Dean Chase, a former star athlete at Stearns High School in Millinocket, is making a long trip back for this year’s 37th R.H. Foster Energy/Mobil Paul Bunyan Amateur Golf Tournament, both distance-wise and time-wise.

“I played in it 35 years ago,” said Chase of the only other time he entered the event.

This year’s tournament kicks off today with approximately 400 golfers competing in three divisions over three days.

Division A, the low handicappers, starts at Bar Harbor Golf Course in Trenton, moves to Bangor Municipal Golf Course on Saturday, and finishes at Rockland Golf Club on Sunday. The rotation for Division B, the middle handicappers, is Bangor, Rockland, Bar Harbor, and Division C is Rockland, Bar Harbor, Bangor.

One reason it took Chase so long to play in the Bunyan again is that he now lives in Kingston Springs, Tenn., just outside Nashville.

“I went away to college and never came back,” said Chase, who went to Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

Actually, he has come back in a way. He now owns a place on Deer Isle.

“I spend 10-12 weeks a year there,” said Chase. The weeks never seemed to coincide with the tournament, though, until this year.

“I was up in Bangor a couple of weeks ago, and I knew it was sometime around when I was going to be here,” said Chase, who owns his own construction company, D.F. Chase Construction.

“I do have some business up in this part of the country now, but this is mainly for pleasure,” he said.

He went over to Bangor Muni to check, found out he would be in Maine at the right time, and sent in his entry.

Chase became familiar with tournament golf while at Stearns.

“I lost the schoolboy championship by a stroke in 1964,” said Chase.

He has continued to play golf since then, and currently sports a 3 handicap.

“I’ve been playing consistently fairly well the last few years,” said Chase, who won his club’s member-guest tournament a couple of weeks ago.

Just because he hasn’t been playing in the Bunyan doesn’t mean he has avoided tournaments altogether.

“I’m going to play in the Tennessee Amateur, the Mid-Amateur, and try to qualify for the U.S. Senior Amateur,” said Chase.

“I figure I’ll do it as along as I can do it,” he said.

There’s a reason for that, too.

“Four years ago, I had a [heart] bypass,” said Chase. “Five of them.

“It was kind of an awakening.”

Chase was hoping he might recognize a name on the starting list, but it didn’t happen.

“I didn’t see anyone I knew,” said Chase, then added, “After 35 years, you forget names.”

He tried to talk his brother Bob into playing, but his brother declined.

Chase is not exactly familiar with the three courses.

“I played Bar Harbor a couple of years ago,” he said. “Bangor I played a long time ago, about 20 years ago, and Rockland I’ve never played.”

He is sure of one thing, though.

“You’ve got to hit it straight,” he said.

Chase doesn’t expect to win.

“I’m just up here to have fun,” he said.

Defending champion Ryan Day of Lamoine has to be considered one of the favorites, as well as the man he beat in a two-hole playoff, Jay Plourd of Gorham.

Also, 1999 winner Mike Norris of Newburgh will give it another go.

Tom Caron of Bangor and Greg Hanna of finished tied for third and fifth last year, and both return, as well.