Nick Mason of Denver not only made a cut in a PGA Tour event for the first time in his career, but he parlayed his showing into a very nice payday on Sunday.
Mason, who earned a spot in the Sony Open in Hawaii through a playoff in Monday qualifying, finished 42nd on Sunday — along with fellow Coloradan Shane Bertsch — in the tournament at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.
It was the fifth PGA Tour event in which Mason has competed in his career, including three Sony Opens in Hawaii, where the 33-year-old went to college (at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.). Mason won his second Hawaii State Open last month.
In the Sony Open, Mason shot rounds of 68-69-68-66, good for a four-day total of 9-under-par 271. The showing was worth $18,662.
“Probably the best moment of my life for sure,” Mason told Hawaii News Now after two rounds. “My goal is to win obviously, but to get in on the weekend is one of the biggest feats of my career for sure. … This is where I want to play, and if I want to play, I have to do more than just make cuts, but to get over that hump was unbelievable.”
As for Bertsch, he went 65-68-69-69 to tie Mason.
Zac Blair of St. George, Utah, a former low amateur at what is now the CoBank Colorado Open, finished a PGA Tour career-best third Sunday, one out of a playoff between Brandt Snedeker and Fabian Gomez, which Gomez won with a birdie on the second extra hole.
