LITCHFIELD — Lydia Jones has played golf all of five weeks.
The Skowhegan sophomore hit the links at The Meadows for the Central Maine girls golf qualifier Thursday morning with a set of borrowed clubs, belonging to former Skowhegan standout and current University of Maine women’s basketball player Jaycie Christopher.
Four hours later, Jones shot a 97 and will be among the players challenging for a Class A title on Oct. 7 at Natanis Golf Course in Vassalboro.
“(My round) started a little rough, but then I got rolling,” Jones said. “I’m still learning and getting better. I felt (a little pressure) coming into today. I play a few sports and (had the mentality) of ‘I’ve got to do good.’
“I’m liking (golf), it’s low key,” Jones continued. “To just go out and play with friends, it’s pretty low key.”
Players taking part in Thursday’s qualifier had to shoot 100 or under to qualify for their respective class at the state championships, which will take place Oct. 6-7 at Natanis. Oxford Hills’ Alexis McCormick had the lowest score with an 86. Other qualifiers included Lawrence’s Elizabeth Holden (94), Maine Central Institute’s Jillian Plamondon (94), Camden Hills’ Lila Dailey (96) and Laurel Sleeper of Mt. Abram (98).
“Today wasn’t the best (round) I’ve had, but I’m headed off (to states) and I’m excited,” McCormick, a junior, said. “There were some tough holes, the layout was rough. I’ve never played here before, so it was a little challenging for the first time around. But (hole No. 2) was tough, that pin placement, I was a little scared on that. I walked away with a bogey, and I was kind of happy with that.”
The course played tricky throughout the day, particularly on the greens, which seemed to change speeds by the hole.
“I had a lot of three putts, which I was not happy about,” said Plamondon, a senior. “(The greens) were all over the place. They were hard to read.”
Despite being the defending Class C girls champion, Plamondon was relieved to qualify again for states.
“It was very nerve-wracking for me, because there’s a lot of pressure,” Plamondon said. “It was fine (after a couple holes), I was just trying to be confident in how I played and have fun.”
Holden, a sophomore, had one of the more impressive outings of the day, shooting a 43 on the back nine after starting with a 51 on the front nine.
“I definitely felt a lot of pressure, and I definitely had a rough start today,” Holden said. “I felt like the pressure was just building. But then I got into the zone on the back nine, and the pressure kind of came off. After the 10th hole, I was swinging (the clubs) pretty well again, and I was just taking deep breaths.”
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