COVID-19 calendar: Virtual golf replaces pro tourney; bicentennial events pushed back

Photo / William Hall The Falmouth Country Club, where this putting green was waiting for golfers last season, is not hosting the Korn Ferry pro golf tour this week.

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By Staff

With plans for Maine’s first professional golf tournament since 1993 now off until next year because of the pandemic, the competition organizers are launching a virtual tourney to raise funds for Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland.

The Live + Work in Maine Open was to have been held this week, bringing over 150 of the world’s elite players to the Falmouth Country Club in competition for a $600,000 purse. Officials expected the tournament, part of the Korn Ferry pro golf tour, to generate $8 million for the regional economy. In addition, a $100,000 donation from the event proceeds was going to the hospital.

But in April, Shamrock Sports & Entertainment, the Portland firm serving as the tournament’s host organization, said the event was postponed until 2021 due to concerns about the growing public health crisis.

Now Shamrock has organized an online tournament to benefit the hospital, an arm of Maine Medical Center that provides critical care to Maine children and families regardless of ability to pay.

The Swing Into Summer Open invites individuals and teams to make a donation, play a round of golf at a Maine course, and share the experience through social media. At the end of June, the top three fundraising teams and individuals will be honored in a virtual celebration and will receive tickets for the 2021 pro event.

In a news release Monday, Shamrock CEO and founder Brian Corcoran said, “The Live + Work in Maine Open mission is to drive community, charitable and economic impact. Via the 2020 Swing into Summer Open, we will come together virtually to support the health and well-being of children served by this great nonprofit organization at a time when they need us most."

200th celebration to become 201st

A calendar of special events originally planned for this year to celebrate the state’s bicentennial has moved to 2021.

Because of safety concerns and uncertainty about the future status of public gatherings, the Maine Bicentennial Commission has postponed five signature events, according to a news release Monday. The rescheduled events and the new tentative dates are:

Maine Statehood Day Ceremony: March 14, 2021, Augusta
State of Maine Bicentennial Parade, presented by Poland Spring: May 15, 2021, Auburn and Lewiston
Sailing Ships Events: various dates, summer 2021, ports along the Maine coast
Maine200 Innovation Expo, presented by Central Maine Power Co.: Nov. 20, 2021, Portland
Maine 200 Time Capsule Sealing Ceremony: fall 2021, location to be determined.

The commission is reviewing applications for the final round of the Maine Bicentennial Community Grant Program and will soon announce the recipients, the release noted. As part of the postponed celebration, the period for grant recipients to use their funds for bicentennial events and programs has been extended through 2021.

To date, the commission has awarded a total of $575,000 in grants through the program, funding local bicentennial-themed events and programs throughout Maine.

“We remain very grateful for the continued support of our sponsors and partners as we all navigate the uncertainties of this time,” said state Sen. Bill Diamond, chairman of the Maine Bicentennial Commission.

“While we are disappointed that we are unable to commemorate Maine’s bicentennial this year as planned, we are also excited about coming together in 2021 to celebrate not only 201 years of statehood, but our renewed sense of community and perseverance as we emerge from this trial.”