Pierre Larouche
Captures John Elway Celebrity Classic

TravelGolf.com Staff Report

Broomfield, CO. (JULY 1, 2001) - Pierre Larouche became the Celebrity Players Tour second two time winner of the year with a six under par performance at the Sun Microsystems John Elway Celebrity Classic.

Larouche, a former National Hockey League star, started the day tied with baseball great Mike Schmidt at four under par. The two remained tied through 14 holes but Larouche birdied the par 5 -15th to open a lead. Schmidt, who has yet to win, made bogey on the par 4-16th and gave Larouche a two stroke lead that sealed the $30,000 first prize.

"I gained a lot of confidence after winning in Florida (Dodge Shootout) earlier this year," said Larouche. "I felt confident of this golf course set up for my game. I made some good putts and did not get in serious trouble all day."

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Dan Quinn, former NHL performer, eagled the final hole and tied Schmidt for second place to earn 19,500.

"I give Pierre a lot of credit," Schmidt said. "I have been working hard on my game and I sure hope this experience gets me another chance for a win. Winning is tough anytime but I think I learned some things today."

There were 69 players in the field with a purse of $250,000. The big winner was the John Elway Foundation with proceeds of more than $750,000.

The host, John Elway, tied for 19th place. Last year John finished second, one stroke in back of Shane Rawley, who won last year tied for 8th place with former NFL quarterback Steve Bartkowski.

The next stop for the CPT will be next week at Lake Tahoe for the American Century Classic. Al Del Greco is the defending champion.

For more information about the 2001 Sun Microsystems John Elway Celebrity Classic visit http://www.elwaycelebrityclassic.com.