Mark Purrington, who attended Bridgton Academy, will be the Exotics Tour’s most touted new player when he competes Tuesday in the fifth event of the season at the Falmouth Country Club.

A resident of Dartmouth, Mass., Purrington, 27, will be one of 40 players in the field. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Purrington literally “drums up” his golf game, by playing drums in various bands to support his golf tournament entry fees. He also works “Demo Days” for Cobra-Puma.

“The field is not as big as I’d like it,” said Johnny Johnston, who works at Freeport and is the tour director. “But we like having a newcomer like Purrington, who will be formidable and is a great addition.”

In Maine, Purrington probably is best remembered for shooting 64 in the rain-shortened Maine Open this year. That great score, however, did not make him the champion as he finished with $7,500 runner-up money. He also was in the Bangor Open, and recently was 22nd in the New England Championship.

Purrington finished 36th in the New Hampshire Open earlier his year and was in Stage 1 of the PGA Tour’s Q School last October. He also has played on the Golfslinger (Florida) and the eGolf Professional tours (Carolinas).

Johnston, who is satisfied with the progress the Exotics Tour has made from 2013 to 2014, had to make an unhappy announcement late last week about the Oct. 1 Tour Championship at Old Marsh.

“The date turned out to be a bit late in the season for many of the players,” he said. “A lot of New England pros have or will have already headed out to winter jobs in the south.”

“We want the championship to be an exciting, fun and full event. So we’ll end on a high note with the Exotics Pro-Am at Falmouth Sept. 23 and then see what 2015 brings.”

Summed up, the Tour Championship had to be canceled for lack of entries. A small field of pros could not support the advertised $15,000 first place prize money.

In all probability the 2015 Exotics Tour schedule will call for a $15,000 first-place tournament, but it would need to be scheduled in the middle of the season.

“I’m already thinking about next year,” Johnston said. And so are many pros and amateurs who competed in tour events this season.

Membership drive

The Maine State Golf Association is dealing with a 2014 membership decline, so it has taken a page from many golf courses by offering a membership for the remainder of this season and all of next season.

“Its beautiful out there right now and a perfect time of year to play golf,” said Nancy Storey, executive director of the MSGA. “The MSGA is attempting to recover from a poor spring and membership numbers significantly down from last year.”

Players who join the MSGA now will be be members for the remainder of 2014 and for all of 2015.

That can be done by telephone at 207-829-3547, or by visiting MSGA headquarters at 58 Val Halla Road, Cumberland.

Tourney on tap

The inaugural Lewiston-Auburn Tournament of Champions will be held next weekend with four players from each club (Fairlawn, Fox Ridge, Poland Spring and Martindale) competing. The 16 players will be teeing off for nine holes at 10 a.m. at Fairlawn, and 1 p.m. for nine holes at Fox Ridge, both on Sept. 26, plus at 10 a.m. for nine holes at Poland Spring, concluding at 1 p.m. with nine holes at Martindale, both on Sept. 27.

The winning team will be the foursome with the lowest gross total.

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