BANGOR, Maine — The Greater Bangor Open has for 50 years provided a stage for talented professional golfers.
PGA mainstays such as Sean O’Hair, Lanny Wadkins and Keegan Bradley made a stop at Bangor Municipal Golf Course to compete in the annual tournament.
Numerous other pros have played in Bangor. Many are trying to make a name for themselves and climb the pro ranks, while others choose several smaller pro events held throughout New England and the country.
For John Elliott, even after 30 years as a pro, the GBO is a regular tournament stop as he earns a living playing the game.
“I love this place,” Elliott said Monday after shooting a 2-under-par 67 in the first round of the 50th GBO. “This is the only tournament I haven’t won in New England, so I’m trying to win my first one.”
In September, Elliott will celebrate his 53rd birthday. With all that pro experience under his belt, he is the most accomplished player at Bangor Muni for the GBO.
Elliott, who hails from Bristol, Connecticut, turned pro in 1987.
“There’s nobody here that’s been where I’ve been,” Elliott said matter-of-factly. “I played Tour for 15 years.”
He has enjoyed a lengthy and productive career, one that included parts of eight seasons on the PGA Tour and 11 full seasons on the Web.com Tour. He finished tied for third in the 1990 GBO.
According to the PGA Tour website, Elliott’s career winnings on those circuits alone total more than $1.1 million. That doesn’t include the money he has generated at numerous other nontour events over the years.
Elliott appeared in 131 PGA Tour events, including 22 or more tournaments in 1992, 1993, 1996, 1999 and 2005. His best career finish came in ’93, when he tied for 11th at the H-E-B Texas Open.
His stint on the Web.com tour spanned 19 seasons but primarily covered 1994-2004. He won the 1994 Nike Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic and the 1997 Nike Alabama Classic.
Elliott still believes in his ability, even though he is more than 10 years removed from his last regular tour gig.
“I’m the same as I was when I was 25 years old,” Elliott said. “I hit drive the ball good, I putt decent, I hit the irons good.”
Experience tells him that putting together the various elements of his game for an extended period could serve as the catalyst for the next productive chapter of his career.
“I’ve been playing good all year,” he said. “I’m confident with the putter. I’m a little off on the reads. It’s nothing too different from the last 30 years.”
Before the GBO, Elliott finished tied for fourth at the Connecticut Senior Open, which was won by GBO regular Eric Egloff, and took third at the Vermont Open Championship.
However, Elliott has continued to pursue Tour-level golf. Earlier this month, he shot a 66 to qualify for the Dicks Sporting Goods Open, a PGA Champions Tour event at En-Joie Golf Course in Endicott, New York.
“I did good. I shot 70, but there was a mistake on the card, and I didn’t see it, and I got DQ’d,” Elliott said. “That was my first Champions Tour event I made, and I screwed it up.”
Even so, he is confident there will be other opportunities. Elliott is exempt into the Monday qualifiers for PGA Tour, Champions Tour and Web.com tournaments. That means he can choose the events he wants to play in.
Elliott hopes to attempt a full schedule of tournaments this summer for the first time in 10 years, as his son Blake is now 9 years old.
“I’ll go to Travelers in a couple weeks at a course that I know pretty good,” Elliott said of the PGA stop at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.
“I’m going to try a bunch of the Champions Tour events the rest of the year,” he added.
In the meantime, Elliott will make the usual summer tournament stops in New England. That includes picking up some extra money for high finishes in the senior division.
“I’m 52, but I’m playing as good as I’ve ever played,” he said. “I’ve been working out in the gym, trying to keep myself in shape so I can continue on for a while.”