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Record purse announced for French Open

The French Open will celebrate its 100th anniversary this year with a record prize fund of four million euros ($4.90 million).

France's Jean-Francois Remesy is to defend his 2005 title at Le Golf National on the outskirts of Paris from June 29-July 2, the European Tour said in a news release on Monday.

This year's champion will receive 666,660 euros.

The event began in 1906 with a victory at La Boulie by one of the best players in the history of French golf, Arnaud Massy.

Massy successfully defended his title in 1907, the same year he became the first foreign player to win the British Open.

January 23, 2006