Mark Plummer still has game.

Not that there was any doubt, but the longtime Augusta Country Club member reaffirmed his status by adding another championship to his large collection, with his fourth title at the state Senior Amateur, held over two days last week at the Brunswick Golf Club.

Plummer had rounds of 74-73-147 to win by a shot over Lowell Watson.

Plummer is the most decorated amateur golfer of all time in the state. His haul includes 13 Maine Amateur titles, 11 Paul Bunyan Amateur titles, four Mid-Amateur titles, two New England Championships (1979, Portsmouth, N.H. CC; 1994, Falmouth CC), a bunch of Augusta CC championships and others near and far.

Plummer has played in several U.S. Amateurs, the most notable being in 1995 at Newport, R.I. CC, where he played Tiger Woods in the semifinals and took Woods to the 18th hole in dropping a close match.

At Brunswick, Plummer, 60, trailed leader Dale Bragg by three shots at the start of the final round, Mike Doucette by two and Watson by one. While those in front of him struggled over the final 18 holes, Plummer was the model of consistency.

The nines were reversed at Brunswick for the final round which meant the par-five ninth became the 18th. It’s a great spectator hole with the crowd on the clubhouse porch. The third shot over water to a slick. two-tiered green can make for great theater.

After an up-and-down front nine, which started out great with a birdie on the 364-yard regular 10th, Plummer parred the back nine. He put himself in good positions with his tee shots on the back nine and had several chances for birdies that wouldn’t drop. He burned the cup’s edges on a lot of his putts. His margin of victory could have been a few shots more if those putts had dropped.

Plummer made only one other birdie after the first hole. That came on his seventh hole, regular 16th, when he knocked his second shot on the green on the par-five hole and two-putted. He followed that with a great up-and-down for par from behind the eighth green. He suffered a rare three-putt on the ninth when the Air Force’s Thunderbirds were buzzing the golf course.

After that, it was golf by the book — fairways and greens — for Plummer. Brunswick was in great shape for the tournament. Plummer has played all over the state in his career and many times at Brunswick. “I feel this is one of the top 10 courses in the state,” he said. 

TEE TO GREEN: Plummer, Ricky Jones and Jason Gall will represent Maine at the U.S. Golf Association State Team Championship in Galloway, N.J., on Sept. 19-21. This is Gall’s first time on the team alongside veterans Plummer and Jones. The Maine State Golf Associations’s Two-Man Championship will be played Tuesday and Wednesday at Sugarloaf Golf Club.

The state mixed team championship is Sept. 9 at Boothbay GC. Entries will be taken right up until the event. The deadline to enter the Senior Two-Man Championship at Poland Spring Golf Course is Sept. 6.

A reminder: The Davis Richardson Memorial Tournament is Sept. 23 at Fairlawn GC in East Poland.

Harris Golf, owners of Old Marsh CC in Wells and Falmouth CC, will hold free fireworks displays. Old Marsh will have its on Sept. 1, then Falmouth the next night. At Old Marsh, there will be a nine-hole scramble open to the public for $10, beginning at 5 p.m. Falmouth will hold an open house, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Earlier this month, Harris Golf held fireworks at its recently purchased Bath Golf Club and at Penobscot Valley CC in Orono.

Jeff Seavey of the Samoset Resort and John Hickson of Dick’s Sporting Goods in Topsham finished second and third, respectively, in last week’s New England PGA Championship in Massachusetts. Seavey finished 54 holes at 206, one shot out of first, while Hickson was at 208. Hickson will be inducted into the Maine Golf Hall of Fame on Sept. 13 at the Poland Spring Resort.

Last Wednesday, Dale Bragg knocked in a long birdie putt on 18 from just off the green, to the delight of the crowd at the Senior Amateur.

Staff Writer Tom Chard can be reached at 791-6419 or at: tchard@pressherald.com

 

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