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U.S. Senior Open to swing in millions to Colorado Springs economy

Posted at 6:12 PM, Jun 21, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-21 20:12:28-04

Hundreds of thousands of people will soon be visiting Colorado Springs for the 2018 U.S. Senior Open and with that, millions of dollars will be flooding into the local economy. 

It’s good news for businesses. Several hotels are already at 100 percent occupancy. For restaurant owners, they’re busy stocking inventories with the hope that they’ll rake in a good chunk of change during the tournament. 

Tonia Masse, dual general manager of Fairfield Inn & Suites and Residence Inn, said, "For someone that’s running their business in Colorado Springs it’s real exciting to…see something of this magnitude come to the city."

Matt McCartan, owner of The Public House, said, "It should just be rockin’ and rollin’ for the next week or so."

Championship Director Brianne Wyatt said, "We do have volunteers and ticket buyers from all 50 states, so this is a big travel-in type of championship where a lot of people from all across this country, as well as from three other countries, are coming in to visit for the championship."

The event is expected to bring in even more people than it did 10 years ago and with that, even more money. 

Wyatt said, "We were around 125,000 spectators in 2008…after the 2008 U.S. Senior Open we enlisted the help of an economic impact research company to help us understand kind of what these events do to the local community. From that we’ve gained the knowledge that about $20 million in economic expenditures come back into this area."

Established places like Residence Inn are already raking in some of that cash. 

Masse said, "We’re definitely at 100 percent occupancy."

For newer businesses like The Public House, the hope for McCartan is that "we get a good turnout and see some new faces…it’s great exposure for travelers and…locals that haven’t been here in the area."

The tournament is not only bringing a purse to the ultimate winner, but also to the entire Colorado Springs economy. 

Tournament staff say 130,000 spectators are expected to attend the event throughout the week.