NORTH YARMOUTH — Austin Legge of Cape Elizabeth fired a 4-over 75 for the second consecutive day Thursday to win the Maine Junior Amateur championship at Toddy Brook Golf Club.
Legge, who will be a Cape Elizabeth High freshman in the fall, played a consistent back nine and pulled out a one-stroke win over Drew Powell of Bangor in the Maine State Golf Association’s 15-17 age group.
“Today, especially on the front nine, I didn’t feel (like) I was playing nearly as good as (Wednesday),” Legge said. “I birdied the first hole but I had a streak of four or five bogies on the front nine. I just kept it consistent on the back nine. Things just came together and I made a bunch of pars.
“I was just looking to go out and put up a low number. Just go out and play my game and see what happens.”
Legge, 14, spent this summer playing in the MSGA’s top division for junior players.
“I could have played in the 13- and 14-year-old division but I really wanted the extra competition,” he said. “I just needed to know I needed to play well to win and that extra competition helped me.”
Powell, who played in the group right behind Legge’s threesome, shot a 73 to improve on his 78 from the first round.
“I grinded it out better today but the ball striking just wasn’t there,” said Powell, who shared the Class A state schoolboy championship last fall with Rich Mazurek of Rockland. “It was a complete grind but I put together a score today, which is all you can do when you’re not hitting it well.”
John Witt of Kennebunkport and Lucas Roop of Gorham tied for third at 153.
Roop, an incoming sophomore at Gorham High, fired a 1-under-par 70 to post the lowest round in the 36-hole tournament.
“I was just trying to play it safe today and the putts were just dropping in,” said Roop, explaining how he cut 13 strokes from his first-round score.
“I was playing pretty well and kept putting up some low numbers.”
Eric Dugas, the Class B schoolboy champion from Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield, finished fifth in the 51-player field with a 154. Mazurek, the first-round leader, had an 89 after shooting a 71 on the first day He held a two-shot lead entering the final round.
In the 13-14 division, Caleb Manuel ran away with the championship. The 13-year-old from Topsham fired a 74 to finish with a two-day total of 147, 11 strokes ahead of Mitchell Tarrio of Augusta.
“I tried not to think about how much I was winning by, hole by hole,” said Manuel.
Golfers in the 15-17 age group played from the black tees (6,232 yards), while golfers in the 13-14 age group played from the blue tees (5,894 yards).
In the girls’ 15-17 division, Lauren Schonewolf of Cape Elizabeth finished at 159, one stroke ahead of Stephanie Rodrigue of Lewiston. Erin Holmes of Cumberland fired a 75, the low score for the event, but ended three strokes behind Schonewolf.
Jordan LaPlume of Saco shot 160 to win the 13-14 girls division.
In the 12-and-under division, Ryan Stimson of Scarborough fired a 35 in the nine-hole event to finish with a two-day total of 74, seven strokes ahead of Peter Malia, also of Scarborough.
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