Seventeen-year-old Madison native Seth Sweet, a recent MSGA scholar, held onto his six-shot lead at Sunday River on Thursday to win the 2012 Maine Amateur Championship, becoming the third youngest player to win the event.

Sweet had two of just five under-par rounds to take the lead into the final. His 79 today was good  for 219 and  a three-shot victory over two-time winner Ricky Jones and 2011 runner-up Jason Harris, who were tied at 222.

Norway's Joe Baker had the low round of the finale, finishing with a two-under 70 to earn fourth place.

To view images by David Colt from New England Golf Images click here.

Final Round under way at Sunday River

All the balls are in the air and the first group has already made the turn in this, the final round of the 2012 Maine Amateur Championship currently being conducted at Sunday River.

Follow our on-line scoring for the last nine holes for the last three leading groups...

Sweet matches first round low

Seth Sweet from Madison equalled his first-round low of 70 to take a six-shot lead into the final round of this 93rd Maine Amateur Championship currently being contested as the beautiful, challenging and scenic Sunday River Golf Club in Newry.

Sweet was once again 37-33-70 to be the only player under par at four under heading into tomorrow's final day.

JJ Harris, third generation of the Harris Golf family, is the only other player with a red number as he also fired a 70. He paired that with his first round of 76 to earn a place in the final group at 146. Ricky Jones, who shot one of Wednesday's second low number at 73, will round out the pairing group. Jones is at 149.

Mike O'Brien took over as leader from Sable Oaks when he bested Mike Doran and also shot 149. He'll be joined by 15-year-old Will Kannegieser and 17-year-old Sam Grindle in the second to last group. Both players are at 151.

Follow final results on-line results with us tomorrow as we wrap up coverage of one of Maine's premier amateur events. Thank you for your interest in Maine golf.

Notes from the 93^rd Maine Amateur Championship

 As the second wave of players begins at Sunday River, Seth Sweet of Madison becomes the new leader in the clubhouse with the only under par round, a fabulous 70, which came with the help of six birdies…

• This is the first year that the Amateur Championship has been challenged at Sunday River, which opened its full 18 holes in 2005. The course has previously hosted other MSGA Championship including the Mid-Amateur and the Two-Man Championships….
• Two father-son combinations are now playing in this championship – 49-year-old Jim Caron and his son, 16-year-old Mike Caron both qualified. Jim plays out of Willowdale while Mike plays out of Gorham. And getting in as an alternate, 46-year-old Dan Sweet got to join his 17-year-old son in the championship. While Seth caused the red pen to be used for the only time of the day, Dan was right in the middle of the field with an 85…
• The youngest player in the field this year is Gavin Dugas out of JW Parks, who just turned 15 in June. He’s joined by Will Kannegieser and Chris Billings, who are also 15.
• There are five players aged 60 and over in the 132-player field, including Mark Plummer (60), Ron Brown (63), Jim Quinn (64), Lowell Watson (66) and senior statesman Brent Mohr from York, who is 68….
• Two alternates – Brady Chapman and Dan Sweet – made it into the field when early-morning withdrawals happened on Tuesday morning. Actually, there was room for three more alternates because of a series of back injuries that caused withdrawals…
• MSGA’s own Junior-Senior Director, Mike Doran, who administered the Senior-Junior event yesterday at Sanford before making the trek to the River led the field until Sweet finished.. His even par score of 72 is actually more than three shots under Sunday River’s Course rating, which – at 75.3 – is the toughest rated golf course in Maine…
• Doran’s fellow Sable Oaks member Mike O’Brien follows Doran at 73 while a host of players, including Jason Gall are at 74. Gall and O’Brien lead the way with four birdies each, but O’Brien better grasped the concept that birdies are bogey insurance and made five, while Gall had six. O’Brien really started it out on the right foot, birdieing the first, second and fourth holes…
• So far, the 18th hole, a dogleg left par four with out of bounds on the right, is playing the toughest. Two players have scored double digits, including one 14 – after which the player still broke 90!..
• Make that three players who have now scored double digits on 18, where the average score is nearing 6…