Beginning today, the Maine State Golf Association is hosting the 97th Maine Amateur Championship at York Golf & Tennis Club.

The three-day event continues with second-round action on Wednesday, with the top 40 and ties advancing to Thursday’s final round.

According to Nancy Shorey, the executive director of the Maine State Golf Association, “York is among the oldest golf clubs in Maine.”

The event was held at the York G&TC in 1978, won by Bob Matthews. York is one of 399 golf courses designed by Donald Ross, and Ross’ brother Alex served as its first golf professional. Since then only three other professionals have held that position — William “Willie” Wilson, Dick McLeod and current professional Kyle Paige.

York celebrated its centennial in 2000 and was originally designed as a 27- hole course. Despite closing nine holes during the Great Depression, it is the eighth oldest continually-operated 18-hole golf course in Maine.

The tournament will be a 54-hole stroke play event with 132 players competing. All players who make the cut and play the final round are exempt from qualifying for next year’s championship, which will be held during the MSGA’s centennial celebration year at the Brunswick Golf Club, one of the founding member clubs of the MSGA.

John Hayes IV of Portland is the defending champion. He held off longtime challenger and ageless Mark Plummer, who will also be in the field looking for the win. Hayes, Andrew Slattery, the 2013 champion, Ricky Jones, 44, and Mark Plummer, 64, are the only three winners in the field since 2000 who still retain their amateur status.

Competing out of Brunswick is Derek Devereaux, Nate McCue, Patrick Otto and Alex Viola. Chris Billings of Topsham, Chris Cloutier of Lisbon, Henry Fall of Harpswell and Jack Wyman of South Freeport are also in the field.

Austin Legge, at the age of 15, is the youngest participant in this year’s Maine Amateur, while Lowell Watson is the oldest at the age of 70, a mere four months older than Truman Libby.