Inspirato Makes History as New Title Sponsor For The Colorado Open Championships

Groundbreaking Sponsorship Creates Equal Record Purses for Men’s and Women’s Championship Golf Events

DENVER, March 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Colorado Open Golf Foundation announced today that Inspirato (NASDAQ: ISPO), the innovative Denver-based luxury travel subscription brand, will succeed CoBank as the new title sponsor of the Colorado Open Championships beginning this year. Under the groundbreaking new sponsorship, Inspirato will make history by enabling the Open to offer the largest purses of any state open in the country and establishing it as the first state open to offer equal purses for both the men’s and women’s championships.

The new sponsorship will run for five years through 2026 and includes the following:

• The three Open championship events will be renamed the “Inspirato Colorado Open Championships.”
• Both the men’s and the women’s championships will offer equal purses of $250,000, with the winners each earning $100,000—both records for state opens.
• The Inspirato Colorado Senior Open purse will increase to $90,000, with the winner earning $18,000—also a record for senior state opens.
• Inspirato will become the largest annual donor to the First Tee - Green Valley Ranch program, supporting its mission of using golf to teach life skills to young people throughout the Denver and Colorado communities.
• Inspirato members will enjoy special events and benefits at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club during the term of the sponsorship.
  
  

“The Colorado Open has long been recognized as one of the premier state opens in the nation, and today we’re building on that legacy through this history-making partnership with Inspirato,” said Molly Greenblatt, Board chairperson of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation, which administers the Open championships. “With Inspirato’s support, we will continue to make a difference in the lives of thousands of young people in the northeast metro area through our First Tee program and throughout the state with the Golf in Schools program. And together, we will also help raise the bar with what we believe to be the first professional golf tournaments in the world to offer equal purses for both the men’s and women’s events. Speaking as a woman golfer who has played in this event and now leads the Board, I could not be prouder and more excited.”

Founded in 1964, the Colorado Open Championships consist of three annual golf tournaments: the Colorado Open, the Colorado Women’s Open, and the Colorado Senior Open. All three tournaments are played at the Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in Denver. Over the years, the Colorado Open has hosted some of the greatest names in the history of golf, including Sam Snead, Billy Casper, Hale Irwin, and Phil Mickelson. The Colorado Women’s Open has hosted superstars like Liselotte Neumann, Carlota Ciganda, Sophia Popov, and Denver hometown hero Jennifer Kupcho.

“Giving back to our community has been part of Inspirato’s DNA since we were founded here in Denver more than 10 years ago,” said Brent Handler, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Inspirato. “With our growing golf platform and deep Colorado roots, partnering with the Colorado Opens as their new title sponsor was a natural fit. We’re grateful for the opportunity to support the First Tee program at Green Valley Ranch, which is well-known for its impact on so many kids here in the metro area. And as a company with an employee team that is nearly 70% women, we’re thrilled to sponsor this watershed event that recognizes the importance of equal pay for women athletes.”

Inspirato’s sponsorship is its most recent step in building an impressive golf platform for its luxury travel subscriber base. In addition to operating in golf-centric destinations like Pebble Beach, Kiawah, Los Cabos, and Kapalua, the company also offers members-only bespoke events at The Masters each year, conducts members-only tournaments at top venues around the country, and earlier this year sponsored Inspirato Golf Ambassador Tom Hoge during his victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

About The Colorado Open Golf Foundation

The Colorado Open Golf Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public corporation that was formed for the primary purpose of fostering and encouraging the sport of golf in the state of Colorado by administering the Colorado Open Championships and through financial aid to educational programs aimed at developing the interest and ability of Colorado’s youth in the sport of golf and those who conduct or support clinics and otherwise provide coaching instruction for Colorado’s youth, and for the secondary purpose of advancing the charitable purpose of promoting sportsmanship, recreation and health in the state of Colorado.

In 2005 the Foundation became a chapter of the First Tee Network, a nationalized youth development organization that enables kids to build the strength of character that empowers them through a lifetime of new challenges. By seamlessly integrating the game of golf with a life skills curriculum, we create active learning experiences that build inner strength, self-confidence, and resilience that kids can carry to everything they do. The First Tee - Green Valley Ranch has impacted over 57,000 kids throughout the metro using the First Tee Life Skills Curriculum to build character in tomorrow’s citizens and leaders.

About Inspirato

Launched in 2011, Inspirato (NASDAQ: ISPO) is the innovative luxury travel subscription brand that provides affluent travelers access to a managed and controlled portfolio of hand-selected vacation options, delivered through a subscription model to ensure the service and certainty that discerning customers demand. The Inspirato Collection includes branded luxury vacation homes available exclusively to subscribers and guests, accommodations at five-star hotel and resort partners, and custom travel experiences. In 2019, Inspirato improved travel by introducing Inspirato Pass, the world’s first luxury travel subscription that includes all nightly rates, taxes, and fees. For more information, visit www.inspirato.com. 

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