MANCHESTER — James Dornes walked down the 18th fairway at the Augusta Country Club alone Tuesday. His playing partners in the final group of the Charlie’s Maine Open, Geoffrey Sisk and Jason Thresher, left the tee box in carts. Dornes slung his bag across his back and hiked.

When he teed off on the 18th, Dornes had a one-stroke lead over Sisk. As he walked, Dornes plotted how he would keep that lead and win.

And it worked. Dornes hit a birdie putt to finish the two-day event at 10 under, two strokes in front.

“I hit a good drive (on the 18th). I was just trying to get it up there near the green. That pin was accessible from the right side so I just tried to keep it a little right,” Dornes said.

“I got caught up in the bunker but was able to hit a pretty good shot and left myself a good putt up the hill.”

Dornes’ approach shot found the bunker to the right of the green, but he chipped out of the sand to within 6 feet, setting himself up for the birdie that clinched it.

“For the win, you always get a little nervous, but that’s why you play. It’s fun and I was happy I made it,” Dornes said.

Sisk, who was looking to win the Open for the first time since 1996, finished two shots in front of Matthew Campbell, who won the event in 2015.

“I was a little disappointed with the way I played the last four or five holes. I hit a couple squirrely iron shots, the squirrely little L-wedge shot I hit on 16. For the most part I hit it solidly,” said Sisk, who went without a bogey over the 36 holes. “I thought there was still a chance, and he made that putt on 18. That was a little deflating. I’m happy with how I played.”

Dornes, 23, graduated from Penn State last spring and went pro in November. After shooting 7 under on Monday, he opened the second round with a two-stroke lead over Sisk and Thresher. Dornes opened his final round with back-to-back birdies, pushing his lead to four strokes.

“After two, I was four back. I knew I was four back but there was still 16 holes to go and I felt like I was playing pretty decently,” said Sisk.

Dornes bogeyed No. 4 while each of his opponents birdied, cutting the lead to two. When Sisk birdied the sixth, Dornes’ lead was down to one.

“He’s a great player,” Dornes said of Sisk. “He’s definitely got a lot of experience on all different tours, and winning out here, so he knows what he’s doing. It was good to go head-to-head with him. It became pretty much a two-man race.”

Dornes’ lead over Sisk stayed one stroke until No. 11, when Dornes sank a crucial birdie put to go 10 under.

“It was good to make a birdie there. I was going on a little bit of a stretch where I hit a little bit of a wall. I knew the greens were good if I kept giving myself good looks,” Dornes said.

Meanwhile, Thresher, who won the Greater Bangor Open on Saturday, faltered.

Thresher double-bogeyed the sixth, then bogeyed the eighth, ninth and 10th to fall out of contention. He finished tied for 18th at 1 under.

As the back nine continued, Sisk wasn’t playing poorly but felt he wasn’t playing well enough to close the two- stroke gap. Sisk cited missed birdie putts on the 10th, 11th and 12th as the keys to the round.

“I knew I was one back, then still one back, still one back, then I missed that putt on 10. That one hurt a little bit because I had a good read on it, I just didn’t hit it hard enough,” said Sisk.

“I had a good read on 11, I just didn’t have enough break or a little bit more speed. (Dornes) made that birdie on 11 and I missed mine. That was kind of a little hard for me because I hit really good putts on 10, 11, and 12. I just couldn’t put the pressure back on him. I tried to put the pressure on him but he withstood everything except for that putt on 17.”

Dornes three-putted the 155-yard, par- 3 17th hole, while Sisk made par to pull within one shot with one hole remaining.

Dornes knew his tee shot on the 18th would be the most important shot of his round.

“I knew 18, if I hit a good first shot I’d have an iron in,” said Dornes. “I probably hit my best drive of the day on 18. I wanted to put myself in position where I would have a good shot at a birdie.”

This was Sisk’s first tournament since returning from a family vacation. The 52-year-old veteran said that he’s hoping to qualify for the Champions Tour.

“This would have been nice to win again. It really would have. I love it up here,” Sisk said. “It’s relaxing for me. It’s a great tournament. It’s good for me. I haven’t played really well in a while. Maybe this will get me going again.”

Dornes left Tuesday night for Manchester, New Hampshire, where he’ll compete in the New Hampshire Open over the next three days.

Dornes said he’ll also play in the Pennsylvania Open before joining the PGA Latin America Tour when play starts in late August.

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