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SANFORD — It was a tough day for scoring for almost everybody in the second round of the Maine Amateur Championship.

Save for one player. After taking the lead on Tuesday, Mick Madden kept up his pace on Wednesday.

Madden shot his second straight 3-under 69, reaching 6 under as he extended his lead to five shots going into Thursday’s final round at Sanford Country Club.

Jacob Moody and Jack Quinn, who were tied for second entering the day, are still Madden’s closest challengers at 1 under and will round out the final group.

“I hit it actually a little better today. The putting still needs some work … but overall, ball striking is probably the best it’s ever been at the moment,” said Madden, who after winning the Class A title as a senior at Cheverus last fall will play at Siena University. “It’s been a lot of fun. I feel like every hole, I’ve at least got a really good chance to make birdie.”

Temperatures that hung comfortably in the low 70s on Tuesday were up to the mid 80s for the second round, greens dried out and became harder to hold, and tough pin placements made for adventurous approach shots.

There were 13 rounds at even par or better on Tuesday. On Wednesday, that number was down to five.

“This place is a mental grind,” said Garrett Olson, who was 1 over for the day and tied for fourth overall at even par with Will Farschon (1-under 71). “You don’t really have any holes off, any shots off.”

But Madden thrived. He made five birdies, with three coming on his first four holes as he built on his lead quickly — even if his spot on the board was the furthest thing from his mind.

“I didn’t look at any scores last night, I try not to,” he said. “In between shots I try to think of something else rather than golf. It can be what I have to do for school setting up, friends, it really could be anything.”

Madden said that won’t change with the big advantage.

“I try not to think about the lead, if I’m in the lead or not, all of that,” he said. “I don’t really want to think about what other people are doing, I just want to focus on my game.”

Quinn had trouble controlling the spin with his wedges, and made three bogeys and a double en route to a 1-over 73, but was confident he could string birdies together Thursday and make Madden feel some heat.

“I kind of put myself in a couple of tough positions to score. If I can get my wedge game dialed in, I can definitely go low tomorrow,” said the 2026 Gardiner High grad. “I honestly like the position I’m in. I’d rather be the underdog than have a five-shot lead. This takes all the pressure off.”

Moody, a former Messalonskee High player, and rising junior and team captain at Le Moyne College, had a steadier day, going from six pars in the first round (with seven birdies and five bogeys) to 13 pars with two birdies and three bogeys for a 1-over 73.

“I think I managed the course a little better,” he said. “I wasn’t as aggressive in situations that I didn’t need to be, which resulted in more pars and bogeys, and less birdies. But overall I just (want to) keep the same game plan, and try to stick to the shots that make the most sense.”

Two-time defending champion Eli Spaulding “scrapped” through a 3-over round that dropped him to 2 over and seventh place behind Ron Kelton (1 over). After rallying from final-day deficits to win both of his titles, the rising junior at Loyola University of Maryland knows he’s not out of it.

“I feel actually fine going into tomorrow,” he said. “I’ve been in this spot before and still won. … There’s certainly a low score out there and if anyone can get it, I think it’s me.”