The Seattle Open Invitational was a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour in the northwest United States, in the greater Seattle area. It was played eight times over three decades under five names at three locations.
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Everett, Washington |
| Established | 1936 |
| Course(s) | Everett Golf & Country Club |
| Par | 71 |
| Tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Format | Stroke play |
| Prize fund | US$50,000 |
| Month played | September |
| Final year | 1966 |
| Final champion | |
 Homero Blancas | |
| Location map | |
  Everett G&CC Location in the United States  Everett G&CC Location in Washington | |
History edit
The first Seattle Open was held 88 years ago in 1936 at Inglewood Golf Club in Kenmore in early August. Macdonald Smith won an 18-hole playoff with a course record 65 (–8), six strokes ahead of runner-up Ralph Guldahl,[1][2][3] who won the next two U.S Opens (1937, 1938) and the Masters in 1939. The next Seattle Open was played nine years later in October 1945 at Broadmoor Golf Club in Seattle and won by Byron Nelson, with a world record 259 (–21) and a victory margin of 13 strokes.[4][5] He won a record eighteen tournaments in 1945, including eleven consecutive.
Sixteen years later, the tour returned to Seattle in 1961 at Broadmoor in mid-September with the Greater Seattle Open Invitational. Dave Marr won in a sudden-death playoff, over Bob Rosburg and Jacky Cupit; Marr shot a final round 63 (–7) and birdied the first extra hole to win.[6] In 1962, it was renamed the Seattle World's Fair Open Invitational as part of the region's celebration of the 1962 Seattle World's Fair. The victor by two strokes was a 22-year-old rookie from Ohio named Jack Nicklaus.[7][8] It was his second tour win and first non-major, following a playoff victory over Arnold Palmer in June at the U.S. Open at Oakmont. Nicklaus had won $50,000 in the exhibition World Series of Golf the week before,[9][10] and won in Portland the following week for his third tour title.[11]
The last event in 1966, the Greater Seattle-Everett Classic, was held at the Everett Golf & Country Club. It was won by Homero Blancas, one stroke ahead of Cupit, a two-time runner-up.[12][13]
Inglewood later hosted the GTE Northwest Classic on the Senior PGA Tour, from 1987 through 1995.
Venues edit
| Years | Course | Par | Location | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Everett Golf & Country Club | 71 | Everett | 47°56′49″N 122°12′36″W / 47.947°N 122.21°W |
| 1936,[a] 1963, 1965 | Inglewood Golf Club | 72 | Kenmore | 47°45′00″N 122°15′18″W / 47.75°N 122.255°W |
| 1945, 1961, 1962, 1964 | Broadmoor Golf Club | 70 | Seattle | 47°38′24″N 122°17′31″W / 47.64°N 122.292°W |
Winners edit
| Year | Winner | Score | To par | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up | Purse (US$) |
Winner's share ($) |
Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Seattle-Everett Classic | |||||||||
| 1966 | Homero Blancas |
266 | −18 | 1 stroke | Jacky Cupit |
50,000 | 6,600 | [12] | |
| Greater Seattle Open Invitational | |||||||||
| 1965 | Gay Brewer |
279 | −9 | Playoff | Doug Sanders |
45,000 | 6,600 | [14] | |
| 1964 | Billy Casper |
265 | −15 | 2 strokes | Mason Rudolph |
40,000 | 5,800 | [15] | |
| Seattle Open Invitational | |||||||||
| 1963 | Bobby Nichols |
272 | −16 | 2 strokes | Raymond Floyd Stan Leonard |
35,000 | 5,300 | [16] | |
| Seattle World's Fair Open Invitational | |||||||||
| 1962 | Jack Nicklaus |
265 | −15 | 2 strokes | Tony Lema |
30,000 | 4,300 | [7][8] | |
| Greater Seattle Open Invitational | |||||||||
| 1961 | Dave Marr |
265 | −15 | Playoff | Jacky Cupit Bob Rosburg |
25,000 | 3,500 | [6] | |
| Seattle Open | |||||||||
| 1946–1960: No tournament | |||||||||
| 1945 | Byron Nelson |
259 | −21 | 13 strokes | Harry Givan (a) Jug McSpaden |
10,250 | 2,000 | [4][5] | |
| 1937–1944: No tournament | |||||||||
| 1936 |  Macdonald Smith |
285 | −7 | Playoff | Ralph Guldahl |
5,000 | 1,200 | [1][2][3] | |
Playoffs edit
Notes edit
- ^ Par 73 in 1936.
References edit
- ^ a b c "Guldahl and Smith on extra eighteen". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. August 3, 1936. p. 6.
- ^ a b c "Mac Smith has great golf day". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. August 4, 1936. p. 12.
- ^ a b c "Macdonald Smith wins Seattle golf tourney". Chicago Daily Tribune. Associated Press. August 4, 1936. p. 22.
- ^ a b "Nelson posts world's record in winning Seattle Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. October 15, 1961. p. 2.
- ^ a b "Nelson's 259 at Seattle breaks world record". Chicago Daily Tribune. Associated Press. October 15, 1945. p. 22.
- ^ a b c "Marr victor in golf playoff". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 18, 1961. p. 3B.
- ^ a b "Nicklaus wins Seattle Open". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 17, 1962. p. 3B.
- ^ a b "Nicklaus wins Seattle Open by 2 strokes". Chicago Daily Tribune. UPI. September 17, 1962. p. 4, sec. 4.
- ^ "World Series won by Jack". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 10, 1962. p. 3B.
- ^ "Nicklaus wins $75,000 exhibition; Palmer fades". Chicago Daily Tribune. Associated Press. September 10, 1962. p. 1, sec. 4.
- ^ "Open won in Portland by Nicklaus". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). UPI. September 24, 1961. p. 2B.
- ^ a b "Blancas tops Cupit for title". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 26, 1966. p. 4B.
- ^ Paul Nyhan (August 21, 2002). "Tour History in Washington". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
- ^ a b "Brewer wins Seattle Open". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. September 27, 1965. p. 11.
- ^ "Casper wins Seattle Open; Rudolph 2nd". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 28, 1963. p. 4B.
- ^ "Seattle Open win taken by Nichols". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. September 16, 1963. p. 4B.