PORTLAND, Maine —
Instead of holding a 2023 Korn Ferry Pro Golf Tour, Shamrock Sports and Entertainment will be hosting the Drive Fore Kids celebrity golf tournament.
The Drive Fore Kids inaugural event will be held at the Falmouth Country Club between June 21 and June 24 in 2023.
“This was one of those things that we started to look at and said, ‘Hey, how do we grow what we built as a solid foundation from the Live and Work in Maine Open?’ And as we started to do our due diligence, we noted a handful of very successful celebrity tournaments that drove significant economic, charitable, and community impact in the regions that they were in,” Brian Corcoran, CEO of Shamrocks Sports and Entertainment and executive director for Drive Fore Kids, said.
A total of 36 celebrities will be competing in the tournament, and six were announced Monday at an event at Luke’s Lobster in Portland.
Three of the celebrities announced Monday include Tim Wakefield, John Smoltz, and Kevin Millar from Major League Baseball. The other three celebrities participating in Drive Fore Kids are former pro-golfer and media personality Blair O’Neal, tennis player Mardy Fish, and actor Patrick Dempsey.
The rest of the players will be announced sometime between now and early 2023.
“It’s so much fun competing against your peers and other people that are celebrities around the country ... You’ll maybe get to see your favorite movie star or favorite athlete, you know, compete at a very high level, but also having fun at the same time to raise funds for charities around here in Maine,” Tim Wakefield said.
“We’ll still maintain the integrity of play. This will be one heck of a party. Drive Fore Kids will drive a lot of fun as much as it does impact for the region,” Corcoran said.
The top player will receive a $250,000 prize, and money from the event will benefit charities that will be announced in early 2023.
“If you think we’ve raised a lot of money for the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital the last two years, we are just getting started. We have a great opportunity to showcase our state when we are absolutely at our best to drive economic, charitable, and community impact,” Corcoran added.