The Gulfport Open was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour that played in the 1940s on Mississippi's oldest golf course, the Great Southern Golf Club of Gulfport. [1]
At the 1945 event, Byron Nelson and Sam Snead finished play in regulation tied for the lead. Nineteen holes later, Nelson conceded a putt to Snead giving him the tournament. Later that year, Nelson would complete a record-setting season by winning eighteen tournaments, 11 of them consecutively. [1]
The Great Southern golf club was designed by Donald Ross in 1908. [1]
Samuel Jackson Snead was an American professional golfer who was one of the top players in the world for the better part of four decades and widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Snead was awarded a record 94 gold medallions, for wins in PGA of America Tour events and later credited with winning a record 82 PGA Tour events tied with Tiger Woods, including seven majors. He never won the U.S. Open, though he was runner-up four times. Snead was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.
John Byron Nelson Jr. was an American professional golfer between 1935 and 1946, widely considered one of the greatest golfers of all time.
The Byron Nelson is a golf tournament in Texas on the PGA Tour, currently hosted by TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, northeast of Dallas. Held in May, it is one of two PGA Tour stops in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex – which until the 2020-21 PGA Tour, was the only metropolitan area to host two events on separate courses in the area. The tournament is the leading fundraiser for charity on the PGA Tour and has raised more than $143 million. For much of its history, it was the only PGA Tour stop named after a professional golfer, and remains one of only two such events, along with the Arnold Palmer Invitational. As host, Byron Nelson (1912–2006) commonly made appearances during the tournament. It is hosted by the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, a 600-member civic organization, and has benefited the club's nonprofit Momentous Institute since its inception.
Harold Lee "Jug" McSpaden was an American professional golfer, and golf course architect.
The Wyndham Championship is a professional golf tournament in North Carolina on the PGA Tour. It is played annually in Greensboro and was originally the Greater Greensboro Open.
The North and South Open was one of the most prestigious professional golf tournaments in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century. It was played at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina, long the largest golf resort in the world, which also staged a series of other tournaments with the "North and South" name, some of which continue to this day.
The Greater Jacksonville Open was a PGA Tour event that was played from 1945 until 1976.
The Inverness Invitational Four-Ball was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour from 1935 to 1953. It was played at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.
The Miami Open was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour from 1924 to 1955. It was played at what is now the Miami Springs Golf & Country Club in Miami, Florida. The event was played in December from 1924 to 1926 and from 1937 to 1955. It was played in early January from 1928 to 1937.
The Miami International Four-Ball was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour from 1924 to 1954. It was played primarily at what is now the Miami Springs Golf and Country Club in Miami, Florida. It was also played at the Miami Biltmore Golf Course in Coral Gables, Florida from 1939 to 1942 and at the Normandy Shore Club in Miami Beach, Florida from 1952 to 1954.
The 1940 PGA Championship was the 23rd PGA Championship, held August 26 to September 2 at Hershey Country Club in Hershey, Pennsylvania, east of Harrisburg. Then a match play championship, Byron Nelson won his first PGA Championship, defeating Sam Snead 1 up in the 36-hole final. It was the third of Nelson's five major titles; he won the PGA Championship again in 1945. From 1939 to 1945, Nelson made five of the six finals, missing only in 1942.
The 1942 PGA Championship was the 25th PGA Championship, held May 25–31 at Seaview Country Club in Galloway Township, New Jersey, just north of Atlantic City. Then a match play championship, Sam Snead won 2 and 1 in the final over Jim Turnesa.
The 1944 PGA Championship was the 26th PGA Championship, held August 14–20 at Manito Golf and Country Club in Spokane, Washington. Then a match play championship, Bob Hamilton won his only major title, 1 up in the 36-hole final over heavily favored Byron Nelson; the winner's share was $3,500 and the runner-up's was $1,500. Hamilton defeated Jug McSpaden 2 and 1 in the quarterfinals and George Schneiter 1 up in the semifinals.
The 1946 PGA Championship was the 28th PGA Championship, held August 19–25 at Portland Golf Club outside Portland, Oregon. Ben Hogan won the match play championship, 6 and 4 over Ed Oliver in the final; the winner's share was $3,500 and the runner-up's was $1,500.
The Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic was a golf tournament on the Nike Tour from 1990 to 1997. It was played at the Windance Country Club in Gulfport, Mississippi from 1990 to 1995 and at the Mississippi National Golf Club in Gautier, Mississippi from 1996 to 1997.
The Esmeralda Open was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour that was played in 1945 and 1947 in Spokane, Washington. It was held at Indian Canyon Golf Course, a municipal facility designed in 1930 by Chandler Egan on the west end of the city, and opened in 1935. The Esmeralda Open was organized by the Spokane Athletic Round Table, a fraternal organization, headed by Joe Albi. The ART's emblem was a laughing horse named Esmeralda, which inspired the title of the charity tournament. The Round Table would later be instrumental in the construction of the city's Esmeralda Golf Course, opened in 1956 in northeast Spokane. It also was the driving force behind Spokane Memorial Stadium, named for Albi in 1962.
The Rapiscan Systems Classic is a golf tournament on the PGA Tour Champions in southern Mississippi. It debuted fourteen years ago in 2010 at Fallen Oak Golf Club in Saucier, north of Biloxi. The tournament is sponsored by Rapiscan Systems.
The Southwestern Invitational was a golf tournament played at the Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma in September 1945. The event was won by Sam Snead who took the first prize of $2,000.
The Chicago Open was a golf tournament played in the Chicago area. A Chicago District Open was first held in 1914. From 1926 to 1928 it became a national event. It was held again from 1937 to 1941, although there was no event in 1939. The Hale America National Open Golf Tournament was held in Chicago in 1942 and the Chicago Victory Open was played from 1943 to 1948. It was revived again as the Gleneagles-Chicago Open Invitational in 1958 and 1959.
Great Southern Golf Club was an 18-hole golf course located in Gulfport, Mississippi overlooking the Mississippi Sound. Designed by Donald Ross and built in 1908, the Great Southern Golf Club was the oldest golf course in Mississippi. To satisfy mortgage debts, the land was sold at auction in 2021 to a residential developer. After 114 years of operation, the golf course closed in May 2022 due to lack of funding.