Inaugural CRMC Championship set for Brainerd Lakes
TORONTO, ONT – For the first time in its history, the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada will play an event outside Canada. Cragun’s Golf Resort in Brainerd, Minnesota, is set to host the inaugural Cuyuna Regional Medical Center Championship, to be formally recognized as the CRMC Championship, August 17-23, 2020. The agreement is a six-year deal.
The MacKenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada stop in Thunder Bay ended its run here in the city.
“This is a historic day for us. We are thrilled at the opportunity to expose American golf fans to the level of play on the Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada,” said Mackenzie Tour Vice President Scott Pritchard. “Brainerd is a community that we feel is a perfect fit for one of our tournaments and will be for many years to come.”
With the addition of an event outside Canada, the Mackenzie Tour follows in the footsteps of both the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR Series – China as Tours that are based primarily in one country—the United States and China, respectively—which successfully stages events in other countries and regions. PGA TOUR Series – China has enjoyed a great deal of success hosting events in Hong Kong and Macau, and in 2020 it will hold a tournament in Phuket, Thailand, for the first time while remaining committed to partners, fans and local markets in China. The Korn Ferry Tour has seen similar success in markets such as Mexico, Colombia, the Bahamas and Panama—as well as Canada, Australia and New Zealand before that.
“We express our gratitude to Ron Sanders, who led the effort to bring a PGA TOUR-sanctioned event to the region, as well as the Cragun family and the entire team at the resort for their hard to work to bring this event to fruition,” continued Pritchard. “This tournament would also not have been possible without the support of the Cuyuna Regional Medical Center. Having a partner like CRMC, which takes great pride in helping the Brainerd Lakes economy thrive while also assisting residents in their times of greatest need, is a perfect fit for this event.”
The Cragun family has owned Cragun’s Resort for more than 80 years and will act as the host organization with Director of Golf Chuck Klecatsky serving as Tournament Director. The resort’s two championship golf courses, Cragun’s Legacy Courses, are both designed by renowned architect Robert Trent Jones, Jr.
The Mackenzie Tour – PGA TOUR Canada players will play the Dutch Legacy course, which measures just under 7,000 yards (6,400 meters). The course has received excellent reviews and has been ranked as one of the area’s top golf resorts by a number of publications in the United States.
“We’re fortunate to host an event of this caliber at Cragun’s Golf Resort. The event should generate millions of dollars in economic activity to benefit the community,” said Klecatsky. “The course itself will be a formidable test for the players, who we know will be thrilled with the conditioning thanks to our hardworking agronomy team.”
The Tour also looks to carry on the legacy of the CRMC Brainerd Lakes Tour Showcase, an event started by Sanders in 2017, where CRMC serves as the title sponsor and official charitable partner.
“CRMC is proud to support this tournament which will benefit the community as a whole,” said CRMC CEO Kyle Bauer. “CRMC takes great pride in helping the Brainerd Lakes thrive economically while also assisting residents in their times of greatest need. We realize that when we go home, our family, friends, and neighbors are also our patients which is why we strive to support our community whenever we can.”
The full 2020 Mackenzie Tour schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.
