PORTLAND – The finale of the 86th Charlie’s Maine Open Golf Championship came down to a battle of the Thundering Herd rather than a thundering herd of golfers when heavy rain reduced Friday’s play to a two-man, four-hole playoff to determine the winner.

Shawn Warren of Windham, who will be a sophomore on Marshall University Thundering Herd golf team this fall, banged home a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at Riverside Municipal Golf Course on Friday to defeat Todd Westfall of Clendenin, W.Va., a graduate of Marshall, by a stroke.

Westfall’s 14-foot putt for birdie to tie Warren just slid by on the left, making Warren the first amateur to win the Maine Open since Steve Robbins of Portsmouth, N.H., did it in 1971.

“This is something I’ve been waiting for a long, long time,” said the 19-year-old Warren.

Westfall took the loss in stride, especially considering he was going to receive the $6,500 winner’s check no matter what happened.

“It was enjoyable, exciting, and I was pleased with the results,” said Westfall.

Warren’s victory was in serious doubt earlier on the last hole after he hooked his drive by the trees lining the left side of the fairway, which he had also done in Wednesday’s first round.

He punched a 6-iron from 170 yards, and despite the wet conditions, the ball bounced onto the front of the green, leaving a fairly straight uphill putt.

He hit the ball firmly; it hit the back of the cup, took a little hop, and fell into the cup for birdie.

“I wasn’t going to leave it short,” Warren said.

“I could only smile when Shawn’s went in,” said the 27-year-old Westfall.

Then it was Westfall’s turn.

“I hit a good putt. It just went a little left,” he said. “I thought it was straight, maybe a little right.”

Deluges Thursday night and Friday morning washed out any chance of getting a full day of play in, and tournament organizers from the Maine State Golf Association settled on the four-hole playoff for the co-leaders, the same format the British Open uses to determine its winner.

“I probably would have preferred sudden death, but a four-hole playoff is not bad,” said Westfall.

“I hate to see a 54-hole tournament decided on one [playoff] hole,” said Nancy DeFrancesco, executive director of the MSGA. “Too many people here [at Riverside] put in too much time [to have it end so quickly].”

Players who were hoping to make a run at the leaders Friday were disappointed by the washout.

“I would’ve liked to have had a shot today after winning before with a 66 in the last round,” said Ryan Ouellette of West Palm Beach, Fla., whose 66 two years ago gave him the 2002 Maine Open title.

Ouellette would have started three strokes behind, along with first-round leader Tom Johnson of East Greenwich, R.I.

They would have had to leapfrog Biddeford native Casey Bourque and Angel Franco of Asuncion, Paraguay, who were a stroke back, and Jerry DiPhilippo of Gorham and Rich Parker of Lebanon, N.H., who trailed by two strokes. Four more players were at 139, which could have made a full Friday finish look like the Charge of the Light Brigade.

Warren and Westfall both found enough drama in their four-hole playoff, which was held on holes 15-18.

Warren just missed a birdie putt on 15 as they both parred; Westfall birdied 16 to take a one-stroke lead, and Warren answered with a two-putt birdie on the 329-yard, par-4 17th to even the score again.

Warren received hugs and handshakes from family and friends afterward, and he made one special phone call.

“I called my dad right after, in the Dominican Republic,” he said. “I [still] don’t think he believes I won.”