| Sport | Golf |
|---|---|
| Founded | mid-1950s |
| Ceased | c. 1974 |
| Countries | Colombia, Jamaica, Panama, Puerto Rico, Venezuela |
| Related competitions | PGA Tour South American Tour |
The Caribbean Tour was a small professional golf tour based around the Caribbean that ran from the mid-1950s through to the mid-1970s. The tour was sponsored by the PGA Tour from 1958 until 1974, with tournaments generally scheduled before the start of that tour. From 1965 to 1969, the tour was split with three tournaments early in the year and others, known as the Latin-American Tour, taking place late in the year.
History edit
The Caribbean Golf Association was founded in 1956, with a Caribbean Circuit taking place the same year, which included tournaments in Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Puerto Rico and Jamaica.[1] The same tournaments comprised the schedule the following year. In 1958, the PGA Tour became involved,[2] with the introduction of the Seagram Caribbean Trophy and a prize to the leader of the circuit money list. The new Caribbean Tour began with just three tournaments: the Panama Open, the Puerto Rico Open and the Jamaica Open.[3]
Venezuela joined the Caribbean Tour in 1959 with the Valencia Open Invitational; the following year this was replaced by the Maracaibo Open Invitational and in 1961 the Caracas Open Invitational was added. After the 1963 circuit, Jamaica withdrew from the tour. A replacement was found as Colombia joined the tour with the Los Lagartos Open in Bogotá, however the tour was reduced to four tournaments that year as the Panama Open was cancelled.
In 1965, the Latin-American Tour was created, taking place in November. The first year comprised two tournaments; the Caracas Open, which had also been held in February as part of the Caribbean Tour, and the Mexican Open.[4] The following year the Puerto Rico Open moved to November, and each tour had three tournaments.[5] In 1967 Mexico withdrew from the tour; the West End Classic in The Bahamas was added as a replacement.[6] After the 1967 tour, the Puerto Rico Open ended. With the PGA Tour including the Bahamas National Open on their 1970 schedule, the West End Classic was cancelled and the Latin-American Tour came to an end.
In 1971, the Caracas Open moved back to February and rejoined the Caribbean Tour, which continued with four tournaments through 1973. In 1974, the PGA Tour withdrew their support for the tour and while Maracaibo, Panama and Los Lagartos tournaments went ahead, the tour was effectively finished.
Tournaments edit
Caribbean Circuit edit
Caribbean Tour edit
- Panama Open
- Jamaica Open
- Puerto Rico Open
- Valencia Open Invitational
- Maracaibo Open Invitational
- Caracas Open Invitational
- Los Lagartos Open
Latin-American Tour edit
Seagram Caribbean Trophy winners edit
- This table is incomplete
| Year | Winner | Country | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Art Wall, Jr. |  United States |
[7] |
| 1965 | Art Wall, Jr. | United States |
[8] |
| 1964 | Art Wall, Jr. | United States |
[8] |
| 1963 | George Knudson |  Canada |
[8] |
| 1962 | Don Whitt | United States |
[8] |
| 1961 | Billy Maxwell | United States |
[8] |
| 1960 | Pete Cooper | United States |
[8] |
| 1959 | Pete Cooper | United States |
[8] |
| 1958 | Bob Toski | United States |
[8] |
References edit
- ^ "Caribbean Circuit". Victoria Daily Times. Victoria, British Columbia. NEA. December 11, 1956. p. 9. Retrieved September 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Finsterwald Gets Top Rank With Golf Pros". The Minneapolis Star. Minneapolis, Minnesota. INS. January 3, 1958. p. 10B. Retrieved September 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Golf Pros Eye Prizes Of $298,000". The South Bend Tribune. South Bend, Indiana. INS. November 4, 1957. p. 17. Retrieved September 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "PGA Okays Tour of Latin America". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. September 19, 1965. p. 12D. Retrieved September 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Citrus Open Tops Winter Golf Tour". Fort Pierce News Chronicle. Fort Pierce, Florida. September 22, 1965. p. 12. Retrieved September 28, 2022 – via Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "West End Joins PGA '67 Tour". The Miami Herald. Miami, Florida. April 10, 1967. p. 6D. Retrieved September 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Richman, Milton (April 6, 1966). "Art Wall Jr., who won the Masters in 1959, just hoping to make cut". Dunkirk Evening Observer. Dunkirk, New York. p. 26. Retrieved September 17, 2020 – via NewspaperArchive.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Golfer's Digest. Follett Publishing Company. 1966 – via Google Books.