Groton — When Eric Egloff's tee shot skipped out of bounds by about five feet on the 18th hole, Bobby Gage almost couldn't believe it.

All of a sudden, Gage had a chance to pull off a stunning comeback from a four-shot deficit in Tuesday's final round of the 36th Connecticut Senior Open at Shennecossett Golf Course.

Still, at best, he figured there would be a playoff.

Already in the clubhouse with a two-round total of 4-under 138, Gage watched from the grassy mound near the 18th fairway as Egloff stumbled to a double bogey, missing roughly a 20-foot putt from the fringe that he had to make to force an extra hole.

"Eric is a very good friend of mine and that's the last thing I wanted to see happen to him," Gage said. "He's been a good player for a long time and I really feel for him because I've been there. ... I just didn't really believe that I would win outright.

"... The Golf Gods just looked my way this time."

It appeared it would take divine intervention for Egloff to lose his commanding lead. He shot 3-under on the front nine. Through 12, he had a four-stroke advantage. Then he hit a rut, making consecutive bogeys on No. 14 and No. 15.

Gage, who lives in Torrington during the summer, remained steady in his first Senior Open. He put himself in position for a comeback by notching birdies on two of the last three holes, including No. 18, and matching his first round with a 2-under 69. Course conditions were more challenging than Monday's opening round due in part to higher winds.

Gage had trouble remembering his last tournament win. He thinks it was in the Hilton Head Open about nine years ago.

"I've had a habit of finishing second and coming close," said Gage, who spent a year (1998) on the PGA Tour and also played nine years on the Web.com Tour as well as qualifying for the U.S. Senior Open this year. "This time, everything fell into place for me. That's why you keep playing until the end, because you never know."

It was a disheartening finish for Egloff, who's from Silver Spring, Md. He shot a 2-over 73 after firing a 4-under 67 on Monday to sit in a tie for second just one stroke off the lead.

"Golf is a funny game," Egloff said. "There's some breaks that nobody can understand. A little bit here and there. It wasn't meant to be. It was kind of tease because it looked like I was in pretty good shape."

Egloff is thrilled just to be playing golf considering his major health scare. About five months after winning the Connecticut Senior Open in 2016, he checked into the hospital with some symptoms of heart failure. Then his gallbladder failed.

"I almost died last year," Egloff said. "I had two separate events. I'm pretty happy to be back. I was in serious trouble. I had three blocked arteries and I had an infected gall bladder that I lost. I had three stents put in and lost half my blood with gallbladder surgery because they had to rip me open. So I'm pretty happy to be here."

Egloff finished in a three-way tie for second place with Ken Green of New Fairfield and amateur Glen Boggini of Coventry, all at 2-under 140.

Defending champion John Elliott had a tough day.

Sitting in a four-way tie for fourth after the first round at 3-under, the Norwich Free Academy graduate's putting game went south, contributing to a 5-over 76. He finished tied for 12th at 2-over 144.

Elliott had two four-putts and a three-putt in the first seven holes. He had a double bogey on the first and 13th to go with three bogeys and three birdies.

Frustration set in, as he missed a two-foot par putt on No. 16.

"I just putted awful," Elliott said. "Where I drove it, my son could have shot 66. ... The course didn't bother me. I know this course; it was my high school course. It was just no fun today."

Bill Hermanson of East Lyme fired a 3-over 74 to finish with a two-round total of 146. He tied for 21st overall and tied for the fourth lowest amateur. Mark Toscano of Westerly ended up at 7-over 149, tying for 38th, while Old Lyme's Richard Wilczewski tied for 55th at 10-over 152. Mitch Marron of Groton had a 14-over 156.

g.keefe@theday.com