The Greater Bangor Open was an American golf tournament. It was played annually from 1967 to 2016 at Bangor Municipal Golf Course in

Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Penobscot County. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's 3rd-largest settlement, behind Portland (68,408) and Lewiston (37,121). Modern Bangor ...

History

In 1971, future

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

star Lanny Wadkins played the event. In the three-round tournament, he closed with rounds of 64 (−8) and 63 (−9) to win. Many years later, Wadkins reflected about his success at the tournament with the ''

Bangor Daily News The ''Bangor Daily News'' is an American newspaper covering a large portion of central and eastern Maine, published six days per week in Bangor, Maine. The ''Bangor Daily News'' was founded on June 18, 1889; it merged with the ''Bangor Whig and ...

''. "I got it going there," he told them. "When you're going good, you think more and more low numbers." It was his first professional victory. A number of other PGA Tour golfers have had played the event. In 1975,

Wayne Levi Wayne John Levi (born February 22, 1952) is an American professional golfer. Early life Levi was born in Little Falls, New York and attended high school in Herkimer, New York. He enrolled at Oswego State University for two years and then the U ...

played the Greater Bangor Open. He finished runner-up. In the late 1970s, PGA Tour players

Bob Eastwood Robert Fred Eastwood (born February 9, 1946) is an American professional golfer who has won numerous amateur and professional tournaments. Eastwood was born in Providence, Rhode Island, but spent most of his youth in north-central California. He ...

and Dave Eichelberger played the event. In 1982 and 1984, future PGA Tour member

Jeff Sluman Jeffrey George Sluman (born September 11, 1957) is an American professional golfer who has won numerous professional golf tournaments including six PGA Tour victories. Early years Sluman was born and reared in Rochester, New York. After graduati ...

played the event. In 1996, former tennis star Ivan Lendl played in the event as part of his transition to become a professional golfer. In 2003 and 2004, future PGA Tour winner Sean O'Hair played the event. According to Connecticut club pro, Jim Becker, "Outside of the PGA and Nationwide Tours, this is one of the best events in the country." In 2019, after being held for 52 consecutive years, the tournament ceased operations. The event was no longer deemed "economically feasible." Bangor Municipal's club professional, Rob Jarvis, explained, "The days of $1 per gallon gas and a $50 a night hotel room are long gone... To have 70 guys show up and have a small purse isn't worth it for them or for the golf course."

Tournament names

*1967–1971: Jordan Open *1972–1980, 1992–2016: Greater Bangor Open *1981–1991: Miller High-Life Bangor Open

Winners

Source:

References

{{reflist Golf tournaments in Maine Defunct golf tournaments Sports in Bangor, Maine 1967 establishments in Maine 2016 disestablishments in Maine