MANCHESTER – Three players shot a 2-under pay 68 to share the lead after the first round of the annual Charlie’s Maine Open on Tuesday.

Jeremiah Shields, Kevin Roy and Jesse Larson are atop the field of 155 golfers.

“You have to play conservative and hope you can make putts,” said Shields, 29, of Ottawa, Ontario, who turned professional in 2006 but took a few years off before returning to the sport this summer. “I didn’t try to overpower any hole. I looked at the hole, and whatever it gave up, I went for it. I went for the fatter part of the fairways.”

Matt Baker, Jack Wyman, Peter Wright, Maki Kobayashi, Don Robertson, and Jason Parajeckas each shot a 69.

Mark Plummer shot a 4-over 74 while three-time Maine Amateur champ Ryan Gay finished with a 72.

In all, 104 players survived the cut.

“The greens were a little quicker and the rough was a little thick, but I’m surprised the scores were as high as they were,” Plummer said. “I thought somebody would shoot a 66.”