MANCHESTER — Andrew Mason waited nearly as long as anyone to tee off at Charlie’s Maine Open, but the former Temple University standout certainly made the best of his opportunity.

Mason birdied two of the final three holes at the Augusta Country Club to take home the championship with an 8-under-par 62 on Tuesday.

Additional Images

Eric Egloff tees off during the annual Charlie's Maine Open on Tuesday morning. Staff photo by Evan Crawley

Eric Egloff finished 5-under par Tuesday in the one-day Maine Open, but was three strokes behind winner Andrew Mason. Egloff was in one of the first groups to tee off at the Augusta Country Club. Joe Phelan/ Kennebec Journal

ANDREW MASON

Leaderboard

Andrew Mason -8

Mark Purrington -6

Jeb Buchanan -5

Bryan Bigley -5

Joe Toland -5

Eric Egloff -5

“I thought I was going to play (Monday), didn’t, so I’m happy to have played out here (Tuesday),” Mason said. “I played really well,”

This year’s Maine Open proved to be anything but conventional for Mason – and for most of the golfers in the field.

Nearly half of the field at least teed off on Monday on the first day of what was supposed to be a 36-hole tournament, but torrential rain wiped out any results. The tournament was then reduced to an 18-hole event and once Mason teed off at 2:20 p.m. he wasted little time in getting on the board.

He birdied the opening hole, and added two more on the fifth and sixth holes to quickly move to 3-under. Once he made the turn, Mason made yet another push and carding three straight birdies to take the lead at 6-under par.

“I kind of had an idea I was in the lead,” Mason said, “but not by a great amount.”

Mason added another birdie on the 16th to go up two strokes on the leaders in the clubhouse, but on the 18th fairway he found out he still had some work to do. While Mason was preparing to finish his round, Mark Purrington was just a shot back with two holes left on the front nine.

“I thought I was two clear,” Mason said. “Then I heard on the middle of the 18th fairway that (Purrington) has two holes to play.”

Mason took command on the 540-yard, par-5 18th, sticking his approach shot with a 4-iron to within 10 feet to set up an eagle opportunity. From there he two-putted for birdie to move to 8 under. Purrington only got one real good look at birdie in the final two holes.

Purrington made a strong push at the back end of his first nine holes to shoot 4-under, but after the turn left a few opportunities on the putting surface and was forced to scramble at times to save par.

“I’m happy with it,” Purrington said. “It would have been nice to get a win but it was good.”

While the Maine Open ultimately boiled down to a two-man race, most spent their time staring at the number 65.

Joe Toland and Eric Egloff held the lead through the morning session by shooting 5-under, and Jeb Buchanan and Bryan Bingle added their names to the list a few hours later.

Toland teed off at 9:30 a.m. and started the front nine on a torrid pace.

On the back nine, Toland “leveled off” with six pars, one birdie and one bogey heading into the 18th, which he birdied.

Egloff, meanwhile, was almost in the clubhouse by the time Toland made the turn as he was in one of the first groups of the day at 7:40 a.m.

Egloff began his day on the 10th hole and made the turn at 3 under after birdies on Nos. 12, 14 and 15. Egloff picked up a birdie on hole No. 1 and grabbed another on the par-4 fourth after sticking his second shot within 10 feet of the pin.

On the par-5 fifth Egloff had another opportunity to get further into the red but this time his birdie attempt from inside of 10 feet just burned the edge.

Egloff parred No. 6 but then dropped a stroke after leaving his tee shot on the par-3 seventh short of the green. After chipping on, he missed his seven-foot par attempt and settled for a bogey.

The putter would come back for him on the ninth though, as he dropped in a 20-footer for a birdie.

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