‘MacKenzie’ visit predicted to give Cork €1m boost
It is the first time in 15 years since the event was last played in this country, when Lahinch was the venue.
Former Cork GC captain, Jack Callan, who has held the post of Irish Director of the society for the past 15 years, said the visit is the culmination of two years of meticulous planning.
“Apart from the prestige of bringing all those influential people to Cork — golfers representing some of the most famous clubs in the world — the economic impact of the visit to the region will be hugely significant,” he added.
“A spend of approaching €1 million could well be anticipated.”
Dr MacKenzie became famous as a golf architect and in 1924/25, carried out a major redesign of the Cork course.
The specific attributes of his work, which has been lauded worldwide, has been carried through at various courses including Cypress Point, Augusta National, Royal Melbourne, St. Andrews, Lahinch and a number of courses in Britain.
The Alister MacKenzie Society was formed to commemorate the great man and his work for golf architecture. This year’s event from Sunday next to Tuesday at Cork is the pinnacle of the society’s annual activities.
“We have been very proud and privileged to have been selected for the MacKenzie tournament this year,” said Cork Golf Club general manager, Matt Sands. “It is a huge event with gravitas and status.”
The tournament will be played over two days with a shotgun start.
The official opening, with the raising of the national flags and the anthems of the countries participating played by the First Southern Brigade under Captain Brian Prendergast, will take place on Monday morning at 11.30am.
Jack Callan said that the overall event was so structured that most people of the group would spend at least a week in the Cork region and many would opt to stay on here for much longer.
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