The first Downeast Metro Amateur Golf Tournament, held at the Kebo Valley Golf Club in Bar Harbor and the Bangor Municipal Golf Course, attracted 117 golfers a year ago.
It was held on the same weekend as the 51st annual Paul Bunyan Amateur Golf Tournament, which was held at the Penobscot Valley Country Club in Orono and the Falmouth Country Club.
The two tournaments will be two weeks apart this month, with the Downeast Metro Amateur kicking off the golf season this Saturday and Sunday. The Paul Bunyan Amateur will be held on June 25-26.
Peiter DeVos, the golf pro at Kebo Valley, said he and Bangor Municipal pro Rob Jarvis were hoping for “20 to 30 percent growth” this year and that has already been reached with 165 so far.
Jarvis said he “wasn’t surprised at all” by the increase in entrants.
“We had a lot of support last year. There was a great buzz during and after the tournament. I thought we would get some more players for sure,” he said.
Both pros said their respective courses are in great shape and noted that there will be plenty of quality golfers in the field.
“We’re excited. It’s a strong field,” said DeVos. “It’s going to be a great battle.”
Portland’s Matt Greenleaf won the inaugural Downeast Metro Amateur last June by two strokes over Ricky Jones of Thomaston and Jack Wyman of South Freeport. Greenleaf shot a two-over par 142.
Jarvis said Greenleaf’s wife recently had a baby, so he won’t be back to defend his title.
But Jones and Wyman will be back, as will Biddeford’s Mike O’Brien and Cape Elizabeth’s Johnny Hayes IV, who tied for fourth with 145s.
Another favorite will be Sam Grindle from Deer Isle, who won last year’s Paul Bunyan Amateur.
Bangor’s Drew Powell, who was third in the Bunyan, is another contender, as is former Brewer golfer Mike Norris.
“People will really be gunning for low scores at Bangor,” said Jarvis. “Certainly Kebo will present more of a challenge.”
“If the wind comes up at Kebo, it will be very, very challenging, regardless of which direction it comes from,” DeVos said.
He said another exciting aspect of the tournament is landing major sponsor Downeast Toyota of Brewer.
The top two flights, the A and B flights, will play at Bangor Muni on Saturday and at Kebo on Sunday, while the C and D flights and the women’s division golfers will play at Kebo on Saturday and Bangor Muni on Sunday.
Besides the Downeast Metro and Paul Bunyan Amateur tournaments, the other major tournaments in the state coming up are the Maine Amateur at the York Golf and Tennis Club on July 12-14; the Maine Junior Amateur at the Val Halla Golf Course in Cumberland (July 19-20); the Greater Bangor Open (July 20-23); the Maine Women’s Amateur at the Penobscot Valley Country Club (July 25-27); the Maine Open at the Augusta Country Club (July 25-26); the Maine Match Play Golf Championship at the Brunswick Golf Club (Aug. 16-18); the Maine Senior Amateur at the Biddeford-Saco CC (Aug. 23-24); the Maine Four-Ball Championship at the Webhannet Golf Club in Kennebunk (Sept. 14-15) and the Maine Mid-Amateur at Kebo (Sept. 24-25).