BLAINE, Minn. (AP) James Mason walked off the course with a cherished autograph and the first-round lead at the 3M Championships.

The bill of Mason's white cap now has the signature of his idol, Arnold Palmer, and he's not taking it off anytime soon.

Playing with Palmer and Miller Barber, the relatively unknown Mason shot a course record 64 Friday as he birdied seven of the last 12 holes.

"I keep pinching myself when I'm out here and I see all the guys I've seen on TV and I'm right there with them," Mason said. "Hopefully I won't go out and shoot 80 tomorrow, but I could."

Mason holds a two-stroke lead over Hale Irwin. Mason is 49th on the season money list with just over $250,000. Irwin is first at $1.8 million.

Last week's winner, Hubert Green, shot 67. Fuzzy Zoeller, Allen Doyle, Sammy Rachels, Rocky Thompson and Leonard Thompson all finished at 68.

The 54-hole tournament continues Saturday at the TPC of the Twin Cities, with a 78-man field chasing a winner's purse of $262,000.

There are 182 player bios in the senior tour media guide, but Mason's isn't among them. The events of 10 weeks ago will ensure his place in the 2003 book.

While playing just his seventh senior event, Mason scored a breakthrough victory June 2 at the NFL Golf Classic in New Jersey. He became just the eighth senior player to win a tournament after surviving the Tuesday qualifier that rounded out the field.

"There were 100 guys going for four spots," Mason added. "I shot 67 to get in."

In his NFL victory, Mason opened with a 65, slumped to a 73 on Saturday but came back with a 69 to win by two strokes. He holed two wedge shots on the final round, including a fairway shot from 105 yards.

"That win gave me a lot of confidence and took some pressure off," Mason said. "But I haven't played that well since then. I had some high expectations after winning. I may have pushed too hard and tried to do things I couldn't do."

Mason became tour eligible last year, and he made it through pre-event qualifiers five times to play in senior events. His best finish was a tie for 38th.

Mason's biggest golf moment before this year was qualifying for the 1997 PGA Championships while a club pro in Georgia. His largest payday in golf was a $20,000 purse for winning a tournament in his homestate.

Mason was prepared to play in 30 pre-event qualifiers this year if necessary to try to get into as many tournaments as possible. The NFL victory changed that as he's now guaranteed a spot in senior tournaments through next June. His revised goal is to finish in the top 31 on the money list to stay exempt throughout 2003.

"Being from Georgia, I had crossed paths with Allen Doyle, and I saw the success he was having on the senior tour," Mason said. "I knew he was better than me, but I knew I could compete with him."

In Friday's round, Mason made five birdie putts of 12 feet or longer, capped by a 20-footer on No. 17. A four-foot birdie putt on No. 18 failed to drop and denied him a 63.

"I've really been working on my putting and it really paid off," Mason said.

The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast or redistributed without prior written authority of The Associated Press.