2016 COLORADO EVENT HAS LARGEST PURSE FOR GOLF OPEN IN U. S.
The 2016 Colorado Open will have the biggest state golf open purse in America at $ 250,000, according to a news release. The number is double last year’s purse.
The championship will also feature the biggest first- place prize at $ 100,000. The Colorado Open winner received $ 23,000 from 2006 to 2015, a $ 500 increase from 2005.
Co Bank succeeds Health One as the title sponsor for the Colorado Open, which takes place July 21- 24 at the Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in Denver.
Championship officials hope the purse increase will attract top players to the Colorado Open.
“The Co Bank Colorado Open is already widely recognized as one of the premier state opens in the nation,” said Kevin Laura, CEO of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation. “Doubling the purse will take the tournament to a whole new level. We expect to attract a great field of top players and look forward to putting on the best open in our tournament’s history.”
Jimmy Gunn, last year’s Colorado Open champion, said the money may persuade him to defend his title.
“This change in purse and first place money will make me think long and hard about taking the week off from the Web. com Tour and defend my title,” he said.
Stephan is RMAC player of year
B colorado springs » Ryan Stephan of Colorado Mesa earned the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference men’s basketball player of the year award.
The senior center from Lakewood averaged 26 points per game to lead the conference. He also averaged 11.5 rebounds and scored a season- high 45 points against Regis on Feb. 20.
The conference’s other major award winners were Fort Lewis’ Bob Pie track, coach of the year; Gokul Natesan of Mines, defensive player of the year; and Regis’ Jarrett Brodbeck, RMAC’s freshman of the year.
• On the women’s side of the conference, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs forward Brittany Hernandez doubled down as player and defensive player of the year, becoming only the third women’s player in league history to earn such honors simultaneously.
Brittany Simpson of Mines was named coach of the year and freshman of the year went to Colorado State University at Pueblo’s Molly Rohrer.
IOC applies to be party to probes
B lausanne, switzerland » The International Olympic Committee said it applied to be party to the investigations by French authorities into allegations of possible bribery in the bidding for the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.
The IOC said it is in “close contact” with French prosecutors, who have been investigating corruption at the International Association of Athletics Federations.
The Guardian newspaper reported that the prosecutors expanded the probe to include the bidding for the 2016 and 2020 Games, which were awarded to Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.
The International Olympic Committee said its chief ethics and compliance officer had already asked for the committee to be “fully informed in a timely manner of all issues that may refer to Olympic matters and has already applied to become a party to the investigations led by the French judicial authorities.”
Lawson, Rockets reach buyout deal.
Ty Lawson reached a buyout settlement with the Houston Rockets, which aquired the point guard from the Nuggets last summer.
The transaction is pending league approval, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPN.
Because the Rockets and Lawson reached a settlement by the Tuesday league deadline, Lawson is eligible to sign with another team and participate on a playoff roster.
Lawson had suffered through his worst statistical season this year since his rookie year in 2009- 10.
He set career lows in field- goal percentage ( 38.7) and points per game ( 5.8). Denver Post staff and wire