CUMBERLAND — Taking the lead after the first round of a golf tournament is one thing. Staying atop the leaderboard on the final day “might be the toughest thing to do.”

That’s how Logan Thompson sees it. Still, the 16-year-old from Lincoln did just that on Wednesday, winning the 2016 Maine Junior Championship at blustery Val Halla Golf and Recreation Center.

Thompson started the day with a two-stroke lead over Tom Higgins in the boys’ 15-17 division. He then proceeded to hit all but two fairways and post the best score of the day, a 3-over-par 75 to finish with a two-day total of 4-over 148. Thompson won by six strokes, finishing in style by rolling in a 25-foot putt for birdie on the 18th.

“One of the strongest parts of my game is just hitting the ball straight and keeping it in play,” said Thompson, who will be a junior at Mattanawcook Academy. “Since that was on this week I knew I had a pretty good chance.”

In the girls’ division, Bailey Plourde of Newcastle pulled off the same feat. She led by one stroke after a 75 in Tuesday’s opening round and proceeded to post the low score on Wednesday for a total of 152, four strokes ahead of runner-up Erin Holmes of Cumberland.

Plourde, who will be a senior at Lincoln Academy, had one hiccup in her round. She triple-bogeyed the ninth hole, which put her in a tie with Holmes.

“I think I knew it in my head that we were tied but I tried not to focus on it too much,” Plourde said. “I knew it was close and I just had to play my game on the back. I’ve had rounds where I’ve had to bounce back from bad shots or bad holes so I knew I could do it.”

It was the first Maine Junior Championship title for both Thompson and Plourde, 16.

Other first-day leaders to win on Wednesday were Armand Ouellette of Saco in the boys’ 13-14 division and Parker Hilchey of St. George in the nine-hole, 12-and-under division.

It was the second year in a row Thompson found himself in the final group for the championship round. Unlike his second-round 83 last year, he got off to a quick start with a birdie at the second hole while his playing partners Higgins and defending champion Austin Legge were battling their games. Higgins wound up shooting 81 to finish fourth at 156. Legge, who started the day three strokes back, shot 86 and finished tied for 10th.

“The nerves are at an all-time high and you just have to stay as steady as you can,” Thompson said.

“He struck the ball well. He had some tough holes putting but he missed two fairways,” Higgins said of Thompson. “Unbelievable.”

“That just describes it,” Legge added. “He missed two fairways, he hit a bunch of greens, he was two-putting every single hole. I mean, he just played so consistent it was hard to keep up.”

Thompson’s closest competition came from the group playing ahead of him. Caleb Manuel, 14, of Topsham also started the day three strokes behind. Manuel cut Thompson’s lead to two strokes twice during the final holes but bogeyed Nos. 15 and 16 had a double-bogey on the par-5 18th.

Manuel and Cole Anderson of Camden finished tied for second at 154. Anderson eagled the 18th hole.

“I feel pretty good about being tied for second,” Manuel said. “Cole is one of my buddies and (Thompson), he played solid. I feel like I didn’t play the best that I could have but it happens.”

Anderson was left wishing he could play the front nine holes over. In the tournament he was 11-over on the front and 1-under on the back nine.

In the girls’ championship, Plourde was able to consistently outdrive Holmes and that led to better placement on her high-arcing approach shots. Holmes bogeyed three of the first four holes on the back nine. She did get a stroke back on the 14th hole with a birdie only to double-bogey the 15th.

“My approach shots just really weren’t up to par today,” said Holmes, who will be a senior at Greely. “I really wasn’t hitting any greens in regulation and never really giving myself a good chance for birdies.”

Defending girls’ champion Lauren Schonewolf of Cape Elizabeth finished third, 11 strokes behind Plourde, after a second-round 85.

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