A soon to be inducted Hall of Famer won the 2015 Maine State Dolphin Open miniature golf championship on Sept. 13 at the Dolphin Mini-golf Course in Boothbay.

Peter A. Gilchrist, 70, of Boothbay Harbor carded a 342 during the 10-round competition. This was his 13th championship in the tournament’s 22-year history.

Gilchrist defeated 27 other mini-golfers. He entered the final 18 holes with an eight shot lead over Josh Tiberio of Manville, Rhode Island. Gilchrist increased his margin by shooting a two-under par 34, while Tiberio shot an even par 36.

John O’Leary of Connecticut finished third with at 360.  Elmer Lawson of Pennsylvania finished fourth at 361; and Lee Stoddard of Boothbay, the Dolphin Mini-golf proprietor and tournament director, finished fifth at 363.

Stoddard was in second place on the final day of the tournament, but a couple bad holes resulted in him falling out of contention.

“I had a five on a hole, which really hurt me,” Stoddard said. “I also shot a 36 in the final round, which didn’t help either.”

Stoddard and Gilchrist are the course’s two most experienced players. But it seemed nobody had enough game to push Gilchrist. The 13-time champion believes tournament play is all about battling your emotions.

“All of these guys are really good,” he said. “Sometimes you’re your own worst enemy. You talk yourself out of things. You over-correct by hitting it too hard or too light. So you just have to stay focused and not let some bad shots hurt your score too badly.”

By winning the open championship, Gilchrist claimed the $1,000 first prize. 

Gilchrist is a former U.S. mini-golf seniors champion. He, along with Stoddard, will be inducted into the U.S. mini-golf Hall of Fame in October.

“We are going to be the second and third members,” Gilchrist said.

The duo will join inaugural member Bobby Ward of South Carolina.

The Maine State Dolphin Open is also sanctioned by the U.S. Pro Mini-golf Association. The tournament began in 1993 and attracts the region’s top miniature golfers. Dan Olejnik, 35, of Freeport, New York, has entered the tournament for the past nine years. He and two of his friends make the trip each year from Long Island to play in the tournament.

“My friend heard of this tournament online and we’ve made the trip each year,” Olejnik said. “It’s a lot of fun. There is great camaraderie with the other players. And besides, it’s great coming to Boothbay each summer.”

The Maine State Dolphin Open also crowned winners in the seniors, amateur and junior divisions. Arthur Richardson of Maine won the seniors title with a two-round score of 80. David Smith of Maine won the amateur title with a two-round 89 score. And Michael D’Amelilo of Maine won the juniors with a two round score of 89.

Another winner each year is the Maine Shriners Hospital for Children. The tournament and Stoddard’s business, The Ice Cream Hut, made donations to the hospital. This year’s tournament raised $2,680. The Ice Cream Hut contributed $5,277. Since 1993, the Maine State Dolphin Open has contributed $106,678 to the hospital.

However, this may be the last Dolphin Maine State Open. Stoddard and his wife, Nancy Stoddard, and step daughter, Katrina Dunsmore, spend three weeks each year organizing the tournament and finding sponsors. This year, the tournament had over 100 sponsors. But the tournament’s operation and fundraising responsibilities are becoming too much for the trio.

“It’s just becoming more and more difficult to find sponsors. It’s time consuming and I think this just might be the last year,” Stoddard said.

The open tournament awarded $3,000 in prize money: first place, $1,000; second, $600; third, $400; fifth, $200; and sixth through eighth, $100 each.