John Hayes IV wins playoff to become first 2-time Downeast Metro Amateur golf tourney winner
John Hayes IV had been chipping superbly all afternoon but he saved his best chip shot for last.
The Cape Elizabeth native and South Portland resident stuck his short chip shot within a foot and a half of the hole on the first playoff hole and he then sank his birdie putt to beat Newburgh’s Chris Kauppila and win his second Downeast Metro Amateur Golf Tournament title at the Bangor Municipal Golf Course on Sunday.
He had previously won the 9-year-old tournament in 2017.
Each player had shot six-under-par 135s in the two-day event, which included the first round at the Kebo Valley Golf Club in Bar Harbor on Saturday.
The 33-year-old Hayes shot a three-under 67 at Kebo to take a two-stroke lead over the 22-year-old Kauppila entering Sunday’s final round. He shot a three-under 68 on Sunday but Kauppila fired a five-under par 66.
Kauppila’s 66 was the lowest round of the entire tournament.
On the 334-yard, par-four first hole, which was the first playoff hole, Hayes hit his drive close to the green but Kauppila put his in the right side bunker.
He overshot the hole by 12 feet with his bunker shot and his 12-foot birdie putt just slid past the hole.
Hayes’ second shot was a beautiful chip that landed in front of the hole and he tapped in the 18-inch putt to win it.
It was the first time in tournament history that there had been a playoff.
“I had been chipping well. I had good feeling in my hands when I was chipping,” said Hayes, who played his college golf at Towson and the University of Colorado. ”I didn’t really think about [that chip]. I just knew it was going close.”
“That was a great up-and-down. He deserved it,” Kauppila said. “I had a tough lie in the bunker.”
Jason Colavito finished third at three-over-par 144 (73-71) and there was a fourth-place tie at 145 involving Jimmy Middleton (75-70), Ricky Jones (74-71) and Kyle Alexander (72-73), the Brewer native and former Brewer High hockey, golf and baseball star who played in the final threesome with Hayes and Kauppila.
Kent Johnson, Shawn Dennis and Max Woodman were at 146 and at 147 were Kent Johnson Jr., Michael Vanadestine, Wyatt Foster and Joe Walp.
There were 96 players in the top group, the A-B Flight, and 71 more in the C-D Flight division.
The C-D Flight played at the Bangor Muni on Saturday and at Kebo on Sunday.
Sunday’s duel between Hayes and Kauppila was scintillating.
Back-to-back birdies on holes four and five enabled Kauppila to tie Hayes for the lead but Hayes restored his two-shot lead when he parred six and eight while Kauppila bogeyed both.
Hayes was still holding a two-shot lead with six holes to play but Kauppila birdied 13 to slice the lead to one, tied the match with a 14-foot eagle putt on 15 and took the lead with a 6-foot birdie putt on 17.
Kauppila had a chance to win it on the par-five 18th but his 14-foot putt came up just a few inches short so he had to settle for a birdie.
Hayes then forced the playoff by draining a 12-foot eagle putt.
“I did what I needed to do,” said Kauppila, who was a junior on the Husson University golf team this past season and was a former Old Town High School standout. “I eagled 15 and birdied 17 and 18. My putt to win it on 18 was going right in the heart of the cup but it was just half-a-turn short.”
Hayes called his win huge.
“I’m excited. I love this tournament. It’s a lot of fun,” said Hayes, who praised Kauppila for his play.
“He’s a very good player. He played very well,” Hayes said.