Gardiner’s Jack Quinn finished second for the Class B individual title on Oct. 8 at Natanis Golf Course in Vassalboro. Quinn recently qualified to participate in the New England Amateur, which will be July 18-20 at the Woodlands Golf Club in Falmouth.  Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal file

Jack Quinn found a solid way to celebrate his birthday.

Quinn, who recently finished his freshman year at Gardiner Area High School, recently qualified for the New England Amateur, which will take place at the Woodlands Club in Falmouth from July 18-20.

“I’m pretty excited,” said Quinn, who turned 15 on Sunday.

Quinn shot a 3-over 75, tying him for eighth place at a qualifier on June 6 at Sanford Country Club.

“I was nervous going into (the qualifier),” Quinn said. “I just think about it as, if you’re not nervous, you don’t care. I was a little jittery. But now that I qualified… I knew I was good enough to go in and place first in that qualifier. I should have, but I just had a bad day with the flat stick. I played pretty good, struck the ball well, I hit my driver really well. I just putted pretty poorly. I had to go into it thinking it was more of a qualifier than a tournament. All I have to do is get to that next day, or the tournament.”

Reaching the New England Amateur marks the continuation of a successful year. The No. 1 golfer for the Tigers last fall, Quinn finished second individually at the Class B championships on Oct. 8 at Natanis Golf Course in Vassalboro. He later went on to finish 16th out of 72 golfers at the New England championships.

“I always set the bar pretty high for myself,” said Quinn, who averaged a nine-hole score of 36 during the high school regular season. “I always set a goal (for myself) that I can get, but is pretty hard to do. I try to go into all these tournaments, even though I’m playing with some of the best amateurs in New England, I think I’m also one of the best. Not to be braggy or anything, but I think I can go in there and place just as well as anybody else, even though I’m 15.”

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The Maine Event takes place next Monday and Tuesday at the Augusta Country Club in Manchester.

It’s an earlier than usual start for the tournament, now in its fourth year. Traditionally, the event is held in August.

Caleb Manuel reacts after making a birdie on the 14th hole in the final round of the 2022 Maine Amateur at Webhannet Golf Club in Kennebunk. Manuel is slated to compete in the Maine Event next week at Manchester Country Club in Augusta. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald file

Several area standouts will be competing at the Maine Event, including Mt. Ararat alum Caleb Manuel, who just wrapped his first season playing for the University of Georgia golf team (after two years at the University of Connecticut). Also competing is Erskine Academy graduate Connor Paine, who recently completed his junior year at Saint Leo University in Florida. Paine finished second overall (1-over 141) at the Maine Event last year, just two shots behind winner Shawn Warren. Paine also had the lowest men’s amateur score.

“It’s always fun to play in the Maine (tournaments) when I come back home in the summers,” Paine said. “Now that I’m kind of getting older and playing in some of these events, it’s just something that’s fun for me. Always love seeing the guys.”

Paine said the Augusta Country Club course can be a challenge.

“It’s super short and the greens are pretty tricky,” Paine said. “It’s not a lot of drivers for me, I pretty much hit my 3-iron pretty much everywhere there. It’s one of those courses where, if I’m hitting my 3-iron good, I’ll play good. If I’m not hitting it well off the tee, it kind of gets trickier because the rough can get tough to hit out of, and those greens are fast and small.”

The Haylock sisters — Ruby and Jade — will also be competing at the Maine Event. It was Jade Haylock — who recently completed her sophomore year at Leavitt High School in Turner — who had the lowest women’s score last year, shooting an 8-over 154.

“I’m very excited,” said Jade Haylock, who won her second straight individual Class B title last fall and led the Hornets to the Class B team state title. “I love the competition of the Maine Event and all the people in it. It’s a really fun event.”

Ruby Haylock recently completed a solid freshman year for the Bates College golf team, qualifying for the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) women’s golf championship.

“I absolutely love this event,” said Ruby Haylock, who has won two Mane Women’s Amateur titles in the last three years. “It’s different from any of the other tournaments I play in over the summer because we get to play with men. That’s a really great opportunity for all of us. I played with Mark Plummer and Cole Anderson, I played in a group with them (in 2021). That was just an amazing experience. Playing with those two, I felt so honored. It’s so cool.”

Plummer is also scheduled to compete at the Maine Event, along with Warren, the returning champion.

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While the Haylock sisters are no strangers when competing with one another, the gap in physical talents is closing together, making for a fun sibling rivalry on the course.

“Our family dynamic is wonderful,” Ruby Haylock said. “Jade is an amazing athlete. She does three sports and excels in all of them. Watching her grow as an athlete, perform her best and set her own standards for herself. She holds herself to this expectation that’s higher than most kids I’ve seen her age. It’s amazing to see her grow into this amazing person. Competing with her has been so much fun over the years, and she’s getting a lot better.

“I need to start watching out,” Ruby Haylock added. “She beat me in a tournament (Wednesday). It was a team tournament, so I took one for the team. But yeah, she’s at that age where we have similar power behind our (drives). I don’t have that advantage over her anymore. This is the age where it comes together. I won my first Am when I was 15, she just turned 16. It was bound to happen at some point, and we’re getting to that point.”

Jade Haylock credited her sister with raising her game on the golf course.

“My family, in general, are my biggest supporters and come to all my events,” Jade Haylock said. “I love competing with them, especially Ruby. She pushes me really hard and I just look up to her a lot. Especially in the game of golf. She’s a great role model and I just try to keep up with her the best I can.”