56th CoBank Colorado Open
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Pre-event release
Friday, July 17, 2020
Contact: Brandon Roll, Tournament Director
Phone: 303-486-8800
Jennifer Kupcho, Chris DiMarco, Broncos’ McManus in CO Open field
Denver, CO: With the LPGA, PGA Tour Champions and Denver Broncos training camp schedules not resuming until the week after the CoBank Colorado Open at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, the July 23-26 tournament has received commitments from these organizations’ biggest stars. Jennifer Kupcho, hometown hero fresh off her first professional victory in the CO Women’s Open last month, is making her Colorado Open debut in the $250,000 championship where the winning pro will take home the $100,000 champion’s prize. Jennifer becomes the first Women’s Open champion to play in the Colorado Open, and second female ever to do so (CO PGA professional Sherry Andonian played in 2016).Denver resident and current 21st on the Charles Schwab Cup money list Chris DiMarco is also making his debut in the 56th edition of the state’s biggest annual championship. DiMarco is a three-time PGA Tour winner and three-time runner up in majors including his 2005 Masters playoff loss to Tiger Woods the year of Tiger’s infamous birdie chip-in on the par-3 16th. DiMarco will be joined by fellow Tour veterans Shane Bertsch, Grant Waite and Jonathan Kaye. Bertsch and Kaye are two of the nine past champions of the Colorado Open including Davis “Dru” Love IV and defending champ Sam Saunders.
Denver Broncos placekicker and Super Bowl 50 champion Brandon McManus joins the 156-player field as one of the 25 amateurs currently entered. His 2.2 handicap is within the 2.4 maximum, and he is coming off a 37th place finish in the American Century celebrity tournament last weekend in Lake Tahoe.
This is also the first time in the event’s history that all three reigning champions of the Colorado Opens will be competing together, with Kupcho joining Saunders and 2019 CoBank CO Senior Open champ Britt Pavelonis. However, the star-studded field doesn’t end there. Two of the game’s most notable social media stars will compete including podcast sensation and CBS commentator Colt Knost and Cart Barn Guys reality show creator Kyle Maze who boasts 127,000 followers.
To say this year’s tournament is also a family affair would be an understatement with a myriad of related players and famous offspring joining in the fun, including:-Kupcho’s older brother Steven, low amateur champion in 2012, will make it the first brother-sister combo in history. Two father-son combos: Chris/Cristian DiMarco and Grant/Osten Waite. Three sets of brothers: Robert/Thomas Kalinowski, Jeremy/Yannik Paul and Michael/Beau Schoolcraft. Six sons of PGA Tour winners: Dru Love (Davis III), Eric Hallberg (Gary), Olin Browne, Jr. (Olin), and Jake Byrum (Curt) along with DiMarco and Waite
The downside to having one of the most recognizable and accomplished fields in history is that spectators will not be allowed due to Covid-19 restrictions. Golf fans will be able to follow the hole-by-hole scores, along with other tournament information including player profiles, by visiting www.ColoradoOpen.com. Be sure to download the Colorado Open app, friend us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for tournament information and photos.
About CoBank
CoBank is a $158 billion cooperative bank serving vital industries across rural America. The bank provides commercial loans, leases, export financing and other financial services to agribusinesses and rural power, water and communications providers in all 50 states. The bank also provides wholesale loans and other financial services to affiliated Farm Credit associations serving more than 70,000 farmers, ranchers and other rural borrowers in 23 states around the country.
CoBank is a member of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of banks and retail lending associations chartered to support the borrowing needs of U.S. agriculture, rural infrastructure and rural communities. Headquartered outside Denver, Colorado, CoBank serves customers from regional banking centers across the U.S. and also maintains an international representative office in Singapore.
For more information about CoBank, visit the bank's web site at www.cobank.com