PORTLAND – For John Hickson, Thursday’s 1-over-par 73 in the opening round of the 87th Maine Open Golf Championship might normally be cause for concern.

But the Hampden native, who is now head pro at Sunday River Golf Club in Newry, is just taking it in stride as the allure of the Maine Open has been superseded this year by another event that is coming up soon – the PGA Tour’s Deutsche Bank Championship at the TPC of Boston in Norton, Mass., over Labor Day weekend.

He has to work through thoughts of that tournament, though.

“After a 73, the TPC is pushed back in my mind,” said the 41-year-old Hickson after his round at Riverside Municipal Golf Course.

He is 10 strokes off the lead held by Brent Wanner of Orleans, Mass. Wanner holds a one-stroke edge over 1999 Greater Bangor Open winner John Connelly of Oregon, Ohio, Justin Goodhue of Glastonbury, Conn., Brennan Webb of Tampa, Fla., and amateur Will Robinson of Cumberland.

Former Maine Open champ Joe Clark Jr. of Holderness, N.H., is alone at 65, and Maine pros Greg Sandell of Cape Elizabeth and Jerry Diphilippo of Gorham (another former Maine Open winner) are tied for seventh at 66.

Todd Westfall of Clendenin, W.Va., who lost in a playoff for last year’s title, is tied for 18th at 69, along with Mike Baker of Stratton, Matt Donovan of Pittsfield, Mass., who won his second straight GBO last month, and amateur Jesse Speirs of Bangor.

Among other Maine amateurs, Whited Ford Paul Bunyan Amateur winner Ricky Jones of Thomaston is at 71, as is Maine Amateur victor Corey Poulin of Skowhegan, and 13-time Maine Amateur winner Mark Plummer shot 72.

In all, 57 players out of a field of 150 broke par.

And while Hickson wasn’t one of them, he still feels like he’s playing well.

“I’ve been swinging good,” said Hickson. “I wasn’t [swinging well] at Bangor, but I must have found something on the drive down (to the Deutsche Bank qualifier, which was the Monday after the GBO).”

“My putter has been the most inconsistent,” he said. “When I’m on fast greens that are smooth, I putt better.”

The conditions at Riverside on Thursday were exactly opposite.

Some of the greens are in rough shape with bumps that make putting difficult, Hickson said, possibly due to the recent weather.

Five birdie attempts in a row on his front nine missed by just inches.

Baker said that tends to happen later in the day.

“It’s the doughnut effect,” said Baker. “It’s what happens when a lot of people have been walking near the hole and it leaves a little mound around it that pushes the putts off to the side.”

Hickson didn’t have that problem when he earned one of two spots available at the Deutsche Bank qualifier for New England PGA section members.

His even-par 71 at Mattapoisett Country Club was good enough to best all but Terry Hatch of Saco, who came in with a 70 and picked up the other qualifying berth.

Because he hadn’t been playing well going into the qualifier, Hickson didn’t like his chances.

“I didn’t think I would probably get through,” he said. “I was playing sporadic, like today.”

Hickson credited the course, which was different from the TPC of Boston, where they were supposed to qualify but didn’t because it was rained out.

The move to Mattapoisett probably benefited him.

“The course is extremely fair. If you hit good shots, you get rewarded,” said Hickson. “The greens were absolutely phenomenal.”

Because he hasn’t been playing much tournament golf since the Rhode Island Open, which was later that same week, Hickson is using this event to get used to playing full tournament rounds again before the New England PGA section championship and the Deutsche Bank.

But he still wants to do well.

After today’s round, the field will be cut to the low 40 pros and ties and the low 15 amateurs and ties for Saturday’s 18-hole final.