), he had a three-shot lead with two holes to play.

Anderson had consecutive approach shots spin off the green on his final two holes, leading to a double-bogey, bogey finish.

“My putting was a little shaky all day,” Anderson said. “Going 5-under on the par-5s gave me some breathing room, and it turned out I really did need it.”

Roop three-putted the next-to-last hole for his second bogey of the round. He did not make a birdie, and said he’d like to have a second chance at his third shot on the par-5 14th.

“I was looking for a nice chip and I just chunked it a little bit, and the pin was all the way back on the green and it just gave me a 40-footer,” Roop said. “It should have been an easy birdie or an easy par, and I bogeyed it.”

Dugas capped his victory in Class B with a birdie on his final hole. His brother, Gavin, won the Class B title in 2014.

“I just thought one more birdie would seal the deal,” Dugas said of his last hole. “It’s great that I could bring it back to the family. My brother won it his senior year, so I just really wanted to get it my last year.”


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