BRUNSWICK — Minutes after finishing the first round of the Maine Women’s Amateur championship at Brunswick Golf Club, Erin Holmes assessed how she played.
“Of course you’re going to make mistakes out there. I had a double (bogey), and a couple three putts. But you take the bad with the good,” Holmes, representing Val Halla Golf Course, said.
There was a lot more good than bad for Holmes in Monday’s first round. The 24-year old Greely High graduate who played collegiately at Bucknell shot a 3-under par 71 for the only under par round of the day. Holmes will take a three-shot lead into round two.
Shivani Schmulen, a rising sophomore at Bowdoin College finished round one at an even-par 74, tied with Leavitt High junior Jade Haylock. Bates College sophomore Ruby Haylock, Jade’s older sister and the defending champion, finished at plus-1 75.
Holmes set the tone for her round on the front nine, recording five consecutive birdies on holes three through seven.
“I was right off the green on three and four, so I just had up and downs for bird. Then I made a couple putts, and I was just feeling confident,” Holmes said.
Holmes was 2-under par at the turn, but a double bogey on 12 set her back to even. She rallied and finished strong, with birdies on three of the final four holes, including the tough par-5 18th (typically the ninth hole, but players played the back nine first), a long dogleg right in which players have to hit over a ravine to reach the green.
“Luckily, it’s makeable for me. I can get it past the corner, so I just had to iron it in,” Holmes said.
A member of the Bowdoin golf team, Schmulen decided to stay on campus all summer rather than return home to Plano, Texas. She’s played Brunswick Golf Club all summer, and is familiar with the course having played it often with the Polar Bears.
“I’ve heard amazing things about this Maine summer, so I was like, ‘I’ve got to try it out, right?’ ” Schmulen said. “Really good tempo, really good contact. I just kind of played simple golf.”
Schmulen was 1-under par through nine, but had bogeys on 10 and 11 to start the back nine. She birdied 15 to get even, then birdied 17 to get to 1-under, but a bogey on 18 drop her to even-par for the day.
“Overall, I can’t really complain, other than that last hole. There’s two more days, and we’ll get after it,” Schmulen said.
Playing out of Turner Highlands Country Club, the Haylock sisters played similar rounds, both going minus-1 on the back nine. Ruby, who won the tournament in 2020 and again last year, was happy with her consistency.
“My goal for the day was even. Other than eight and 18, my putting was great. Everything felt on point. I think my irons, (Tuesday) I need to be a little bit more aggressive in going for the pin. My game just came together pretty well today,” Ruby Haylock said.
The Class B high school state champion each of the last two seasons, Jade was tied with her sister at plus-1 heading to the 18th. She set up her birdie on the hole with a strong drive, followed by a 6-iron to get close to the green. Before the round, Jade felt she could enter Tuesday’s second round in the top five.
“It was a great round. I felt really confident going in, just knowing there was a chance I could do really well. I was hitting my drives – Boom! Straight down the middle, every time,” Jade Haylock said. “I feel like my putting was really good, too. I was able to get the speeds of the greens down really well. Then it would leave me with tap ins.”
With a three-shot lead entering Tuesday’s second round, Holmes is looking to maintain her consistency.
“I’m really trying not to have any expectations. I’m just trying to go into it each round thinking about the next shot,” Holmes said. “When I overthink, that’s when trouble comes in. I’m really just trying to keep it easy.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
