BANGOR – The winner’s check in the $50,000 Greater Bangor Open Golf Tournament has been an attractive objective to many players because they can bank some toward the $4,000 entry fee into PGA Tour Qualifying School in the fall.

But this year, in addition to offering a larger first-place prize of $11,000, the GBO is holding an additional event called the Chrysler Q-School Shootout. The top nine pros from the tournament qualify for a special skills competition in which the winner has his entry fee into Q-School paid for by Chrysler through the GBO.

PGA Tour Qualifying School is actually a three-stage tournament. The $4,000 entry fee covers all three stages. There are approximately a dozen tournaments around the country in the first stage in October. Top scorers there advance to the second stage in November, and the top scorers from those half-dozen events advance to the six-round third stage in December. The top 30 and ties in the third stage earn PGA Tour cards.

The shootout was announced at a press conference Monday where Golf Country and Town and Country Realtors were named as major sponsors for the 38-year-old tournament. According to the tournament Web site, each company will pay $2,500 for its sponsorship.

This year’s GBO is scheduled for July 22-24 at Bangor Municipal Golf Course with the pro-am set for July 21. A Junior GBO will be held July 9, and three players from that event will gain entry into the regular GBO.

The New England Chrysler Dealers are taking care of the Q-School Shootout through the efforts of Phil McFarland, president of Bangor Chrysler-Dodge and a member of the GBO board of directors.

McFarland wasn’t at the GBO meeting where the shootout idea was proposed, but he liked the idea as soon as he heard it.

“It was new, it was different, and I thought I could sell it,” said McFarland, who hasn’t heard of any other events offering a prize like the shootout’s.

“I think it’s unique,” said McFarland. “I’m excited about it.”

In the shootout, the nine players will each hit one shot into the ninth green. The three farthest from the hole will be eliminated. The remaining six will then hit approach shots from 100 yards. Again, the three farthest away will be eliminated. The last three will each hit a shot from a greenside bunker on No. 9. The one closest to the hole gets the big prize.

McFarland and other directors believe the special prize will entice more pros to participate in the GBO, which has had a declining number of pros, especially young New England pros, in recent years.

“There’s more competition for these young pros,” said McFarland, referring to southern mini-tours and other golf tournaments.

In the past, golfers such as Lanny Wadkins, Jeff Sluman, Len Mattiace, and Brett Quigley have played in the GBO before embarking on PGA Tour careers. McFarland thinks the shootout will bring more players of that type back to Bangor.

“We’re hoping to improve the quality of the field,” he said.

Mike Clendenning of Golf Country has fond memories of the GBO. He remembers when his father, Colby, would take him on the weekend.

“I’d like to see more of that, kids out watching,” said Clendenning, now 32 and secretary for the GBO.

“If you talk to Austin [Kelly, the former head pro], people used to [park] way down Webster Avenue to watch,” said Clendenning.

Referring to his company’s major sponsorship, Clendenning said, “It’s a good way to get involved, to get people excited about coming out.”

Earl Black, president of Town & Country Realtors, is also president of the GBO Tournament Committee.

“I saw the struggle [to get sponsors] the last couple years, and I thought I could make a difference,” said Black.

“It’s a fun tournament to be part of,” added Black. “The pro-am, to me, is a rare opportunity for some of us to see people who have become professional golfers. Some of these guys we’ll see in two or three years on tour.”

The long history of the tournament is also something Black would like to see continue.

“Some things are going by so fast, it’s nice to have some history,” he said. “Maintaining part of that history is important to me.”

The other marked change is paying fewer places, from 45 down to 30 for the pros and top 10 for amateurs, thereby boosting the payout to the others.