Women’s winner Thea Davis celebrates after sinking a putt on the 18th green during the Maine Event golf tournament Tuesday at the Augusta Country Club in Manchester. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
MANCHESTER — Thea Davis watched her 15-foot putt roll toward the 18th hole, her body leaning slightly. And when the ball slowly dropped into the cup, Davis, 65, could celebrate.
After two days of competition, Davis sealed her Maine Event victory with her final putt for par, finishing at 9-over 155.
Sisters Jade and Ruby Haylock finished behind Davis, shooting 10-over 156 and 11-over 157.
The Haylock sisters kept the match close the entire day, with Ruby pulling ahead of Davis on holes 10 and 11. Ruby attends and plays golf at Bates College in Lewiston.
Jade, a student at Leavitt Area High School in Turner, kept even with Davis for seven of the final nine holes.
“I’m four or five decades older, so to beat the young kids for the old team feels really good,” Davis said with a laugh. “I don’t have that many more years of good competitive golf left in me, chances are, so any win is great.”
Although Davis has more than five decades of experience in the sport, she is a relative newcomer to the Maine amateur golf circuit. She worked as a teaching pro at Hermon Meadow Golf Club for over two decades before retiring and entering amateur competitions last year.
“I’ve been golfing for 54 years,” Davis said. “I was teaching before. I’ve just been back on the amateur circuit, this is my second year of that.”
Davis has certainly made the most of her time as an amateur golfer in Maine.
She earned Maine Golf Maine Women’s Player of the Year and the Maine Women’s Senior Player of the Year honors in 2022.
She also finished fourth in the 2022 Maine Women’s Amateur tournament. The Maine Event women’s title adds to her list of accomplishments.
The women’s side of the competition featured six competitors, including Ruth Colucci, a senior amateur from Saco.
Junior amateurs Clarice Bell (Holden) and Alexis McCormick (Hebron) also competed.
A Maine play day competition at Rockland Golf Club likely drew away much of the prospective competition, golfers said Tuesday.
After the match, Ruby and Jade Haylock talked about the drama.
“I had pretty high expectations for myself being that we’re at Augusta, so it’s a little disappointing,” said Ruby, a two-time Maine Women’s Amateur champion, of her finish.
Added Jade: “I missed one fairway. (On Monday), I really struggled with my driver. (Tuesday), I just came in with a very open mind and told myself I could do it.
“I love this tournament because of that, there’s different players here. Playing with Ruth and Alexis was super fun. The age difference is crazy and their games are different too.”
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