Maria Ouimet pulls away to win Maine Women’s Amateur
Maria Ouimet, center, hugs Abby Flanagan, left, as Ruth Colucci looks on after Ouimet won the Maine Women’s Amateur on Wednesday at Val Halla Golf & Recreation in Cumberland. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer) Purchase this image
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CUMBERLAND — Maria Ouimet took the microphone in the clubhouse at Val Halla Golf & Recreation Center, in front of her applauding competitors, and the typically reserved 32-year-old cracked a smile.
“This is cool,” she said.
Ouimet completed a runaway victory Wednesday in the Maine Women’s Amateur championship, shooting a 4-over 76 to finish at 11 over, eight shots ahead of Ruth Colucci and two-time defending champion Jade Haylock.
“I’ve been playing really well the last couple of years, working hard at it, so this feels great,” Ouimet said. “I did have a feeling that one of these years it would happen. If I just go out and play as good as I could play, it would probably happen. That’s kind of how it shook out.”
Ouimet, of the Woodlands Club in Falmouth, started competing in the Women’s Amateur in 2017, but about “two or three years ago” began a serious effort to improve her game. She started playing four rounds a week, practicing when she wasn’t playing, and saw her scores drop from the mid- to high-80s into the 70s.
Following three straight top-10 finishes in this tournament, everything came together in the state’s premier championship. Ouimet had the lead after the first round and never let it go.
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“I think going into the day, (the lead) was six shots and it’s amateur golf, so anything can happen,” she said. “Someone could go crazy low or I could go crazy high, you just never know. (But) I kind of knew halfway there (I was) fine, and that took some pressure off myself.”
Ouimet only hit six fairways but rarely was in trouble, and was able to reach 10 greens in regulation. She again took advantage of the par-5s on the back nine, shooting birdies on the 12th and 14th for the second straight day.
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She even turned her rare miscues into highlights. After finding the hazard off the tee on the ninth, she reached the green with her fourth shot but made a 15-footer to save par. On the 13th, after hitting her approach over the green, she chipped up and made another putt over 10 feet to salvage par again.
The victory was well in hand. But Ouimet still had a goal in mind.
“I just wanted to shoot a good score for me,” she said. “I didn’t want to win by one after leading by seven or whatever.”
Colucci, of Biddeford-Saco Country Club, and Haylock, of Turner Highlands Country Club, finished at 19 over, five shots ahead of 2023 champion Erin Holmes of Val Halla and six ahead of Abby Flanagan of Springbrook Golf Course in Leeds.
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Colucci’s day started in forgettable fashion with six straight bogeys while struggling to find a rhythm with her putter. She hit her approach on the par-4 sixth to within 10 feet, but took the opportunity for a jab at her own expense.
“Now will someone putt it for me?” she asked with a laugh.
Colucci eventually found the right pace and was able to pair a good putting touch with her accurate tee shots. She birdied the seventh and eighth, and played the last 12 holes at even par.
“The (birdies) got me going,” Colucci said. “I just talked to myself, ‘You’ve got to snap out of it. Come on. You can play.'”
The runner-up finish was her best Women’s Amateur performance.
“I am beyond cloud nine, whatever you call it,” she said. “My way of playing golf is to have a good day, have fun out there ,and just try to forget the past hole and continue on to the next one.”
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Haylock continued her turnaround after an 84 in the first round. Her 75 was the best round for the second straight day.
“I’m really proud of myself,” she said. “Obviously I’m disappointed with how I played the first day, but I think it says a lot about my character how I was able to overcome it.”
Haylock eagled the par-5 14th, then got a cheer from the gallery after rolling in an 18-foot putt for birdie on the 18th.
“I heard someone say … as long as there are holes, there’s still a chance. There’s still an opportunity,” she said. “I think I’ll remember that.”
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Drew Bonifant covers sports for the Press Herald, with beats in high school football, basketball and baseball. He was previously part of the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel sports team. A New Hampshire. More by Drew Bonifant
