Monday qualifier Mason wins

James Mason can finally take Mondays off and give up his job as a teaching pro.

He's now a member of the Senior PGA Tour.

Mason earned his spot on the tour on Sunday by shooting a 3-under-par 69 to win the NFL Golf Classic by two strokes, becoming the eighth ``Monday qualifier'' to capture an event.

``One thing I know is that I don't have to go to Monday qualifying any more,'' said Mason, who has spent most of the last two years trying unsuccessfully to qualify for senior events.

Mason, of Dillard, Ga., qualified for five of 14 events last year and his last two this year after missing his first 10 or 11 opportunities. His best prior finish had been a tie for 38th last year.

Mason got into this event in a rare Tuesday qualifier -- Monday was Memorial Day -- and it changed his life for the next year.

The victory gives him an exemption for the next year. His $195,000 first prize is almost eight times as much as he earned in his first six senior starts.

``It totally hasn't sunk in yet,'' Mason said. ``You don't know how hard it is to get through the Mondays to start with, but this is phemomenal. I can't describe it. Hopefully, me and my wife will have some time to talk about it and reflect about it. We have arrived.''

Mason earned his playing privileges with a couple of spectacular shots in a round that featured an eagle, four birdies and three bogeys

The chubby golfer in black knickers made the eagle on the uphill 340-yard No. 2 at the Upper Montclair Country Club, holing a sand wedge from 103 yards in the fairway.

Four holes later, Mason added a birdie out a greenside bunker.

``Playing six holes and holing one out of the fairway and another out of the bunker, you may go the whole year and never do that,'' Mason said. ``I guess maybe Lady Luck was with me all the way around.''

Mason made the finish interesting after building a three-stroke lead with three holes to play. He bogeyed No. 16 after missing the fairway. He had to make a 5-footer to save par on the par-3 No. 17, and he had fun on the par-5 final hole after pushing his drive right behind trees.

Ignoring the advice of his local caddie to put the ball back in the 18th fairway, Mason used a 5-iron on his second shot to hook the ball into the 10th fairway.

That gave him a good approach to the green over a pond. He landed his third shot 10-12 feet away, and two putted for his first win.

Mason, who entered the final round two shots behind co-leaders Jay Sigel and John Bland, finished the 54-hole event with a 9-under-par 207 total.

Dave Eichelberger, Bruce Fleisher and Morris Hatalsky tied for second, a shot ahead of Sigel and Walter Hall.

Sigel, who was looking for his second straight win, double-bogeyed the first hole and never really challenged.

Bland, seeking his first win since 1996, led by two shots early in the final round. However, he was 7-over on the final 12 holes and finished six shots behind the leader.

If there was any indication Mason was capable of doing better, it came last week when he shot 68 in his final round at the Farmers Charity Classic in Michigan. He came to New Jersey and grabbed one of the last four spots in the field by shooting a 67 in the qualifier on Tuesday at the Green Brook Country Club in North Caldwell.

Mason admitted there have been times over the past two years that he has wondered about his career and thought of going back to be a teaching pro on a full-time basis.

``I've made threats of doing it, but you always come back,'' he said. ``I can still teach pretty good, but I still play with passion and playing is my passion.''

Now it's his job, too.

Former quarterback Steve Bartkowski shot a 6-over 78 to win the NFL players' portion of the event. San Diego tight end David Binn was second at 81, followed by former Denver star John Elway at 82.

Bartkowski donated his $34,000 top prize to the Brain Tumor Foundation for Children.

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