BANGOR – The runaway horse race at Bangor Municipal Golf Course turned into a Wild West shootout Saturday in the finale of the 40th Greater Bangor Open sponsored by Hollywood Slots of Bangor.

And that favored the Lawless – Marc Lawless of Aptos, Calif.

Lawless birdied the first hole in a sudden-death playoff with Scott Hawley of Shrewsbury, Mass., to claim the $11,000 first-place check from the $50,000 purse.

Lawless posted a 2-under-par 67 for a three-day total of 7-under 200. Hawley, co-leader after the first round and three-strokes ahead after the second day, finished with a 2-over 71 for his 200.

As Lawless stood over his 5-foot putt in the playoff, he felt his jumpiness.

“My hands were shaking on that putt,” he said. “I’d never experienced that before. I had to step back and calm my nerves.”

After he set himself again, he rolled the putt straight in for his second win as a professional. Coincidentally, the other was also in a playoff.

Tied for third were Brent Wanner of Orleans, Mass., 2001 GBO champ Jim Salinetti of Lee, Mass., and Corey Brigham of Runson, N.J. Wanner shot a 69 Saturday, Salinetti a 68, and Brigham a 64.

Sam Corden of Ellicott City, Md., who was also playing in the last threesome with Hawley and Wanner, headed a large group at 202 after shooting a 70.

Brad Wheatley of Shirley, Mass., fired a 65 Saturday to jump to the top of the amateur list at 214.

Corden did pick up a nice going-away prize as he won the Chrysler Q-School Shootout, which was made up of the top nine finishers participating in a skills competition.

Corden had his own shaking hands to deal with on a long bunker shot, the final skill.

“I’m thinking, ‘I’ve got to get this inside 13 feet,”‘ he said. “I’m lucky I didn’t blade it across the green.”

Instead, he knocked it to 9 feet 7 inches and earned the $4,500 prize.

Lawless considered himself lucky to have won at all.

“I didn’t think Scott would go backwards,” said Lawless. “I didn’t think that I would have a chance.”

Hawley did start reasonably well, although his first birdie didn’t come until the fourth hole (No. 13 on the card as the nines were reversed for the final round). At that point he was 10 under, five up on Wanner and Corden.

Hawley hit his tee shot on the next hole into the trees on the left, had to take an unplayable play, and ended up with a double-bogey 6.

“My timing off the tee was really bad today,” said a dejected Hawley. “All the holes you can take advantage of, I couldn’t get near.”

It wasn’t just his driving, though.

“Every aspect of my game was off today,” he said.

Lawless knew there were parts of his game that weren’t up to snuff, so he avoided them.

“I’ve been struggling off the tee, so I hit a lot of 3-woods,” said the third-year pro. “I didn’t get in trouble off the tee. I did a good job of keeping the ball in play.”

He got off to an inauspicious start when he bogeyed two of the first three holes, but he didn’t make anymore. He parred the next nine holes before he birdied 13 through 16 to get to 7 under.

He had no idea where he stood with Hawley, or even anyone in his threesome. At that point he was one behind Hawley and tied with Salinetti, who had reached 8 under on 13 and was tied with Hawley before making a double bogey on 15 and a birdie on 16.

“I didn’t realize I was leading,” said Salinetti, “nor did I believe it would be enough to win the tournament in general.”

“I didn’t look [at the leader boards]. I didn’t want to know,” said Lawless.

That continued through the final hole when he was still one behind Hawley, who had just finished 16.

Lawless had about a 15-foot downhill putt for birdie on the last hole but couldn’t get it to drop.

“I had no worry about leaving it short, so of course I left it short,” he said with a smile.

He didn’t think it mattered.

“I didn’t think 7 [under] would have a chance,” he said.

It did, though, after Hawley only parred 13 (the only par 5) and bogeyed 14, holes he had birdied in his first two rounds. Hawley missed birdie tries on the last three holes, and Wanner after making birdie on 16, missed 15-foot birdie putts on the last two holes.

“Sometimes you get a little break here or there,” said Wanner. “It seems like every break went against me.”

After their drives on the playoff hole, Lawless hit his approach shot first from about 138 yards. He stuck it 5 feet right of the pin.

Hawley, hitting from about 130 yards from the left rough, had his approach shot stop about 18 feet short of the cup. His birdie try glided by on the right edge.

“On a hole like this, almost definitely somebody will make birdie,” said Hawley. “I thought I had a good putt. It just didn’t break at the end and I’m down the road.”

This was Lawless’ third time playing in the GBO.

“I didn’t cash a check the first two years,” said the 27-year-old third-year pro.

His average just went way up.