OAKLAND — The birdie putts that rolled off his putter in the first round were tougher to come by in the second Wednesday. Still, John Hayes IV of Cape Elizabeth is right where he figured to be.

Hayes will take a two-shot lead over Mark Plummer of Manchester into the final round Thursday of the Maine Amateur at the Waterville Country Club.

“I was looking to shoot under par again,” said Hayes. “I had to grind to do it. The course played a lot more difficult with the wind. I missed some putts I should have made and made some putts I should have missed.”

Hayes, 25, called his second round “a struggle.”

He had a four-shot lead at the start of the second round turn into a one-shot deficit halfway through before rallying on the back nine with a couple of well-timed birdies.

The early starters in Tuesday’s first round – like Hayes and Plummer –faced no wind. Plummer, 63, a 13-time Maine Amateur champion, agreed that Wednesday’s conditions were more difficult.

“I imagine it was something like Tuesday’s late starters had,” said Plummer.

Hayes added a 69 to an opening-round 65 for a 36-hole total of 6-under 134. Plummer shot a 67 for the day’s best round and stands at 4-under 136.

“I wanted to be in the final group and I held my position,” said Plummer.

In third place at 1-under 139 is Sam Grindle of Deer Isle. Joe Walp of Portland, the runner-up last year, is fourth at 142. Ricky Jones of Thomaston, a three-time champion, is at 143, followed by Malcolm Oliver of Damariscotta and Lowell Watson, the Maine Senior champion of West Boothbay Harbor, at 144.

Hayes experienced a balky putter midway in his round that cost him the lead when he made three straight bogeys.

It was a roller-coaster round until Hayes settled down on the back nine.

“I hit it to 2 feet for a birdie on 11,” said Hayes. “That turned it around for me.”

While Hayes was turning things around, Plummer was trying to hold on.

“I think I ran out of gas a little bit on the back nine,” he said. “I made bogey on both of the par 3s on the back nine. On the 16th I came out of my 4-iron and put it in the right trap.”

Plummer birdied the par-4 17th, just missed a long birdie putt on 18, then saw his short par putt drop after a near 360.

“I thought I made the birdie putt and then I thought I missed the par putt,” said Plummer.

On 18, he drove into a bunker on the left side of the fairway, then hit a nice approach shot to the green.

Plummer started his round with three birdies.

“I came out of the gate fast,” he said. “I had good chances for birdies on the next three holes, too. On the seventh I made a 20-footer for birdie.”

Plummer feels right at home on this course, where he said he played in one of his first Maine Amateurs in 1969.

“That was 46 years ago,” he said.

When someone mentioned that most of the players in the tournament hadn’t been born then, Plummer quipped: “I don’t think their mothers had been born.”

Next to his home course, the Augusta Country Club, Plummer agreed that he probably knows Waterville better than any other course in the state.

“This is a fair golf course,” said Plummer. “The par 5s give you a chance to reach them in two shots. The par 3s are very good. You have to be able to place your shots in the right places on the greens.”

Hayes, Plummer and Grindle, 20, will be paired in the final group Thursday.

“I’ve never played with (Plummer) before,” said Hayes. “I’m pretty excited. It’s cool that he’s playing so well.

Plummer will be seeking his first state championship since 2002.

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