The Rio Grande Valley Open was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour that played in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas in 1949 and 1950.
On February 27, 1949, Cary Middlecoff won the event. Jack Burke Jr. won on February 19 of the following year. [1] It was Burke's first PGA Tour victory, which he calls his "best memory" in golf. [2]
The 1948 event, which played as the Lower Rio Grande Open, was won by Lloyd Mangrum in an 18-hole playoff over Jimmy Demaret. Mangrum scored 65 to Demaret's 69 and received the $2,000 winners share out of a total of $10,000 in prize money. [3]
The events were held at the Harlingen Municipal Golf Course in Harlingen, Texas, a 6,320-yard, par-71 course opened in 1929. Today the site of the tournament is known as the "eighteen" course at the Tony Butler Municipal Golf Course. [4] On June 20, 1973, the City of Harlingen renamed the course in honor of Butler for his more than 40 years of service as head professional. [5]
| Year | Player | Country | Score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up | Winner's share ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Grande Valley Open | |||||||
| 1950 | Jack Burke Jr. |  United States | 264 | −20 | 2 strokes |  Skip Alexander | 2,000 |
| 1949 | Cary Middlecoff | United States | 267 | −17 | 2 strokes | Bob Hamilton | 2,000 |
| Lower Rio Grande Open | |||||||
| 1948 | Lloyd Mangrum | United States | 269 | −15 | Playoff | Jimmy Demaret | 2,000 |
William Ben Hogan was an American professional golfer who is generally considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the game. He is notable for his profound influence on golf swing theory and his ball-striking ability.
John Joseph Burke Jr. was an American professional golfer who was most prominent in the 1950s. The son of a professional golfer, Jack Burke Sr., he won two major titles, both in 1956, the Masters and PGA Championship, and is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
James Newton Demaret was an American professional golfer. He won 31 PGA Tour events in a long career between 1935 and 1957, and was the first three-time winner of the Masters, with titles in 1940, 1947, and 1950.
Donald Ray January was an American professional golfer, best known for winning the 1967 PGA Championship.
The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour, held annually at Pebble Beach, California, near Carmel. The tournament is usually held during the month of February on two different courses, currently Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill Golf Course and previously, Monterey Peninsula Country Club.
Lloyd Eugene Mangrum was an American professional golfer. He was known for his smooth swing and his relaxed demeanour on the course, which earned him the nickname "Mr. Icicle."
Craig Ralph Wood was an American professional golfer in the 1930s and 1940s, the winner of 21 PGA Tour titles including two major championships and a member of three Ryder Cup teams (1931, 1933, 1935).
Orville James Moody was an American professional golfer who won numerous tournaments in his career. He won the U.S. Open in 1969, the last champion in the 20th century to win through local and sectional qualifying.
The Genesis Invitational is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour in southern California, first played 98 years ago in 1926 as the Los Angeles Open. Other previous names include Genesis Open, Northern Trust Open and Nissan Open. Played annually in February at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, it is often the concluding event of the tour's "West Coast Swing" early in the calendar year, before the tour moves east to Florida.
The Tucson Open was a golf tournament in Arizona on the PGA Tour from 1945 to 2006, played annually in the winter in Tucson. It was last held at the Omni Tucson National Golf Resort in late February, with a $3 million purse and a $540,000 winner's share.
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.
Champions Golf Club is a 36-hole private golf club located in Houston, Texas. Established in 1957 by multiple major champions Jack Burke Jr. and Jimmy Demaret, who were both raised in the city, Champions carries a long history for Houston golf. Burke (1923-2024) won the Masters and PGA Championship in 1956 and Demaret (1910–1983) was the first to win three Masters.
The 1940 Masters Tournament was the seventh Masters Tournament, held April 4–7 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.
The 1948 Masters Tournament was the 12th Masters Tournament, held April 8–11 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.
The 1949 Masters Tournament was the 13th Masters Tournament, held April 7–10 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. This was the first year that the famous Green Jacket was awarded to the tournament winner, and previous champions were awarded theirs retroactively.
The 1950 Masters Tournament was the 14th Masters Tournament, held April 6–9 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Jimmy Demaret won at 283 (−5) and became the first three-time Masters champion, with previous wins in 1940 and 1947. He played the par-five 13th hole (Azalea) in six-under-par for the week, with two eagles and two birdies at the pivotal 480-yard (440 m) hole.
The Motor City Open was a PGA Tour event played at various clubs in and around Detroit for just under two decades. The PGA Tour record for the longest sudden-death playoff was established at the 1949 Motor City Open. Cary Middlecoff and Lloyd Mangrum played 11 holes at Meadowbrook Country Club in Northville, Michigan and were still stalemated when darkness arrived. Tournament officials, with their mutual consent, declared them co-winners.
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 1949 PGA Championship was the 31st PGA Championship, held May 25–31 in Virginia at Belmont Golf Course, north of Richmond. Native Virginian Sam Snead won the match play championship, 3 & 2 over Johnny Palmer in the Tuesday final; the winner's share was $3,500 and the runner-up's was $1,500.