Andrew Slattery, of Falmouth, follows through on a shot on the third hole during the first round of the Maine Open on Monday at the Augusta Country Club in Manchester. Slattery shot even par 70. (Anna Chadwick/Staff Photographer)

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MANCHESTER — The threatening skies held off, and Day 1 of the Charlie’s Maine Open was played with no impediments Monday at Augusta Country Club.

A Maine golf star made a roaring comeback to finish tied for the lead, but that wasn’t the only noteworthy thing that happened in the first round. Here are five takeaways from the opening day of play.

Late birdies propel Manuel into tie for 1st

He hasn’t played as much golf as usual lately, but Topsham’s Caleb Manuel showed he can still compete with the best — and finish the way he always does.

Manuel was three shots down before he birdied 16, 17 and 18 to end the day tied atop the leaderboard with Nick Pandelena (Atkinson, New Hampshire) and Fletcher Babcock (Danielson, Connecticut) at 5-under 65. 

“I haven’t been playing a lot — I’ve been working down in Georgia and taking a little break from competitive (play) — so this is kind of getting my feet back under me,” Manuel said. “I didn’t really have any expectations going into the day; I was at peace and felt like I wasn’t trying to force anything.”

It’s not the first time Manuel has entered the clubhouse in a groove here. He also birdied the last three holes on Day 2 of the 2024 Maine Open before posting an eagle on 16 and a birdie on 18 on Day 3 and finishing second to Sean Bosdosh.

“Today was a little better (than 2024) because it was into the wind,” Manuel said. “I made a good putt on 17, and 16 and 18 are good birdie holes as well, so it was good to finish on a positive note.”

Pandelena, Babcock also claim shares of lead

With the best golfers in the tournament given later tee-times, it’s not surprising the three co-leaders came from the day’s later groups. Manuel teed off at 11 a.m., while Pandelena started off at noon, and Babcock was in the third-to-last group at 12:40 p.m.

Babcock’s only bogey was the on the opening hole. He birdied 2, 3, 10, 14 and 18. Pandelena, who has played in just about every Maine Open since turning pro a decade ago, played a bogey-free round with birdies on 4, 10, 11, 14 and 18.

“I didn’t make a ton of puts, but I hit the ball pretty well, and no bogeys today is great,” said Pandelena, the runner-up in 2016. “(The course) was a little bit receptive, and the greens were maybe a little bit slower than I’m used to, but I thought it was really good.”

Canadian duo posts strong showing

Only two Canadian players are competing in this year’s 108-man field. Those two players, Gavin Ives (Middle Sackville, Nova Scotia) and Alexi Clément (Drummondville, Quebec), both claimed top-10 finishes.

Clément, who was the early leader in the clubhouse, was one-over through 10 holes but birdied 11, 12 and 16 to finish tied for 10th at 2-under 68. Ives, meanwhile, birdied 5, 8, 14 and 16 before his lone bogey on 17 left him tied for fifth at 3-under 68.

“I was in Montreal playing a couple events, and I decided to stop on my way back to play in my first-ever state open,” Ives said. “It’s a beautiful place. … I hit the ball well and made a couple putts well when I could. I had a rough finish there with the bogey to not make it bogey-free, but all in all, (it was) good.

Club change yields results for local amateur

It’s technically not his home course, but Austin Gould (Pittston; Waterville Country Club) golfed at ACC quite a bit as a player at Gardiner Area High School. His experience here showed, as he shot a 1-under 69, tied for 10th overall and second among amateurs behind Luke Ruffing at 2 under.

A reason for his strong play, he said, was a change he made over the weekend. Looking to improve on the greens, Gould switched to a different putter. That move paid dividends throughout the day, but especially on the 12th hole, where he made an impressive putt for eagle.

“I’ve been putting a lot better now; I’m way more confident in my putter,” said Gould, who graduated from Gardiner a year ago. “I had some trouble in the bunkers, but other than that, I feel like I did pretty well overall.”

Leaderboard

• T1 Caleb Manuel (Topsham), -5

• T1 Fletcher Babcock (Danielson, Connecticut), -5

• T1 Nick Pandelena (Atkinson, New Hampshire), -5

• 4 Patrick Healy (Centerport, New York), -4

• T5 Gavin Ives (Middle Sackville, Nova Scotia), -3

• T5 Ethan Whitney (Westminster, Massachusetts), -3