College hockey to take the ice at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS – College hockey will skate at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas next January when the inaugural Ice Vegas Invitational launches during the venue’s first NHL season. The four-team tournament, featuring Arizona State, Boston College, Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan, will be played January 5-6, 2018 as announced today by bd Global, who will promote the event in partnership with T-Mobile Arena, home of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights.

“Las Vegas is quickly transforming from a purely entertainment mecca to one of the world’s destination locations for sports as well,” said Brooks Downing, president of bd Global (www.bdglobalsports.com). “We are excited to partner with T-Mobile Arena to bring the best teams in college hockey to Las Vegas each year as the new era of hockey in the Valley begins this fall.”

Dan Quinn, General Manager of T-Mobile Arena, said, “We are thrilled to host the Ice Vegas Invitational next January in what will be the first Division 1 college hockey games played in T-Mobile Arena.  Having the opportunity to be the home of the NHL’s new Vegas Golden Knights starting this fall, along with being the site for this collegiate hockey tournament, makes T-Mobile Arena the premier destination for sports fans worldwide.  We look forward to a successful tournament.”

The four teams in the field represent some of the best in college hockey with a combined nine national championships and 38 Frozen Four appearances. Boston College leads the pack with five national titles and a record 25 berths in the Frozen Four.

Boston College coach Jerry York said, “We are always thrilled to showcase our program in new and exciting parts of the country against some of the top talent across the nation. We are honored to be a part of this tournament and excited to get there.”

Arizona State recently completed the transition of becoming an NCAA Division I program and is one of the nation’s fastest-rising programs after winning an ACHA National Championship in 2014. Coach Greg Powers is raising the talent level of the program with the nation’s 17th-ranked recruiting class coming in as the Sun Devils move into their second season at the D-I level.

Powers said, “We are very much looking forward to exposing the growing Vegas hockey market to NCAA Division I hockey. Being the only Division I program in the Southwest, it is important for us to try and gain as much exposure in this region as possible. Top that with being able to play two games against other great programs in the new T-Mobile Arena, this tournament will certainly be one of our season’s highlights.”

Three-time national champion Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan (1991 national champion) will set aside their in-state rivalry to take part in the first-time event. Tech finished 23-15-7 overall this past season and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament after winning the WCHA Tournament.

“We are honored to participate in the inaugural Ice Vegas Invitational,” said new Northern Michigan coach Grant Potulny. “We look forward to bringing Northern Michigan hockey to Las Vegas and are excited for the opportunity to play at the state-of-the-art T-Mobile Arena. With the Wildcats, Arizona State, Boston College and Michigan Tech in the field, this tournament will give Las Vegas and the surrounding areas an exciting look at college hockey.”

Michigan Tech will also be led by a new head coach after Mel Pearson accepted the Michigan coaching job last week.

“We’re excited to be in this tournament. I know our players, fans, and alumni are really looking forward to it,” said Michigan Tech AD Suzanne Sanregret. “It’s great to be able to help grow college hockey out west with tournaments like this. We were fortunate to play in the Arizona State tournament a couple years ago and our alumni really came out to support the Huskies. I think we’ll have another good turnout in Las Vegas, and we’re excited to bring Michigan Tech Hockey to our alumni and fans in the West.”

The Ice Vegas Invitational seeks to capture the excitement for hockey in Las Vegas as the new Vegas Golden Knights take the NHL ice for the first time next season. More than 9,000 local fans recently attended a hockey “open house” at T-Mobile Arena and the franchise has sold nearly 14,000 season tickets.

The Ice Vegas Invitational joins a number college basketball events in Vegas that bd Global runs in partnership with MGM Resorts International. bdG currently manages the MGM Grand Main Event men’s tournament and Play4Kay Shootout women’s tournament, and set an arena attendance record when UNLV battled Duke in the first college basketball game at T-Mobile Arena last December.

Ticket and hotel information for fans will be released at a later date and will be available at www.icevegasinvitational.com and on Twitter at @IceVegasInv.

Andrew Landry wins Great Abaco Classic

GREAT ABACO, The Bahamas – Andrew Landry was just 2-over after seven holes Wednesday after entering the final round with a share of the lead, but the 29-year-old Texan posted two eagles on the way in to come from behind for a three-shot victory over Jimmy Gunn at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club. Landry, the 18-hole leader at the 2016 U.S. Open, played his last 11 holes in 7-under to lock up his second career Web.com Tour victory with a 16-under 272 total.

“It’s just something that you hope for starting the year off, getting off to a really good start, and trying to accomplish your goals that you set every year,” Landry said. “It’s just one of the many goals that I’ve had, and I’ve got two more to win to get back on the PGA TOUR.”

Bahamas Great Abaco Classic features 14 PGA TOUR winners & six Kentuckians

CHEROKEE SOUND, Abaco The Bahamas – The 2017 Bahamas Great Abaco Classic, the second Web.com Tour event of the season, launches on Sunday at The Abaco Club on Winding Bay with 14 players who have won on the PGA Tour including one major champion in the field of 132. bd Global, a Lexington-based sports marketing firm, is managing the event which includes six players with Kentucky ties:

  • Matt Adkins, Owensboro native and South Carolina-Aiken graduate who turned pro in 2013 and is in his third year on the Web.com Tour
  • Kent Bulle, Glasgow native and Middle Tennessee State grad who played his first season on the Web.com Tour in 2016 after turning pro in 2010
  • Rick Cochran, Paducah native and MTSU grad who turned pro in 2009; nephew of former PGA TOUR-star Russ Cochran
  • Chase Parker, Augusta, Ga. native and Kentucky grad just earned his Web.com card at Q school in December after turning pro in 2014
  • Josh Teater, Danville native and Morehead State grad who has won almost $5 million since turning pro in 2001; just missed earning his PGA TOUR card after finishing 29th in the 2016 Web.com Tour playoffs (Top-25 graduate to the TOUR)
  • Kyle Wilshire, Georgetown native and Central Florida grad who turned pro in 2010 and spent the past two years playing professionally in Canada before earning status this year on the Web.com Tour

Bulle, who lost his card heading into the 2017 season, used a sponsor exemption into the Web.com Tour’s Great Exuma Classic two weeks ago and battled extreme windy conditions to finished T13th. His Top-25 finish earned him a spot in this week’s tournament. Teater finished T17th in Exuma while Parker finished 28th. The other three Kentuckians missed the cut.

“When you consider what JB Holmes has done on the TOUR and Ryder Cup and then Justin Thomas’s three wins in five starts this season, I don’t think there’s any question that Kentucky produces outstanding golf talent,” Bulle said. “And there’s six of us here this week that want to use this Tour to join them in the near future.”

The Web.com Tour fashions itself as the path to the PGA TOUR. Former members have gone on to win more than 450 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, including 22 major championships.

bd Global, founded by Lexington-native Brooks Downing in 2012, is the host organization for both Web.com Tour events in the Bahamas. The company currently manages numerous college basketball events across North America. 2017 marks its first entry into golf tournament management.

“We have been working with Bahamas Tourism to find sports content that will showcase the ‘true’ Bahamas,” said Downing, who also serves as the chairman of the Bluegrass Sports Commission in Central Kentucky. “We were very blessed to have an opportunity to secure two Web.com Tour events here, but even more excited to be able to provide additional opportunities for Kentucky golfers to play on the professional stage.”

In addition to the six golfers from the Bluegrass State, the 14 PGA TOUR winners includes Robert Allenby, Erik Compton and Jonathan Byrd, along with major-winner Shaun Micheel, who captured the 2003 PGA Championship.

The tournament, which boasts a $600,000 purse, will be broadcast live on the Golf Channel, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, and 3-5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. The unique TV schedule, combined with the challenging playing conditions in Exuma, propelled the Web.com Tour to a 15% growth in all digital media during the four-day tournament. The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay also set records for the third-highest average round (80.5 1st Rd), hardest hole (5.1 strokes on Par 4 12th) and highest cut in the 28-year history of the Tour (+11). Kyle Thompson (-2) won the event.

Kyle Thompson emerges victorious at the Great Exuma Classic

GREAT EXUMA, Bahamas – Kyle Thompson took home his fifth career Web.com Tour title in paradise Wednesday at The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay with his third consecutive round of 2-under 70. The 37-year-old finished as the runner-up at the Web.com Tour season opener a year ago in Panama, but edged out Andrew Yun and Nicholas Thompson by two shots this year with a 2-under 286 in the Tour’s first ever Sunday – Wednesday tournament format.

“I didn’t see it coming,” Thompson said. “We had some bad weather at home, so I practiced a lot on my golf swing but I didn’t practice my putting at all. I come here and probably had the best putting week of my life. I just stayed very patient and persistent and worked really hard this offseason on my mental game and I think it paid off. Hopefully I can keep that sort of mindset going in the future.”

Seven Kentuckians among strong field in Web.com’s Great Exuma Classic

GEORGE TOWN, Exuma The Bahamas – Seven players with Kentucky ties will be among the 132-player field when the 28th season of the Web.com Tour launches on Sunday at the Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay. Lexington-based sports marketing company bd Global is managing two tournaments in The Bahamas to tee off the 2017 season.

The Web.com Tour fashions itself as the path to the PGA TOUR. Former members have gone on to win more than 450 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, including 22 major championships.

The seven players with Kentucky ties are:

  • Matt Atkins – Owensboro resident and USC Aiken grad is in his third year on the Web.com Tour and won $138,748 last year placing him in the top-35 on the money list
  • Kent Bulle – born in Glasgow and a Middle Tennessee State grad, captured the 2015 Kentucky Open
  • Rick Cochran III – Paducah native and former MTSU teammate of Bulle, turned pro in 2009 and is nephew of Tour pro Russ Cochran
  • Chase Parker – a native of Augusta, Ga., was a UK standout who made the cut at the 2016 U.S. Open finishing 64th
  • Hunter Stewart – former Kentucky Mr. Golf for Lexington Christian Academy and a Vanderbilt grad who won more than $150,000 on the PGA Tour last season
  • Josh Teater – Danville native and former Morehead State star whom has made more than 150 starts on the PGA TOUR
  • Kyle Wilshire – former Scott County standout and Central Florida grad that has been competing most recently on the Mackenzie Tour (PGA TOUR Canada)

“Credit is certainly due to the guys that came before us like Russ Cochran, Steve Flesch and Kenny Perry,” said Teater, who turned pro in 2001 and has won nearly $5 million playing professional golf. “With JB Holmes playing on the TOUR and those of us here, I think the state of Kentucky deserves more credit than it typically gets for producing outstanding golf talent.”

bd Global, founded by Lexington-native Brooks Downing in 2012, will serve as the host organization for both events. The company currently manages numerous college basketball events across North America. It also will manage the Tour’s next stop when it travels to the Abaco Club on Winding Bay, Jan. 22-25, the first time in 18 years the Tour has started with two events in January.

“As a born and raised Kentuckian, it’s pretty special to launch our first professional golf event with such an influence from golfers with ties to the Bluegrass State,” Downing said. “When you look at this field in Exuma, it’s loaded with a golfers who have recorded big wins on the PGA Tour. It just shows that Kentucky is producing some terrific golf talent that can compete on an international stage.”

In addition to the seven from the Bluegrass State, this week’s tournament field boasts 13 PGA TOUR winners, including Robert Allenby, Erik Compton and Jonathan Byrd, along with major-winner Shaun Micheel, who captured the 2003 PGA Championship.

The tournament will be broadcast live on the Golf Channel, but for the first time, the Great Exuma Classic will be played starting on Sunday with the final round concluding on Wednesday. Airtimes are scheduled for 3-5 p.m. ET Sunday through Tuesday with the final round airing from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Hall of Famer Greg Norman, who designed the course at Sandals Emerald Bay, is scheduled to hit the ceremonial first tee shot on Sunday morning.

No. 15 Oregon State wins inaugural Play4Kay Shootout

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The No. 15/25 Oregon State women’s basketball team took the #Play4Kay Shootout title Wednesday evening, as it handed Oklahoma State its first loss of the season in the tournament’s championship game, held in Las Vegas, Nev.

“Our team built some great momentum here,” said Oregon State head coach Scott Rueck. “Oklahoma State is a team that’s used to winning, and expects to win. We knew this was a great opportunity for us, and I loved that we were able to take advantage of it. I couldn’t be happier with where this group is right now. This is a young group that played like a veteran team today, and that’s a great sign for us.”