Brian Bilodeau's hole-in-one on the 14th hole in the 74th Tri-State Championship lifted Maine to its first victory since 2005. Bilodeau, playing in the two spot in the second to last match of the day, used a five iron for the shot, which closed out his match against New Hampshire and lifted Maine to the victory.

    Maine finished with 26 points while New Hampshire and Vermont's tied for second with 23 each  in one of the most closely contested championships in recent history.     

    Curt Jordan was the only player on Maine's team to win all three of his total possible points. MSGA Junior/Senior Director Mike Doran, who coordinated the championship for the MSGA, finished a close second with 2.75 of three possible points.  But it really was an overall team effort as 14 of the 16 players scored to contribute to the championship.

    Maine looks forward to hosting the event next year and will try and defend its title for the first time in decades! Congratulations to all players on the team and a special thanks to MSGA Director Michael Moore who made the trip to represent the state in the non-scoring executive director/board matches.

    After the first day of the Tri-State Championships, Maine was tied for first with Vermont at the Jay Peak Resort in Jay Peak, Vermont. This was the 74^th playing of the Tri-State Championships which features the best players from Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

           The matches feature a total of 18 players – 10 regular, four seniors, two juniors and the executive director and board member from each state. The ED and board member points do not count toward the team totals.

        Saturday's first round featured an alternate shot format with teams from all three states competing concurrently against one another. Each team could win a maximum of two points for their state. Maine gained nine points the first day to tie with Vermont while New Hampshire earned six. Sunday, all three states played in a match against the other two states, with all same seeded players competing in two matches, all the way through the rosters.

         Maine’s team was decidedly young this year with Mike O’Brien the veteran player of the group at 48 years old. After him, MSGA Director Joe Alvarez, at 32, is the senior representative. O’Brien is one of four players playing of out Sable Oaks to make the team, along with Ashley Fifield, 29, Matt Greenleaf, 30,  and MSGA Director of Junior/Senior Golf Mike Doran, 27.

            Alvarez traveled the farthest to compete, as he lives in Hampden and plays out of Penobscot Valley Country Club.

            Also making this year’s team is USGA Pub Links competitor Brian Bilodeau, who heads into this weekend with after his recent victory with his father, Phil, in the Two-Man Championship. Bilodeau, 28, plays out of Martindale.

            Joe Baker, 26, from Norway joins the team and hopes he can contribute as he did when he was a junior. The New England Junior team that Baker played on was the only one to have ever won a New England Junior team title. The remaining three players – Curt Jordan, 28, from The Woodlands, Judd Parson, 30, from York Golf and Tennis, and Andrew Slattery, 23, from Fox Ridge – are all also graduates from the MSGA junior program who have transitioned successfully into competitive golf.

            Comprising the senior contingency are Randy Berry from Northport, Ron Dery from Biddeford-Saco, Mike Doucette from Dunegrass and Lowell Watson from Portland while Reese McFarlane and Bradford Smith will represent Maine as juniors. Watson, at 66, and McFarlane at 15, represent the ends of the age spectrum.

            Michael Moore, a new MSGA Board member from Riverside will join MSGA Executive Director Nancy Storey in a handicapped match during which matches the state’s representatives can talk about the business of the game of golf in their respective states and see if there are more ways that we all can be working together to promote the game here in northern New England.

            This is the 74^th year of the Tri-States, during which time New Hampshire has prevailed 42 times while Vermont has 14 victories. Maine will be looking for its 18^th championship this year. The last time the team won was in 2005 at Kingswood, NH.