It appears that the 170 golfers who will be playing in the 11th annual Downeast Metro Amateur Golf Tournament will have a variety of weather conditions challenging them on Saturday and Sunday.
Light rain and temperatures in the 60s are forecast for Saturday with partly cloudy conditions and temperatures in the mid-70s expected on Sunday.
The A and B flight golfers will play at the Kebo Valley Club in Bar Harbor on Saturday and the Bangor Municipal Golf Course on Sunday with the C and D flight golfers playing the Bangor Muni on Saturday and Kebo Valley on Sunday.
Cape Elizabeth native John Hayes IV will be looking for his third consecutive Downeast Metro championship and his fourth overall.
He will tee off at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday with fellow Cape Elizabeth native and 2020 Downeast Metro winner Reese McFarlane and Henry Springer.
Bangor’s Tim Black, the only golfer from the B flight to win it, will tee off at 10:50 with Rick Hayward and Don Montandon.
Black won it in 2022. All the other winners have been from the A flight.
Bangor Municipal Golf Course pro Rob Jarvis said he was elated to get a field of 170 golfers.
“The weather has been so bad, I wasn’t sure what we would get for a field,” said Jarvis. “People are having a tough time getting excited because it has rained 12 weekends in a row.”
There were 165 golfers a year ago and the tournament has become very popular.
Jarvis, who runs the tourney along with Kebo Valley pro Peiter DeVos, feels there are a number of reasons for its popularity.
“We take it seriously and do the best we can to make it a premier event,” said Jarvis. “People certainly love to play Kebo. That’s a big attraction. And the price to play both courses in a competitive environment is also attractive.”
It costs $125 for the two days.
Jarvis also pointed out the uniqueness of the tournament which involves two golf courses instead of just one.
“I don’t know if there is another tournament in the state that is played on two different courses,” said Jarvis.
He noted that there has been a rich history of golf tournaments held in eastern Maine including the Greater Bangor Open pro tournament that ran from 1967-2016.
The Downeast Metro has helped fill a void after the conclusion of the GBO.
The weather conditions will certainly provide a challenge and Jarvis said the golfers who best manage Saturday’s rain will certainly have an advantage heading into Sunday.
“Some folks don’t play that well in the elements and others are mudders who do play well. It creates an interesting dynamic,” said Jarvis.
He noted that the wind usually picks up at the Bangor Muni at 2:30 p.m. That can make things a little more dicey for the last groups featuring the leaders.
Jarvis said the grounds crew at the Muni under the guidance of superintendent Jonathan Burnett has done an exceptional job getting the course ready.
Jarvis said one golfer to keep an eye on is former Husson University of Bangor golfer Chris Kauppila.
Newburgh’s Kauppila lost in a playoff to Hayes two years ago and finished one shot back a year ago.
“He’s a really hard worker and a good kid,” said Jarvis.
