Maine will be a stop on 2020 pro golf tour, delivering $8M to economy
Photo / William Hall
The Falmouth Country Club, where this putting green was waiting for golfers Wednesday, will host a 2020 stop on the Korn Ferry Tour.
Southern Maine will become a stop on professional golf’s Korn Ferry Tour next year, and the international tournament in Falmouth will inject an estimated $8 million to the regional economy, organizers said today.
The Live + Work in Maine Open will bring 156 players to the Falmouth Country Club from June 8-14, 2020, competing for a $600,000 purse, according to a news release from Shamrock Sports & Entertainment, a Portland marketing agency serving as the event’s host organization.
The Live + Work in Maine Open is contracted to run each year through 2024, the release said.
In addition to its economic impact, the tournament plans to donate $100,000 to a charitable organization in the region, Shamrock CEO Brian Corcoran told Mainebiz today. The organization will be selected this fall.
The Korn Ferry Tour is the development series of tournaments for the PGA Tour, considered some of the premier men’s competitions in professional golf. Most PGA Tour players get their start on the Korn Ferry circuit, including well-known champions Justin Thomas, Jason Day, Bubba Watson and Zach Johnson.
The 2019 tour, which concluded over the Labor Day weekend, comprised 27 tournaments, mostly in the South and the Midwest but also the Bahamas, Colombia and Panama. The only Korn Ferry contest in the northeastern U.S. was a July tourney in Findley Lake, N.Y.
“Portland is truly a remarkable locale for professional golf, and we are eager to bring the Live + Work in Maine Open to this community,” said Korn Ferry Tour President Alex Baldwin, a Bates College graduate. “We are confident that the golf fans throughout this region will enjoy watching the future stars of the PGA Tour.”
A consortium of employers is supporting the event under the umbrella brand of Live + Work in Maine, a broad initiative to market Maine as a career destination. Live + Work in Maine plans to coordinate activities around the tournament allowing spectators and other visitors to learn about the state, according to the release.
Corcoran added: “This partnership reinforces Shamrock’s commitment to strengthen the regional economy by marketing Maine as a desired destination offering priceless experiences that fuel community purposes. We are encouraged by the healthy pipeline of Maine-based companies who plan to utilize this powerful platform to grow their businesses.”
The Falmouth Country Club, founded and built in 1988 off Winn Road, has hosted several top golf events, including the New England Amateur, the Maine Amateur and the Tri-State Amateur.
The town of Falmouth is also home to the Woodlands Club, which hosted a tournament for a predecessor of the Korn Ferry series from 1990-1993, the last time professional golf came to Maine.
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