The 88th Maine Amateur golf championship got underway Tuesday morning at the Waterville Country Club. This marks the ninth time since the tournament started in 1918 that the par-70 layout has hosted the event.

The 54-hole tourney began with 126 players competing for the prestigious title of Maine’s best amateur golfer. All golfers were looking to play well in rounds one and two in order make the cut for the final round on Thursday. The top 40 scores (and ties) after 36 holes of play will moved on to Thursday’s final round. Not only do those top 40 players get a shot at the championship, but they are also exempt for next year’s Maine Amateur.

Lance Libby of Sidney was the leader after the first round as he posted the only sub-par round of the day at 69.

One shot back was 18-year-old Keegan Fennessy of Minot. The Poland High graduate fired a 70 to place himself among the leaders after the opening day of play. He went out with a 36 on the front nine and followed that with a 34 coming in. Fennessy is from the Point Sebago Golf Club.

Also at 70 were Eric Higgins (Kennebunk), Joseph Alvarez (Hampden), and 13-time Maine Amateur champion Mark Plummer (Augusta). Todd Kirn of Kennebunk was two shots back at 71 and three golfers were three shots back including Gary Manoogian (Westbrook), Ricky Jones (Thomaston), and Toby Spector (Waterville).

Bobby Myers of Standish and Brandon Wohl of Windham finished the opening day with identical scores of 78. Myers had a 38 on the front and a 38 on the back while Wohl carded a 42 on the front side and a 36 on the back. Myers plays out of the Gorham Country Club and Wohl plays at Nonesuch River.

In 2006, Windham’s Shawn Warren won the Maine Amateur at the Gorham Country Club. The most recent winners include:

2006 – Shawn Warren

2005 – Corey Poulin

2004 – Ricky Jones

2003 – Ricky Jones

2002 – Mark Plummer

2001 – Mark Plummer

2000 – Mark Plummer

1999 – Ron Brown, Jr.

1998 – Eric Crouse

1997 – Mark Plummer

1996 – Mark Plummer

1995 – Casey Bourque

1994 – Mark Plummer

1993 – Dan Ladd

1992 – Rick Ambrose

1991 – Sean Gorgone

1990 – Sean Gorgone

For more coverage on the Maine Amateur, see www.keepMEcurrent.com and next week’s edition of the Lakes Region Suburban Weekly.